Sheng Dan Jie Kuai Le 2007
After my last blog entry discussing Christmas, I realized that, most likely, I was preaching to the choir when it came to understanding the real meaning of the Holyday. Even so, the week leading up to 25 December continued to fill my mind with the utterly international and strange nature of Christmas here in Kunming. Yesterday, as I road my mountain bike into the Western Hills, a military vehicle passed me and two soldiers hanging out the back encouraged me with "jia you" (come one; you can do it) before one of them shouted "Shengdan jie kuai le!" A member of the Chinese military wished me a Merry Christmas. He most likely did not understand the whole meaning of what he said, but I was once again struck by the irony of hearing that greeting from him in this place, when in the States his wishes might have been grounds for a law suit. I waved with a smile and pedaled harder up the hill. The following are more pictures of what Christmas is like here for me.
Members of a local Scandanavian theater visited our school and shared the costumes, customs, and music of Santa Lucia. Their choir paraded through our campus, singing as they climbed to the fifth floor before heading back down to the second floor to perform for the entire student body. Saffron buns were served, along with wassail (spiced cider). They sang "Santa Lucia" and other traditional Scandanavian carols. Their members came from Danmark, Sverige, and Norge (Denmark, Sweden, and Norway).
Because Christmas is the time when the most KIA graduates return to Kunming (to see family), this is when we hold our "homecoming" festivities. This year the school began what we hope will be a homecoming tradition: the annual homecoming bowling tournament. Teams represented the four classes currently enrolled at KIA, the alumni, and the staff. Pictured above is "Team 300," the juniors. In the back we have "How Hot Am I" Zinn, "Seoul Power" Yoon, "Int'l Hunk of Power" Lim, "The Bionic Arm" Jeng, and "The Singaporean Slinger" Shum. The middle consists of "Better Than You" Yang, "Twinkle Toes" Cheeley, and "I Like Monsters" Kim. In front are "Hyperbowla" Lim, and "Thai Strike" Givanon. While our team did not win, we did get into it with homemade tee-shirts. We also spent the night before the event baking goodies, which we sold to all the competitors. The seniors won the tournament, but everyone enjoyed Christmas homecoming.
In Whitefish, MT, the traditional Christmas event is to go skiing before coming home to turkey dinner. However, in Kunming, I go mountain biking. While I will be going to Zhong Dian, where there are mountains, snow, and skiing, the day after Christmas, the days leading up to the 25th have been filled with rugged, dirt trails. In the above photo, I pick my way down a rocky, dirty, brushy footpath, while one of my students takes a picture. Many of the trails are still a bit too technical for my students, but they are getting better with their brakes and downhill techniques.
Here, Ryan, makes his way through a rocky section. Ryan is fearless and posesses good balance. When he perfects his braking skills, I can see him riding down anything I go down. Ryan's first sport is basketball, but he isn't too shabby at soccer either. I look forward to coaching him in the latter, as well as continuing to mountain bike with him.
I conclude my visions of Christmas with one of the beautifully ironic realities of my Holyday here in Kunming. Abid (10th) and Afiqah (12th), pictured here to the left and right (respectively) of their mother, are two of my Malaysian students. Their father is the Malaysian Consulate in Kunming, and their family is Moslem. They invited me, along with many other KIA staff members, to the consulate's Eid Al Murbarak and New Year celebration. According to Afiqah, this holiday celebrates when Abraham found the ram in the thicket, saving Issac from sacrifice. However, the truly ironic moment came when the father welcomed the room of 100-150 guests and said, "To all our Christian friends we wish a Merry Christmas." I was stunned. In China, a Moslem man wished me a Merry Christmas. We may be abdicating our rights to believe as we see fit in the United States, but His gift cannot be hidden; 'shepherds' still see fit to run out and spread the word of what they have experienced. As long as that continues to happen, The Birth will always have meaning.
Members of a local Scandanavian theater visited our school and shared the costumes, customs, and music of Santa Lucia. Their choir paraded through our campus, singing as they climbed to the fifth floor before heading back down to the second floor to perform for the entire student body. Saffron buns were served, along with wassail (spiced cider). They sang "Santa Lucia" and other traditional Scandanavian carols. Their members came from Danmark, Sverige, and Norge (Denmark, Sweden, and Norway).Because Christmas is the time when the most KIA graduates return to Kunming (to see family), this is when we hold our "homecoming" festivities. This year the school began what we hope will be a homecoming tradition: the annual homecoming bowling tournament. Teams represented the four classes currently enrolled at KIA, the alumni, and the staff. Pictured above is "Team 300," the juniors. In the back we have "How Hot Am I" Zinn, "Seoul Power" Yoon, "Int'l Hunk of Power" Lim, "The Bionic Arm" Jeng, and "The Singaporean Slinger" Shum. The middle consists of "Better Than You" Yang, "Twinkle Toes" Cheeley, and "I Like Monsters" Kim. In front are "Hyperbowla" Lim, and "Thai Strike" Givanon. While our team did not win, we did get into it with homemade tee-shirts. We also spent the night before the event baking goodies, which we sold to all the competitors. The seniors won the tournament, but everyone enjoyed Christmas homecoming.In Whitefish, MT, the traditional Christmas event is to go skiing before coming home to turkey dinner. However, in Kunming, I go mountain biking. While I will be going to Zhong Dian, where there are mountains, snow, and skiing, the day after Christmas, the days leading up to the 25th have been filled with rugged, dirt trails. In the above photo, I pick my way down a rocky, dirty, brushy footpath, while one of my students takes a picture. Many of the trails are still a bit too technical for my students, but they are getting better with their brakes and downhill techniques.Here, Ryan, makes his way through a rocky section. Ryan is fearless and posesses good balance. When he perfects his braking skills, I can see him riding down anything I go down. Ryan's first sport is basketball, but he isn't too shabby at soccer either. I look forward to coaching him in the latter, as well as continuing to mountain bike with him.I conclude my visions of Christmas with one of the beautifully ironic realities of my Holyday here in Kunming. Abid (10th) and Afiqah (12th), pictured here to the left and right (respectively) of their mother, are two of my Malaysian students. Their father is the Malaysian Consulate in Kunming, and their family is Moslem. They invited me, along with many other KIA staff members, to the consulate's Eid Al Murbarak and New Year celebration. According to Afiqah, this holiday celebrates when Abraham found the ram in the thicket, saving Issac from sacrifice. However, the truly ironic moment came when the father welcomed the room of 100-150 guests and said, "To all our Christian friends we wish a Merry Christmas." I was stunned. In China, a Moslem man wished me a Merry Christmas. We may be abdicating our rights to believe as we see fit in the United States, but His gift cannot be hidden; 'shepherds' still see fit to run out and spread the word of what they have experienced. As long as that continues to happen, The Birth will always have meaning.
posted by Roland at 8:08 AM
1 Comments:
Thanks for sharing with us readers all the wonderfully ironic and good things you are experiencing this Christmas in Kunming. Reading about your interactions with your students serves to remind me of how blessed each teacher is to have such unique opportunities. Take care of yourself.
Emily
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