Hello Everyone,

I hope you have all enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving Break. 

I was given the option of taking a short break myself; a day off.  I was grateful for the offer, but decided that a  busy day full of teaching classes would be easier than a day spent contemplating the folks I would not be seeing and the food I would not be eating. 

No, I had decided that I would just teach my classes, "read" some Chinese, do some foot-travel exploring and have a really typical day with the exception of maybe going across the street to eat rice and vegetables in a restaurant instead of eating rice and vegetables in my apartment.

My peers and pupils had other ideas.  They invited me to take part in a little Thanksgiving party in one of the classrooms.  There were no mashed potatoes, but there were some other tasty treats.  Apparently my produce-purchasing habit had not escaped the notice of my keen-eyed students.  Before the real festivities began, many bags of food were emptied into little piles on each desk.  A few oranges, some other smaller citrus fruits (possibly kumquats, but much tastier than those decorative ones in the huge bottle promise to be), a few handfuls of sunflower seeds and peanuts, an apple, a banana, a pumpkin-flavored little cookie-sandwich type snack, and a bottled water or small cup of soda to wash it all down.  Pieces of a very elaborately decorated cake that glowed with key lime pie brilliance were also distributed.  I was given a segment of the creamy frostinged goodness proportional to my height.  It was the piece with the kiwi slice on top, and I did eat the kiwi, and I did eat all of the cake below the kiwi (you know that old saying; when in ... a small city in China at a party thrown for you so that you will not feel homesick on an important festival day in your home country by people who have obviously put a great deal of time, effort and thought into the celebration, eat cake.  And love it.  And friends that's just what I did, I ate that cake, and I enjoyed it greatly, while I was sitting there on the bench, right there on the group "W" bench.) 

The Arlo reference above brings me to the real highlight of the party which was the singing.  People in China love to sing.  They are always doing it, and they are always confused by my hesitation to deliver "an English song" when they ask for one, which is frequently.  On this special day, I told them that in America, there are many Christmas carols that many people sing (and some speak), but at Thanksgiving, there are two songs that are played on the radio.  I will end the suspense for you here, no, I did not recite the twenty minutes of Alice's Restaurant in four part harmony, but I did sing one verse of Adam Sandler's new classic in my best Adam Sandler falsetto.  I could, unfortunately only deliver a small portion of the song, because I do not remember the words, and nobody in the room had the karaoke version on the CD or flash drives  that held so many of their favorites. 

Yes, there was a karaoke machine in the room, and yes, there were many Chinese hits sung as well as some favorites from North America.  Some people sang without accompaniment including a group of eight that performed "Country Roads", a song they had learned just that day.(Imagine my delight when they belted out, "Shenandoah River")

Another number sure to be remembered on future fourth Thursdays was sung by one of the few boys in my classes.  He performed a somewhat disturbingly well-rendered version of Celine Dione's "My Heart Will Go On."

I left the party with more than memories;  the gifts bestowed upon me were really incredible.  Anyone can appreciate how beautiful they are, but the thrift and use of available materials involved in their creation is a source of continuing delight for me, since I myself have been known to try my hand at wood-carving and other crafts. 

One student used  a small plastic Poland Springsish water bottle, some paper, some straws, and a few touches of paint to create a sea-anemone shaped vase that glows in the dark filled with paper cranes and shooting stars.  Another group made a bead curtain of sorts using ribbons, several dozen paper-cranes and little bells.  My name was rendered poster-sized with each letter composed of wee folded cranes of different colors.  I was also given some tea, and a wall hanging made of wood with a red-rope knot seen many places throughout this country.

After unloading the loot at my apartment, my friends and colleagues took me out to dinner and... a trip to a real-live karaoke bar.  It was fantastic.  The karaokeiest Thanksgiving day ever.  My place here is much more homey now, and it was really great talking to my family this weekend.  I do miss you, and I am looking forward to our next Thanksgiving together.  Until then, I will continue to enjoy my time here, living the stories I will be sharing next time we meet.

Thank you.  Thank you for your notes, and thank you for the positive thoughts you are sending this way.  Keep it up.  It's working.

Until next time, take care, and be well. -Tyler

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