I don't really seem to have the energy to write about the last few day, but I'll try and make it short. (EDIT: I'm already failing. XD~)

Friday: Welcome, Weekend! After surviving the school English Corner and the last lessons of Christmas cards, though I got some really pretty ones, we were looking forward to an evening out trying out the new menu at Cafe Blooming, the place where we usually eat our pizza. Patrick informed us we were to entertain a few children the next day, so besides the moaning about how they didn't have certain pizzas anymore (I wanted to try out the Ostrich King) and they had changed some things we liked about the recipes, we jumbled a few games together, just in case it was a teacher's "we'll get foreigners to do something with the kids and we'll have a day off"-plan'.
But the new salmon tempura was good and the chocolate cake for dessert... If I could get married to it I'd be a widow after the wedding night. And for some reason I had to keep giggling at the tiny plastic hands reaching out of the others long island ice teas. So I took a set of the tiny little fingers home. Tihihi XD~

Saturday: It's true, candy does something to children. Lara, it was a mistake to say: "Come and get your presents!" to over 300 children. I'm surprised she got out alive. ^^x*
I admit, it wasn't that bad, but we felt like hitting Patrick when we first saw the huge event hall and we suspected a stage, and we'd be on it, pulling something out of our sleeves.
In turned out all we had to do was get on stage with other teachers, sing 'Jingle Bells' (In English) and 'We wish you a Merry Christmas'. I'm so glad I had the whole lyrics to both songs subconsciously there somewhere in my head, because the other three were rather lost. Standing behind me, reading off the quickly scribbled lyrics wasn't so obvious. Phew.
Unfortunately they had to do it again, while I was away on the 'W.C.' (they actually say "W.C." in English here).
And we were grateful for the prepared questions they gave us. However, they were really difficult! Would you really expect a six year-old learning English to understand "What has a neck, but no head?"? So we changed some questions when we realised they weren't getting anywhere. I panicked when I saw one of mine was "which month do soldiers hate? (March)". WTF, did they even check these questions?! I thought we're in China! o_Ox Patrick to the rescue, telling me to just ask which month was the shortest.
And we gave away awards and candy, and little ugly santa thingies. That was all we had to do on stage. The rest of the time we looked around us and observed how nobody (of the children present) was actually paying attention to the children's performances on stage. I couldn't make out the songs on the keyboards and we really started to worry when some boys got out their wooden nun-chucks and hurled them about, with other children playing catch around the tables. Luckily, nothing happened. But Chinese tables are a dream for little children. You can spin them round and round, right round like a record, baby, right round, round, round...
For lunch we got a hamburger and some chicken wings, which was a disappointment, as you could see some cooks in the kitchen through the class door. I thought there was going to be a buffet
^^x*
Later that evening, after failing to go out to play badminton, I wanted to go to English Corner in town to give Vicky a sheet of Japanese expressions she asked for, otherwise I would have stayed home. But it was destined for me to go forth, as Sissy also called and told me to go because of a special event that night. I met Lara and Daniel there, as they also got the call.
It turned out to be a wild children's party, where I got to sing 'Jingle Bells' yet again, and played musical chairs and joined in with a sack race until I thought I had done enough for entertainment. Sissy, Daniel and Lara were probably thinking along similar lines. There hadn't been anything to drink, so we got something from 'Chake King', where they made marvelous lemon ice tea and even have Twinings XD. I gave the little girl behind the counter one of my many glow sticks I recieved and I even managed to order everything in Chinese, hurrah.
I felt like I had to give my best, because we were going to meet up with the two girls working in Shin'an, near Guilin, and one of them went to school with me. Oh I had this fear that she could already speak more than me, after all these years of scribbling Kanji everywhere, she'd pop up and surpass me, which would have made me very embarrassed, even though she was always very nice and someone I felt I had failed because the year book sucked so hard core.
We also met up with Stefanie and we all had a chat in the hotel room for a bit. I didn't accompany them to the bar, though. You wouldn't be able to talk in there, anyway, and I just can't seem to enjoy myself in there. D= (Especially in the Bai Du)
And I had forgotten to write an e-mail to my sister, she's 17 now. ^_^x

