Thanksgiving and beyond

My ever present slow internet connection is not inspiring me to blog as regularly as I’d like. It’s either that or life here has settled into such a normal routine that there doesn’t seem to be anything worth writing about. What am I saying? Though I may have established a routine, nothing is normal.

Let me catch you up on past events:

My weekend in Tianshui was fantastic! After spending nearly two months in Lanzhou, it was nice to get out of the city. Kari and I spent a relaxing weekend in the small city with Emily. We shopped, ate delicious hot pot, watched Pride and Prejudice, and even did a little bit of hiking. When I returned home, I felt rejuvenated, which is exactly what I needed to get me through the rest of the semester.

Thanksgiving weekend was next on the agenda. Cayce (and me, sort of) hosted our Thanksgiving get together the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I forgot to get a head count, but over 20 of us crammed ourselves into Cayce’s apartment for a nearly traditional feast. We had everything except the turkey, though the deep-fried chickens served as an adequate substitute. Before dinner, a few of us played a game of football in our school’s courtyard until the guards stopped the game, insisting that where we were playing wasn’t a playground. While it lasted, it was great. The students who walked by our game looked amused that so many waiguoren (foreigners) assembled in the center of campus to play such an alien game. The irony, of course, is that the ball we used, mailed to one of the other volunteers from home, was Made in China. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and this was only the second time I spent it away from my family, but even though I was far from home, away from my family, and deprived of my dad’s sweet potato pies, this was one of the best Thankgivings I’ve ever had.

December’s been hectic. Between finishing classes, the anticipation of Christmas and New Year’s, and becoming familiar with my life here in China, time is passing quickly. This week the majority of my classes finish, and then my last one will finish Christmas week. And then the semester break begins (I’m still working on those plans).

Though it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas as far as the weather is concerned, it doesn’t really seem like Christmas is a week away. A few store fronts have pictures of Santa, Christmas trees, and various Christmas-themed decorations, but there’s something strange about not being bombarded with Christmas songs everywhere I go or feeling the stress of last-minute Christmas shopping. Nonetheless, I’m excited about the holiday. It helps that my students are borderline obsessed with the idea of Christmas. And I’ll have plenty of opportunities to celebrate, as each night this coming weekend is booked with a Christmas party.

Not much else going on here. I’m looking forward to my nearly two-month break when I can finally do a little traveling!