Mia, our Chinese “daughter”, made
this little Santa from a polymer type product.
(She is a physics major) She and
Wade, our Chinese “son”, gave us this beautiful book of horses drawn by Chinese
artists. Rick had expressed interest in
several of the drawings and they were quick to answer with this beautiful gift.
Wade was awarded a special
scholarship and took “us” to dinner to celebrate. The menu included roasted fish, sweet
potatoes with blueberry sauce, crunchy corn on the cob. It was all different and delicious. Orchids garnished the plates. Who could ask for a better holiday kick-off.
Young Chinese Santas! We found them in downtown Jinan promoting a
TV station. They were full of energy and
handed us tiny pieces of candy. What a
fun discovery. “Ho, Ho, Ho” sounds the
same in any language.
Giving gold coins is a Chinese
tradition at the New Year. I gave my
students “chocolate” gold coins and they were thrilled. They are holding them in the air for you to
see. All my classes were surprised and
grateful. These students are
wonderful!! We were also doing oral
finals that day. I completed 40, Rick
listened to finals for 58 students. That
was a new way to celebrate Christmas. It
was a long but rewarding day on campus.
Our holiday meal was a PB&J sandwich, eaten one bite at a time, between
finals.
We discussed Christmas in America for
three weeks. I placed particular
emphasis on service. They loved all of
it, especially pictures of my family at holiday time. They think all Americans eat apples on
Christmas Eve. Rick and I received
several cards and many small gift boxes with a single apple inside. My students gladly proclaimed, “Merry
Christmas, Professor Hafen”, the entire day.
Thankfully, political correctness has not yet reached their lives. They have no religious affiliations but
freely expressed their holiday greetings to us so we might feel happy on our
special holiday and not miss our home and children. They said and did all they could to add to
the festivities of our last class period and the beginning of final exams. Is it any wonder we love these students so
much!!
Christmas evening was spent with
several language teachers from many countries.
This was an event to remember.
Phil was our host and music leader.
He is a former member of the Tabernacle Choir and knows how to lead a
group of non-musicians in lively singing.
This beautiful Christian Korean
family sang several carols in Korean.
Mel Gibson (his English name) and his
lovely wife are from Sudan. He teaches
Arabic. Although they are Muslim, they
joined in singing carols and he sang a traditional piece in Arabic while she
sang a sweet song in Iraqi.
Kathy, our lovely hostess, provided
tasty treats. What is more American than
seven layer dip and tortilla chips? I
haven’t had that dish in months and it was delicious and perfect with hot
chocolate and wassail. Rick was
thrilled with the Rice Krispy treats.
Oh, the things that suddenly have more value.
Lulu, on the right, is a member of
our branch group. She is from South
Africa and a medical student at Shandong University. Her friend joined us for the party.
Three more great English teachers
from the BYU CTP program.
Patrice, sitting next to me, teaches
French at Shandong Normal University. He
was quite a lively character at the party.
His French accent is a pleasure to hear.
Phil led us in singing “Silent Night”
in English. Then, versus were also sung
in Spanish, French, German, Zulu, Italian, and Korean. What a powerful message the event
proclaimed. We must always be cautious
about any religious expressions. It is
more difficult to control how we feel when touched by the spirit. The music conveyed an unmistakable declaration
of the miracle that is Christmas. This
is one holiday I shall long remember that truly celebrated the birth of the
Savior.
