The weather has turned cold. Today the temperature was in the high 40's. It seems colder than that because it is a wet cold. In the past two weeks we have had some beautiful weather even into the 60's with sun. Then there were several days in a row where there was drizzle and clouds and the feeling of cold. Supposedly, December is better and it becomes drier. (Then our skin will dry out and our lips will crack:) We will see. Of course, the Chinese thought that winter was here when the temperature dropped below 70 here in Yongchuan. I may soon have to get out my winter coat!
There have been three parties of note since we wrote last. (The Chinese call almost any gathering a party = I will have to think what they call them in Chinese. In English it is party.)
The first was a birthday party. I had met a businessman from Yongchuan at English Corner. He came because he is going to American next year on business and he is working on his English. Jerry hopes to make that good enough that one of the companies he will visit will offer him a job in America.
He has taken me to lunch and to dinner. He called and invited us to his birthday party. He met us and took us by taxi to a restaurant. There we joined his friends. As is common in China, they are his friends from Middle School (High School days) In total 12 people. We had a delicious meal around a Chicken hot pot. Maybe it was mild because of the western guests. They (we) had a good time around the table talking and laughing. Then the drinking games began. Each person took turns challenging one by one the others to a game in which the loser drinks. They did it well and everyone survived nicely. From there we went to a Karaoke bar (here it is called KTV. We actually had a private room with our own technology. ) They sang and we sang and danced. They had a grand time and we tried to relax. The next day was a school and work day so we were not late. Jerry saw us to and arranged a taxi to take us back to campus since the busses stop running at 8. Good time was had by all.
There have been three parties of note since we wrote last. (The Chinese call almost any gathering a party = I will have to think what they call them in Chinese. In English it is party.)
The first was a birthday party. I had met a businessman from Yongchuan at English Corner. He came because he is going to American next year on business and he is working on his English. Jerry hopes to make that good enough that one of the companies he will visit will offer him a job in America.
He has taken me to lunch and to dinner. He called and invited us to his birthday party. He met us and took us by taxi to a restaurant. There we joined his friends. As is common in China, they are his friends from Middle School (High School days) In total 12 people. We had a delicious meal around a Chicken hot pot. Maybe it was mild because of the western guests. They (we) had a good time around the table talking and laughing. Then the drinking games began. Each person took turns challenging one by one the others to a game in which the loser drinks. They did it well and everyone survived nicely. From there we went to a Karaoke bar (here it is called KTV. We actually had a private room with our own technology. ) They sang and we sang and danced. They had a grand time and we tried to relax. The next day was a school and work day so we were not late. Jerry saw us to and arranged a taxi to take us back to campus since the busses stop running at 8. Good time was had by all. 
The second party was the Freshman English Majors turn to run an entertainment for the campus. It was one of the Saturday night affairs we have described before. There is some singing and dancing and usually a funny skit or two and an audience participation game. This show featured Renee and two of her students playing guitar and singing. They sang a Chinese lullaby. The students and audience went wild that a foreigner could sing in Chinese. Crowd estimates are hard, but it filled the basketball court and most of the seats surroundding it. I think about a 1000 attend. The night ends with a dance - bunny hop, chacha, and waltz. The dance lasts until 9:30 and then the crowd disperses.
Party number three was Thanksgiving. We went to Chongqing to celebrate on Saturday after
the fact (we taught on the day). We managed the transportation and with some help the big city public busses as well to arrive at Renee Vetch's (Can you believe that in our small group of volunteers there is another Renee??!!)apartment. Renee is another volunteer who is working in Chongqing. Renee had the meal well in hand with many things at a good stage of preparation. We arrived and talked and planned. Jason LaBoyer, another volunteer from California, then joined us . Jason and I went out to get some last minute items and the women folk worked in the kitchen. The party was joined by their language tutor and Renee's waiban. The last guest was another foreign teacher. Margaret is from Kentucky by way of England. What American accent are the students learning?? We had a grand time around the table. It felt like Thanksgiving. 
Christmas is coming and there are some plans in the air, maybe. There are suppose to be two Christmas parties that the school runs - one at each campus and we will be invited. Renee and I have been invited to sing but so far that seems an idea rather than a reality. Renee and the other foreign teachers will go to a big deal Christmas program in Chongqing on the 18th while I am teaching. We think the churches have Christmas eve services and we are trying to arrange being able to attend. We are teaching our classes some Christmas carols and plan to take them caroling. They are excited about the idea. We get raisins on Tuesday and will try to make a slew of Welsh cookins, an Erickson treat, to give as gifts. There are too many people here we would like to give to so we have some figuring out to do. The students have studied about Christmas every year since they started learning English. They can sing Jingle Bells, Silent Night, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. We hope to share the meaning of Christmas so they can hear it anew and from a new perspective.
Things feel a bit breathless. This last picture is of me and several of Rich's students. One of his class leaders is arranging small dinner gatherings, about 8 students at a time, so that Rich will have a chance to talk more with his students and vice versa. I have been invited to join them, and sometimes I do. I am amazed at the level of English skill that his juniors have in comparison to my freshmen. My students have a long way to go. Rich and I just discovered that we have to take a Mardarin Chinese test when we go for our triaining meeting in January. Yikes! Talk about having a long way to go. We do. And I hate tests!!! Oh well.
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