Sunday: Oh God, the dishes are slowly stacking up and eeeewwww~~ cockroach. As I couldn't meet up with Bi Yun, another young teacher who is singing with me, on Saturday, we went to town together in the morning. No shops seem to be open before 10 o'clock o_Ox.
We went to a tailor shop, where they made costumes for all sorts of occasions. We were going to rent some for our 'Jingle Bells' performance. I chose a cute white and blue dress for us, because all the other dresses had colours that seemed "too warm" for Jingle Bells. We'd melt the snow and get nowhere.
Next we were on the look out for shoes, because I really need some new ones, however... I need shoe size 40. They only had one of the pair I liked up to 39, which was just too tight. Noooo~~~ I've always wanted some of the cute boots they have here, but I guess my feet are just too big. D=
Bi Yun showed me a great place to eat and taught me some new words. It didn't turn out to be my shopping day. I thought I'd get a hat and a new scarf as well, but I didn't find any I liked. And they didn't have tuna and mayonaise in the nearby shop that also has imported products.
This was all in the early hours of the day, the rest I was so tired and exhausted, all I could manage that evening was to watch "You don't mess with the Zohan", which explains a lot ^^x* (Dishes not done.)

Monday: Cold. Freezing. I wish I hadn't written to my mother how warm it still was. 23 to 6 degrees is quite a drop. @@x
Good afternoon, students! How are you today? "COLD!!!"
Poor guys, in their thin trainer suit that is their school uniform. Of course they wear something underneath, but the school is more like a collection of balconies with blackboards in them, no hope of heating any rooms. D=
Right after the lessons we went off into town into a restaurant, because the head mistress wanted to dine with us that evening. We needed to be there earlier than her, so that she wouldn't have to wait for us and so that the table stays reserved. No time for dishes.
The result was us four sitting there waiting in the "Little Lamb" with Selena and helplessly watching as the waiters slowly put more dishes on front of our noses. We found out that the teachers were still playing volley ball. *head desk*
When the headmistress finally arrived after about an hour and a half, we had ... Lamb SHABU SHABU!! 8D~ They call it "hot pot", but I taught everybody the awesomeness that is saying "shabu shabu", tihihi \^,^x/

Tuesday: Still cold. Didn't bother with dishes, but went out, bought dark red hat, gloves, a new scarf (because mine still smelled of lamb), new slippers for the house, long socks, leg warmers and a leopard-patterned electric warming cushion. And since some of these things look rather stylish, I looked neatly dressed (in layers and layers) for that evening (after another rehearsal of 'Jingle Bells', in which I tried to teach the guys singing 'Edelweiss' the Vienna Waltz XD).
Patrick's orders: "Eat as much as you can!" You heard the man, eat! We picked up our chocolate gifts at the entrance and got table right in the back corner, far away from the microphone and its speech-givers and other foreigners to avoid small talk and badly sung carols at the official Liuzhou foreigner's Christmas dinner. And this wasn't even our idea. It was Patrick's!
Needless to say it was delicious. Stefanie discovered the joys of the chocolate fountain and tried out different things with chocolate. Even tomatoes, according to her, tasted great. We stole butter and apples from the buffet and were one of the last to leave after an endless loop of 'Jingle Bells' (in English) being forced upon us by the speakers...
There were also some Japanese ladies in their Yukata present. I didn't want to bother them, as I know too well how it is to be chatted at from all corners, but just as we were about to leave, Patrick ushered me into their general direction and told them I'd like to talk to them ~/////~ はずかしい So I talked to one of them about my stay in Fukuoka and what I was doing now. She said her friend was teaching art near our school and she liked my hat ^-^x

Wednesday: Holidays for us!! Pretty late, I sent off a letter to a friend and did some shopping wearing my new hat =3 Strawberry & tomato and carrot & orange juice, for just 12 Yuan? I still have to taste it, though XD
Mount Dishes Everest has been conquered, too, before heading out into town for more pizza!
We originally wanted to have steak, but everything was crowded, so we tried Pizza Hut with the same results. Off to good old Cafe Blooming, where a table just became free when we arrived.
They seemed to have a "Very Best of 'We wish you a merry Christmas' Reggae-versions" Album in, but Jingle Bells had managed to get on there, too. In Reggae.
Wonderful evening, chocolate pudding, more tiny little fingers and generally very relaxing.
Ah... I did write more than I wanted to, ne? Sorry about that.
Today, without much further ado:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! and everything that is associated with it (cookies, chocolate, candles, the smell of cinnamon, sharing food with everyone you love)! If the snow hasn't arrived yet, blame the mail, I'm pretty sure I ordered it on time. I guess it's hidden away in some distant corner along with Shunichi Miyamoto CDs ^^x*

메리 크리스마스!
콜레