First, let me wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (in Mandarin those would be sheng4 dan4 kuai4 le4 and xin1 nian2 kuai4 le4; the number are the tones which you have to put on those words, if you're interested I encourage you to look them up, an explanation from me would take too long and probably be poor at best). As you might have thought, those two holidays aren't the biggest deals over here. I had a couple students who were kind enough to give me Christmas gifts; it was nice to get something to give some semblance of the holiday. It was no Miner family Christmas by any stretch, but it was enjoyable. New Year's Eve was actually an early night because I wasn't feeling well, and my friend, Erin, was really sick as well. I decided to stay in for the night and just focus on getting better. Not exactly the most exciting, but neither is getting more sick.
For this post I'm going to take you back to mid-November. I'm not sure if I mentioned that the school has a symphonic orchestra, but it does. The majority of the musicians are from Junior 1 and 2, so the equivalent of 7th and 8th grade, which makes some of them my students. Well, the orchestra had a concert that I attended. They played some Chinese songs, as well as some Western songs. All in all, I was impressed, especially when you consider that they typically only rehearse once a week and hardly practice outside of those rehearsals. If they had something like an orchestra class 2 or 3 times a week, they would be quite good. I took a few pictures, though the vantage point was not the greatest.
For this post I'm going to take you back to mid-November. I'm not sure if I mentioned that the school has a symphonic orchestra, but it does. The majority of the musicians are from Junior 1 and 2, so the equivalent of 7th and 8th grade, which makes some of them my students. Well, the orchestra had a concert that I attended. They played some Chinese songs, as well as some Western songs. All in all, I was impressed, especially when you consider that they typically only rehearse once a week and hardly practice outside of those rehearsals. If they had something like an orchestra class 2 or 3 times a week, they would be quite good. I took a few pictures, though the vantage point was not the greatest.
Above: This room is actually the dance studio in the Arts Building on campus.
The hosts for the evening, dressed in uniforms that I've never seen any of the kids wear. The typical uniform is navy pants and white shirt, with a navy blazer type thing when it gets cooler, and a coat for the winter. These two have the whole Catholic school vibe. I may be mistaken, but I don't think this school is in any way affiliated with the Catholic church.
First up was the Chinese orchestra, which consisted of all traditional Chinese instruments. It was pretty dang awesome. I encourage you all to find some youtube videos of any traditional Chinese instruments.
Here is the Western style orchestra with a choir in the back.
I was trying to get a closeup of the singer in the back, but, as I said, the vantage point wasn't the greatest. The one with the microphone had a solo at the beginning of one of the songs, voice like an angel. He is in one of my classes; his favorite band is Wham! But, he is also one of the rare students who knows Queen for more than just "We Will Rock You," definitely a favorite of mine.
The students at the end of the performance. The lighting didn't make for the most flattering photo. You may notice that the girls are wearing flesh-colored tights, that's because the school isn't big on heating much. I sat through the concert wearing my coat, as did most people in the audience. It's just how they operate. You get used to it, though I haven't started wearing the long underwear like most Chinese people do. I think I would be too warm then.
On an unrelated note, I often buy cooked sweet potatoes from this street vendor. It's pretty great. The two of us are fast friends, though maybe it's more of a junkie/dealer relationship. I wish there had been someone selling sweet potatoes on the street in Chicago. When you buy one, she puts it in a little plastic bag. Well, one night the bag decided to break when I got back in my room. Luckily, I was in my room and not outside, and my camera was nearby so I could document my sadness.
On an unrelated note, I often buy cooked sweet potatoes from this street vendor. It's pretty great. The two of us are fast friends, though maybe it's more of a junkie/dealer relationship. I wish there had been someone selling sweet potatoes on the street in Chicago. When you buy one, she puts it in a little plastic bag. Well, one night the bag decided to break when I got back in my room. Luckily, I was in my room and not outside, and my camera was nearby so I could document my sadness.
Above: Sometimes I buy wine faster than I can drink it. The one in the middle was particularly pleasing. One of the supermarkets was running a buy 1, get 1 on a 50 yuan bottle of wine. At 25 per bottle it's worth it, seeing as how my typical bottle is about 20. It's a Cabernet, nothing out of this world, but it seemed like I was drinking a halfway decent bottle of wine. The two on either side are my typical "Greatwall Dry Red Wine." I tend to have a glass every night or so. Apparently, it's not going to hasten reaching my goal of fat loss, but I think that the perceived mental benefits outweigh the extra calories, not to forget the probable health benefits.
That's all for now. I will do my best to update soon, lest I incur the wrath of Pam again.
That's all for now. I will do my best to update soon, lest I incur the wrath of Pam again.