It's November!
We had a nice Sunday. Ashley came to participate in church at our house again, which was fun. It was the Primary program, which was totally different than any other Primary program I've seen. The families of the children were invited to sing a song or hymn together based on something the child enjoyed learning this year. It could be done live or pre-recorded. We opted to pre-record so the Sunday before we spent a while recording us singing two verses of "Praise to the Man," which Eve chose because she has loved learning about Joseph Smith as we have been listening to "Saints" as a family. It took a few tries as people kept getting the giggles--definitely good we didn't perform live! The Primary president also asked the families of the children to record "I Wonder When He Comes Again" and she combined them for the closing hymn. Our recording of that was fine for about 3/4 of it until Adam lowered the phone and cut off the heads of Emmy, Liv, and me on the screen. He and Mini got the giggles while singing but I said we didn't need to re-record because I thought the Primary president would just not use our family at that part. Well the format was different than I thought and our entire recording was played. Oh well...every Primary program needs some good laughs! There were really sweet and heartfelt talks from other children and parents, including one boy who talked about seeing his grandma, who has passed away, at his baptism. His uncle who baptized him also saw the grandma. It felt like a General Conference talk, and we all felt the Spirit strongly as we listened to him share. I'm so grateful for a congregation to be part of and strengthen us spiritually like that boy did. After church there was an online RS activity that Ashley and I participated in, then we spent the afternoon chatting and playing Nerts, which Ashley is a natural at!
Emmy started basketball on Monday, with practices Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after school. Gratefully there is a later bus that brings her home. After picking up the kids from the bus stop on Monday, the owner of Aloha, a Western restaurant owned by a Chinese lady, asked if my kids could help at a Halloween event at the restaurant that evening. So Liv, Eve, and I went to that, manning some game stations and giving out prizes. I think she wanted the kids to help because we're foreigners, which is such a rare thing around here. Whatever the reason, we had a fun time and were invited to the buffet dinner after, plus she gave us brownies the next day. I had fun because I love opportunities to engage with people here. One lady was an English teacher at a university and chatted with me for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, Mini and Emmy attended a youth fellowship activity attached to the local Christian congregation that many people at the school are part of. They had a great time! They had dinner and played games, then split into boys and girls and discussed what they think Jesus has been telling them lately. They loved being with the other kids and feeling the fellowship with other Christians. It was such a win, especially because online seminary, Young Womens, and Sunday School have not helped them feel connected to other youth in the branch.
Tuesday was Halloween! The kids wore costumes to school, although it wasn't called Halloween at school because of pagan association. I went to lunch with the other EFM's (spouses and children to US direct hires are called "eligible family members," but it often refers to just spouses), CG Lan, Joecelia, Gideon, and DCM Meale ("deputy chief of mission"--one level below the ambassador to China) and his wife. It was a nice event. DCM Meale and his wife were interested in all of us and asked for questions/concerns. However, it felt like a lot of pomp and circumstance to me. The EFM's got to the restaurant 45 minutes earlier than the others so they wouldn't have to wait for their food. And everything was planned down to the minutest detail to go perfectly for this visit. I'm just a little more low-key and don't have aspirations to be chummy with the higher ups.
Saturday morning Adam and I participated in a bike race sponsored by the Hubei province foreign affairs office. The American, British, Korean, and French consulates were invited. Before the ride there were "intangible cultural heritage" exhibitions, basically describing cultural traditions of the area. Adam and I walked up to one exhibition of pouring syrup into shapes that harden into candy, casually browsing and walking around a group of Chinese people, when two girls launched into a presentation that they read off of index cards, pouncing on the moment when foreigners walked by. They were so cute and clearly had practiced many times to get the pronunciations right. They would nudge each other when it was the other's turn and said some parts in unison. One girl had adorable buck teeth that rested on her lower lip when she stopped talking. Their parents were taking pictures of them presenting to us. Clearly this was a big deal, and it was so cute. At the end of their speech they said, "Enjoy the show!" and another girl demonstrated pouring the syrup into the shape of a mouse. When it hardened they handed it as a gift to me.
After that everyone gathered for a presentation and speeches, then all the consulate heads ceremoniously poured water onto dry ice, while dramatic music played. It was a very Chinese moment--making something somewhat simple feel like the opening of the Olympics.
Comments