Twas the night before Christmas...

As I write this, the night of Christmas Eve, it feels just like any other Monday night. Scott is at hockey practice and I just finished making the final exam for my English Writing class at the university. It’s not too difficult, they just have to identify the parts of speech, put vocabulary words into sentences and write one of two essays:




What has been your experience learning English? Why is English important to you and what do you plan to do with your English skills in the future?

In your lifetime, how has China changed over the years? Have all the changes been good? What will the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games mean for China’s future?

The sound of fireworks is ringing in my ears as someone is lighting some off just outside my window.


Possibly a celebration for Christmas, this too could happen any old Monday night, as fireworks are a common occurrence around here. The Chinese, inventors of this celebratory display of flashy explosives, are crazy about fireworks and light them off frequently for no apparent reason.

Many friends from home have asked – do they celebrate Christmas in China? As a Communist country, China’s official religion is Atheism. However, most Chinese practice religion, whether it’s Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Islam or just ancient superstitions. Only about 3% of the population is Christian, so the observance of Christmas is not widespread.
However, China seems to have grasped the commercial concept of Christmas and the holiday has become trendy is China’s big cities. Sounds of English Christmas carols have been blasting from every department store and supermarket in Kunming since the beginning of December. Many shops display a Christmas tree outside their door or paint a season’s greeting across their windows. Just like Americans, while the Chinese know that Christmas is a holiday to celebrate Jesus, it’s more fun and profitable to focus on the commercial aspects.

Scott has to work Christmas morning. He’ll be hosting a Christmas party for kindergarten children. Ho ho ho! But when he gets back, we’ll exchange presents and then head over to some a friend’s house for a western Christmas dinner.

This past week also happened to be my birthday, so I got to celebrate my 27 years on this planet both western style and then Chinese style. Thursday night Scott planned an early birthday celebration for me in Kunming as we would be in Dongchuan for the actual day. We had a pre-party at our neighbor’s apartment with special treats like pistachios, M&Ms and red wine – both Californian and Chinese. As most people drink either baijiu or beer here, wine is a special treat and rather expensive in comparison – especially the imported bottles. Surprisingly, China makes a decent wine. While there are wineries across the country, Yunnan is especially known for its wine. With its close proximity to Vietnam and it’s location along both the Burma and Silk Roads, Yunnan has hosted a number of French missionaries who introduced vine clippings for their communion needs. After the pre-party, we went for dinner at Indian Kitchen, my favorite restaurant. Scott did quite well in the present department. He got me 25 long-stemmed stargazer lilies, a flowering plant, a bus pass good for 50 rides and a beautiful jade necklace. The jade is carved into bamboo with a bat along the edge. The bamboo symbolizes un-breaking strength and the bat symbolizes good fortune.

In Dongchuan, we had a traditional Chinese dinner. It’s the custom for the person whose birthday it is to toast everyone at the table numerous times with a little speech of gratitude. Afterwards, we headed to a KTV for some late-night karaoke. We had some Party members with us, who sang some historical propaganda tunes and I belted a few Madonna numbers. Tina brought a big cake and smeared the frosting all over my face, which is also a Chinese birthday tradition. All in all, it was a good birthday.

For a little cross-religious celebration, we visited Dongchuan's Buddhist temple on Saturday. It appears to be newly constructed as some parts are still underway. For such a small town, the temple is quite impressive and it's location in the mountains puts it higher on my temple list than Kunming's. I've included some pictures of the site.





It is always difficult this time of year to be away from my family. I wish that I could be at Aunt Mary and Uncle Lars’ home for Christmas this year. However, I am grateful for the experience that this year teaching abroad has afforded me, especially when I compare the mercury levels in the thermometer between Kunming and Fairbanks.


MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!






Birthday presents



A chicken dish at my birthday dinner in Dongchuan. Our little 10-year-old friend Harry eat the entire head.


Karaoke!