Happy Helloween Party!

 

It’s almost Happy Helloween Party time!  Be sure to greet your neighbors with a special “Hello-ween”.  Although Helloween time is popular for commercial and party reasons, there is no official holiday here in China.  It will be a normal school day for our students.  Last year there was a huge celebration at the kindergarten with costumes, fake webbing, bobbing for apples, and trick-or-treating around the classrooms.  This year they decided not to do this again and for a good reason.  The university will host its annual sport’s weekend! 

This is a time where average university students compete in various track and field events.  Because these students do not regularly compete or carry on a basic exercise routine, many come in jeans and sweaters.  Some get winded and quit races before they finish.  Sadly, foreigners are not allowed to compete, so I may opt out and travel with some of the neighbors in my building of foreign 'experts', (this is our housing block for all visiting professors and foreign language teachers). 

Recently I met another group of foreigners that go camping and hiking on the weekends.  I will join them this weekend for an excursion.  Not too many details were involved, but I found a tent, sleeping bag, and ground mat.  The weather is not hot anymore, but certainly not too cold.  The coldest it gets here at this time of year is around 50 F/10 C).  Thankfully my sleeping bag is rated for -5 C.  My cold-blooded nature will be protected in the sleeping bag oven. 

-->

Ah…. Cooler weather finally rolls in and with this comes sore necks and runny noses.  The children at the kindergarten are practicing the habit of using a tissue, (ALL BY THEMSELVES), and covering their mouths when they sneeze.  These may sound like common courtesies, but in China, young children rarely exercise them.  Most adults wipe everything for a child and public coughing, sneezing, and spitting is a common sight here among people of all ages. 

I've finished my third week with one particular classroom.  This month I’ve been spending one week in each of the four classrooms rather than one day/week in each room.  It allows for more time with each classroom more time to develop and assist each classroom environment as necessary. 

My own throat is a bit sore, but thankfully I am in the land of delightful citrus varieties.  I can load up on vitamin C through green oranges, tangerines, and the most amazing miniature tangerines known as tiny sweet honey oranges.  They are the width of a Ping-Pong ball and just as good as the name suggests.  The tea and honey is also quite abundant, so I imagine recovery will take place in the next day or so. Hopefully sore throats to not disturb the Happy Helloween Party time in the rest of the world.