no 5: My first encounter with a 'tradition'

So I was at my morning school today (Juan Qing Middle school) and after the second period I was pleasantly surprised to find a package on my desk in the English department. In fact there was this similar red package on all of the desks, my first thoughts were that the head of the department a lady called Shirley (her Chinese name is too apparently too difficult to pronounce so she insists I call her Shirley) had given us each a present for our hard work. She had sat in on my first lesson today which was the first time I've been observed so it might have been a kind of reward for a barnstormingly good lesson on 'the Face'.

Alas it was not, the other English teachers (all Chinese females) were chatting happily and they exclaimed that I was the first foreigner to get said gift.

The gift was from someone I'd never met a Music teacher who'd just given birth to a baby boy. The legend had prompted her to buy all these gifts to her work colleagues. Pretty cool ay!

What a great tradition!

Inside I found a few Western things - Hershey's Kisses which I haven't had since Summit Camp 2010, and some Vienneese twirl style biscuits. Then there was the Chinese delicacy of a hard-boiled egg <picture below> in a packet, just why! I thought it was some kind of marzipan before I bit into it.

I'm starting to like and appreciate the Chinese way of life, today was a good example of that. This way of protecting oneself against misfortune, by in this case giving to other people.

I think i'll see more of this if I take Alex up on the offer to go stay with him over Chinese New Year's (see previous post).

When I asked I'd send something in return, the English teachers said not to bother as unlike the English culture people don't really congratulate you on a birth/shower you with gifts.

Well meeting an old friend (in fact an ex!) tomorrow who without being harsh i'd never think in a million years I'd see again and now we have decided to meet up tomorrow for a Zombie Bar Crawl. Who would have thought?

In other news we bought an iron and horse, dvd player, kettle and I've visited an immaculately clean McDonalds and came last place in a poker tournament.