Preparing for the Chinese New Year - A Teacher Celebration

As the Chinese New Year was coming closer, we could sense the excitement in the air. The Chinese teachers we work with had made a schedule of when each of them gets to leave (most left early from school to go home to celebrate) and we quickly realized that the students' parents were doing the same thing, by the last day before break we had less than 20 students at school out of a total 80+. Everyone disperses from the city to head back to their hometowns to celebrate for up to a whole month with their families. The Thursday before the teachers started going home, the school organized a celebration at a restaurant a few doors down from our school - "Big Pizza." A buffet of western-style food (french fries, pizza, chicken nuggets, a salad bar) but of course, being in China, there was a very "Eastern" twist. There were very interesting types of pizza - we saw one that was called Chocolate and Strawberry Flavored Pizza and Potato and Egg Pizza. We found some safe-looking choices, got some french fries and a cup of hot tea and sat down at a table with some co-workers. We were shocked to see how much food they brought back to the table - we very rarely see these Chinese teachers eat much at all, but this night was a celebration and they made sure to feast! It was a lot of fun trying different foods and seeing what everyone chose. There was talk earlier that day about games that were being planned, and we were anxiously awaiting to see what they had in store.

The game was basically a game of Dares. Each person got called up one by one to reach into a giant decorated box and take a slip of paper with a dare on it. No matter what it said, you had to do it. Some memorable ones:

• Get up on a restaurant chair and squat down as if you're using a squatty toilet
• Find a random man in the restaurant and hold his hands and sing him a love song
• Walk from one end of the restaurant to the other pretending to sell something loudly
• Belly dance around the restaurant (our principal got this one)

The whole time, each and every staff member in the room had their phones out snapping pictures and videos of everyone's embarrassing task they needed to do. I'm sure you're all dying to know what we had to do…

There is only one male teacher at our school and his English name is Joey. I had to touch his chest with both hands, look him in the eye and say "It's too small!" --WHAT?! Cracking up, I did my dare with everyone around me erupting with laughter. Luckily, Joey was a great sport about it and pretended to show his muscles and be macho. 

Charlotte had to stand in the middle of the restaurant and yell "I'M SO LONELY!" Lucky for her, it's likely that no one in the restaurant understood her. Haha!

It was a night of many laughs, reminding us of awkward middle school dances and games of Truth of Dare. These teachers sure know how to have a good time. Our abs hurt the next day from laughing so hard.