International Women's Day

(Picture of a bunch of my sophomore students.)

Saturday was International Women's Day and the college celebrated on Thursday. All the female teachers got together for some games. I participated in the jump rope contest, a race where you carry a volleyball on a badmitten racket for 30 meters, and a team race with boards (I don't know what it is called). I was going to download some pictures, but I was having some difficulties (I couldn't read the Chinese language to understand what button to push). Maybe later, after I find a translator. haha. My team took third with the team race and we won 2 big silver bowls (not sure what to do with them yet). We also got a prize for participating: toilet paper and laundry detergent! Don't laugh. I was pretty excited. I didn't want to go to the store and look like a fool (I've already done that a few times so far) as I tried to figure out what was toilet paper and what was laundry detergent. It is packaged different and nothing is written in English! Go figure....China - Chinese...what did I expect?!

Saturday night, some of the male students took a bunch of female students and me out to dinner for Intl. Women's Day (that's the picture). We went to a nearby restaurant. It was a lot of fun. It reminded me of when I was back in college and a bunch of friends and roommates would get together....they happen to do the same thing here. I am also learning a lot about the Chinese customs. Apparently, I was the honored guest and nobody eats until I start (which I didn't know until all the food had been brought out). Oops! When you begin a meal, they start with small dishes and slowly bring out the main dishes. The honored guest will take the first bite before the rest of the party begins. I didn't know this. I was starving and they looked starving and I couldn't understand why nobody was eating! Then one of the students told me that they were all waiting for me to begin! Haha. Talk about nerve-racking! I have learned to master the chopsticks well enough to get the first bite (which they were all impressed, I must add). After that, no such luck. Haha. I also didn't want to offend anyone, so I tried everything they brought out (this is where you pray really hard that everything is safe to eat and that you will be able to swallow whatever goes in your mouth!). I've had squid, octopus, shrimp, small crab (where you eat the body, and not the legs), many different types of fish (including dried sardines), seaweed, clams, mussels and things I prefer not to know what they are. But don't you worry, I've also had normal food I could recognize: celery, cabbage, peppers, pork, chicken, duck, watermelon, and my favorite: strawberries! I am a fan of those!