More Christmas celebrations....and predictable Chinese flights...

Friday night bought a night of fun and games as the EtonHouse staff settled in at a deserted Australian restaurant to celebrate Christmas. The dinner was a lovely buffet and the Australian red wine went down a treat after a long 11 weeks at school.

Me wearing my long awaited prize (that I didn't even win!) and an off duty Santa. I have promised to wear that stylish beanie/glove set in several photos in Tibet.

Things did get a little silly as the night wore on - there were dart competitions where the darts occasionally missed the board, pool competitions with staff who didn't know how to hold the cue, Rolling Stones impersonations, the 'Bevins' (Tony and I) V the 'Aristocrats' (Pete and Nat) pool game, and some hair styling by a very feminine stylist (Tony) on an unsuspecting model (myself). A lot of fun to finish the year on.

The 'Sexy Beasts' quiz team did okay, however we were a lot more confident in our intellectual abilities than we should have been!

I regretted not packing earlier as I stumbled around with a slight red wine induced headache on Saturday morning. At last I was off though, you can't do any more organising when you are on the plane. Which brings me to an observation of the Chinese whilst flying. The behaviour of the Chinese is very predictable. First, they rush to line up to get onto the plane despite the fact that everyone has a pre-assigned seat. Then they push and shove as they try to store their big gift boxes of dried meats and 100 year old eggs in the overhead locker. They sit down and promptly fall asleep, only wakening to eat several pieces of cake and bread that are usually the snacks. They then fall back asleep and all is calm until mayhem hits again as they all wake up (on cue) just before landing. As soon as the plane hits the ground, seatbelts are off, mobile phones are on and they clamber over one another to get their bags out and wait for 10 minutes with their necks at an unnatural angle under the overhead lockers. The same happens on every flight, very amusing. The Chinese staff enjoy the Christmas party I am now in Chengdu, waiting to board the train for Lhasa tonight. Am so excited about the trip but slightly anxious too. I have wanted to do this trip for so long that I'm a little worried it won't live up to my expectations or that getting altitude sickness will ruin the experience. The train trip is meant to be stunning, it is the world's highest railway with the highest point being just over 5000 metres above sea level. Christmas in Tibet, here I come!

First annual EtonHouse Christmas party

Wednesday night brought a fun filled night for EtonHouse as we celebrated Christmas as a whole school. Students, parents, teachers, administration staff, cleaners, and drivers were involved in our celebrations. The students sang beautifully and the staff made some attempt to sing in tune - luckily Christine sang well enough to cover up the rest of our out of tune voices!

Year 3 and 4 sing 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer'

The students were very excited to have a visit from Santa Claus (Mr Valentine mysteriously went missing during this time!) and all received a small gift. We all enjoyed an amazing spread of Christmas foods - turkey, ham, potatoes, yum! It was a special feeling to sit back and watch such a large group of people, from diverse backgrounds and nationalities, come together to celebrate. I feel really lucky to be part of this international community.

Teachers relieved that 'Rudolph' is over, sung beautifully with no mistakes!

Today is the last day of school - a half day too! Am looking forward to an afternoon off before our staff Christmas party tonight. Unfortunately the year has ended on a sad note here, one of our Chinese colleagues has finished working at the school and her son, Jack (who is in my class) will leave as well. So, the Kookaburras are down to 8 now.

Even the teachers sang........badly! (notice that I hid at the back?!)

Christmas in Wuxi .....

Yes, the Christmas spirit has hit Wuxi! Stores, apartments blocks, bars and gyms all over town have dusted off their Christmas decorations (many of which have been hanging there all year!) and gone overboard on the (mostly tacky) decorations.

Gingerbread anyone? 'Ladies Night' at the Sheraton Hotel on Monday night.

The last week of school (yay!) involves several Christmas functions and Christmas carols being heard throughout the halls. It seems quite odd that we allowed to celebrate Christmas at school here in a country where Christmas is traditionally not celebrated, yet at home, it is a big no-no to talk about or celebrate the jolly fat man.

Three of us (the usuals - Amy, Tracy and myself) decided to brave the cold and head into downtown to stuff ourselves full of smoked salmon, lamb stew and mashed potato on Monday night at the Sheraton hotel. This could become a regular night out - Ladies Night, with a half price buffet - a lovely selection of western foods (even if it is with a Chinese twist). The school Christmas party is on tonight and the children are very excited about a visit from Santa Claus. Staff party is on Friday night, my last chance for a Christmas drink before heading off to Tibet where the possibility of AMS (acute mountain sickness) will scare me off having a drink! Hope everyone at home is enjoying a Christmas drink or two.

Sex and the City - Wuxi style ....

