Surprise Tree Lighting Ceremony

We found ourselves awake at 2:30 in the morning, finishing a sundry of tasks. Zach closed his computer and declared he was going to bed. He walked to the bathroom sink, paused and exclaimed, "There are Christmas lights!"

I looked up from my final keystrokes, puzzled. "What did you say?" I asked.

"Christmas lights!"

He was out the door faster than I could stand up and join him at the window. His exclamations of delight bellowing in our concrete hallway. My own cries of excitement soon joined as I raced down the stairwell, as well.

We found our co-worker, Gavin, in the throes of turning our foreign complex into a winter wonderland. With spool upon spool of tiny LED lights, our front yard was becoming magical thanks to the guy who runs a business that makes race track lighting. According to him, he had a few extra hanging out on his balcony and thought they would look good as Christmas lights.

Our continual exclamations of delight did not go unheard (though my twirls and skips of glee were only witnessed by Zach and Gavin.) Around 3pm, Emmy stuck her head out her window and added her chorus of oohs and aahs. Her trek to the bathroom had been sidetracked by curiosity as to why it was so light outside. Masha confessed the next day that she ran to get her mom and dad to take a peek out the window, without us spying them.

We helped Gavin lay the final strands and adjust lights where it was needed. By 4am, we stood in awe of what had been created. It was magical to stand beneath a star-studded sky, in crisp weather, admiring the simple pleasure of lights. Profusely, we thanked Gavin for such a simple yet touching gift.

In the days since, it has been a favorite pastime to watch students, teachers and campus workers amble by our place. Frowns and brows of seriousness have been instantaneously transformed to smiles and looks of delight upon the lights being seen. Fast steps have been slowed. Pictures snapped have been too numerable to count.

Couples.

Groups of friends.

Singles.

We even had two girls show up with a wrapped Christmas gift to take pictures.

We have discovered that if we sit outside to admire the lights, many students are not brave enough to walk by us. Yet, the few that do will timidly speak their excitement and thanks. We wish them a Merry Christmas and smile as they continue with their stroll.

As Norman Vincent Peale once penned, "Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."

Especially when surprise Christmas lights appear in the front yard.

First Fifteen Days

In the spirit of true confession, I can say that I faced the beginning of December with trepidation. The previous three months far surpassed anything we could have possibly imagined. December laid before me, my favorite of holidays on the horizon and the last remnants of a semester to go. However, my gaze on the calendar was not without a twinge of fear of what else could go wrong.

The first fifteen days have been splendid!  While the busyness of class and job requirements remain, we have actually had a few days to frolic about in freedom. No cares. No disasters. Granted, these are interrupted at regular intervals for the office to inquire as to when our final exams will be held....for the fourteenth time.

The first weekend we found ourselves quite active. It was the annual GDOU sports competition and our three day weekend was well spent. On Friday, we jaunted downtown to peruse the first Zhanjiang Ocean Expo. Zach and I went with low expectations for the expo and a mild curiosity as to what the new (yet still incomplete) sports complex looked like up close.

We had a fantastic time. The expo met our low expectations - busy, chaotic, no real purpose and completely disorganized. We even spotted a few never-seen-before-in-China sights, such as the hair washing station. The sports complex was actually shocking for its 1970s look and the abundance of Chinglish. Really, our entire stay was playing a lengthy round of spot-the-bad-English. However, the company was fantastic and it was fun to spend a day away from campus.

A couple days later, we joined Michelle and William for an orange picking adventure. It was a soggy, icky day, so our time in the orchard was cut short. The rain relented later in the afternoon when we trekked through the largest mangrove in Guangdong (and potentially, the world -- according to the sign.)

Our last stop of the day was in Anpu, which is regarded for its local snacks. Due to the rain and frigid temperatures, street vendors were non-existent thus making it hard to try the local delicacies. Nonetheless, we enjoyed seeing some great old architecture before we ran back to the car for heat.

Days since have been spent having meals with students, watching Christmas movies, singing Christmas songs, completing paperwork and tallying grades. Normality has been splendid.