Oh China, You Win Again

I promised photos - sorry for the delay Mama. Thank goodness you can always blame China for your short comings!
October Days Photos - including Fall picnics, Xiangfan delights and Absentee voting.
This has been such a whirlwind of a week...it took me a few days to recover and muster the energy to even write this blog post. I met with some of our sisters for our meditation time this morning, and we read about "growing tired and weary"...my sleep-deprived, cold-ridden, spent body screamed "Amen!". But make no mistake - it was arguably the best week of my life. (I will attempt to condense, just for you Dave, and downplay the exclamation points, for Brian)

Halloween
To make up for last year's shortcomings, we filled this halloween with makeshift jack'o'lanterns....turns out, halved gourds work too. Trent showed up the the Great Pumpkin to redeem us all, and Kat made a self-portrait out of hers. It worked so well, that I gave 5 pumpkins to my students, and let them have a competition. They were incredible! My sad little smiling gourd lost a LOT of face... We showed less than frightening classics like Casper, Sleepy Hollow, Ghostbusters and The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown...as the Chinese have low tolerance for fear. I lost major guanxi with my fellow teachers when 5 of my students ran down the hall wrapped in toilet paper, moaning like mummies.
In honor of Halloween, the week was spent with a nightly horror flick. We watched such classics as Poltergeist, the Shining, Halloween, the Night before Christmas, and Dracula. So after many sleepless nights, long days of teaching, and sugar induced comas...we threw a Halloween party. Tradition dictates that Qi Yuan hosts a Halloween party, as it falls on the same day that Angelyn blessed the world. So in honor of her birth, we threw an 80's themed Halloween party. Blue Eyeshadow, Pat Benatar, and China sweaters - as an 80's wardrobe is not all that difficult to come by around here! Needless to say, our Chinese friends were really confused about how dressing in their daily attire made them costume perfect! Good time had by all, and the night ended with the annual showing of "Teenagers From Outer Space" - Brian, we missed you. In your honor, let me just say...That is of no consequence to YOU Thor!
Halloween Photos

Oh China, You Win Again
I have almost no words...but let's be honest, I always have some...the Xiangfan crew is amazing. They composed this song for English teachers around the country, and it is sure to be the most successful China Now recruiting tool ever. For all of you at home, finally, something that can adequately convey life in China. Enjoy the video!