After another long week at work (with only 1 week to go till holidays!), it was time for a night of home cooking, bubbles and DVDs at Amy's. After enjoying a beautiful lasagne and bottle of bubbles with strawberries, we quickly moved onto Cosmopolitans and settled in to watch the Sex and the City movie. The movie was quickly forgotten as the Cosmos kept flowing and the girly conversation turned into our own version of Sex and the City, Wuxi style - Wuxi may not be New York, but hey, it was likened to Paris!

Gorgeous girls ready to hit the town!

What a great way to end a week, even if I was unable to leave the couch the next day, I felt very sorry for myself!

The obligatory drunken fashion alterations ...

Gunnar has now gone back to Germany for the Christmas holidays, and although I will miss him, it was lovely to spend a day all by myself today! I have been getting ready for my trip to Tibet, gathering all my warm clothes and hunting down medications for altitude sickness. Can't believe that in just over a week, I will in the Himalayas!

Getting into the Christmas spirit with fairy lights and bubbles

Also went to the supermarkets today (I need to start cooking rather than eating out all the time!) and still haven't gotten used to the fact that everyone wants to look in your trolley to see what a white foreigner will buy! After too much lying around and eating yummy German Christmas breads, I really need to head off to the gym now, and maybe a massage afterwards!

Wuxi - the Paris of Asia???

Another interesting week has nearly ended - It is hard to believe that it is nearly Christmas holidays already. Today we are farewelling one of our class members - the economic crisis has also hit Wuxi and some of our Korean students have to return home. So, it has been a slightly sad week for the Kookaburras as we say goodbye to Selina.

My Christmas tree in my apartment - the only tree in the store that didn't have neon glowing pine needles!

There is always something happening in Wuxi and last night was no exception. My teaching assistant invited the international teachers to a 'youth salon' opening with the promise of free food and beer. Of course we went! As all Chinese functions are, there was the introduction of the VIPs, several speeches, many photos (Amy and I spent a good 5 minutes posing for the cameras as the token laowais), and glossy books. The way the Wuxi people describe their beloved city is somewhat different to the way the foreigners see it. The book we were given last night described Wuxi as 'a city of ulimate glamour' and likened it to Paris.....um, where are they hiding that part of Wuxi??

Farewelling Selina (in the middle). And then there were nine.

Another weekend in Wuxi .....

No, they are not drugs! Purchases at the 'tea' floor of Hong Mei market.

Enjoying Korean BBQ on Saturday night It was a fairly quiet weekend in Wuxi, after a busy month of weekends with Rob here (who is currently enjoying life in Cesky Krumlov, my favourite spot in Europe, lucky thing!). The weekend began with a very civilised (read - Western!) evening at Uberfood, where we enjoyed numerous glasses of red wine and delicious platters. The bike ride home on a -2 degree night while a little tipsy was not so enjoyable! Saturday was FREEZING, -5 degrees I was told, brrrrr. We ventured out to the Hong Mei markets to buy Christmas decorations but found ourselves exploring (getting lost really!) in the many floors of stores. Each floor is dedicated to a different area, you can buy everything from pots and pans to stationery to clothes to tea. We discovered the 'tea' floor, where we were able to sit and sample many different varieties. After half an hour or so, we walked out laden down with about 5-6 different varieties of green teas and flower teas. We eventually found the Christmras section, where I bought myself a very realistic looking tree and a ridiculous amount of decorations for ridiculously cheap prices. On Saturday night we wandered down to the 'international plaza' (sounds a lot classier than it actually is!) and enjoyed Korean BBQ for dinner. Weekends are so different here for me - at home, most of the weekend is spent outside, walking, playing hockey or at the farm. On Sunday, I didn't leave the apartment until about 5pm - how lazy! And then it was only to go to the gym, get food and have a massage! It's a tough life! Back into another busy week here - Parent Teacher interviews this week. Am having trouble uploading photos here at the moment, so will add some soon - you'll just have to imagine my weekend!

It was bound to happen eventually ..........

Yes, I have taken the first fall from my bike! It was just what I needed after saying goodbye to Rob and feeling a little emotional. The Chinese quality of products really is appalling .... a 4 month old bike that is already falling apart - the brakes don't work, the tires are always going flat, it is rusting and the bell is slowly dying. But I am okay, just a little rattled and taking much more care on the roads now (at least until the brakes are fixed!). It has been a bit of a flat week, back to normality I guess. I had a bit of a moment last night when I looked in several shops for a new winter coat, only to find that the XL was too small - all the Chinese women are so small and have no boobs. Quite depressing! I am having 2 of the teachers over for dinner tonight and looking forward to cooking for people and enjoying some nice Australian red wine. I'm also looking forward to going shopping on the weekend for a Christmas tree and decorations. Something else to cheer me up is the planning of my upcoming holidays, really looking forward to getting away from it all here and taking in some beautiful Tibetan and Japanese sights!