Merry Christmas!

To begin with, this has been the strangest Christmas ever. However, it has been a good one all the same.

This week has been SO bittersweet since we will be leaving and we've been teaching each class for the last time and saying goodbyes. It's also been Christmas and we wanted to be home with our family. China always does that to me. It rips my heart in two. One side wants to stay here in China forever and study Chinese till I speak like a native. The other wants to be home with my family and friends, in a country that speaks my language so I don't come home mentally exhausted every day.

On Christmas Eve, two of our classes threw us a Christmas party. They decorated their classroom with some Christmas trees and other things. Then, they had a whole show prepared. They read a speech about how sad they are that we are leaving, how grateful they are that we came, and how much they will miss us and love us. Then, there was a poetry reading, some singing, and it wouldn't be China if they didn't make Sadie and me get up and sing a song and say some things. Then one of the schools administrators gave us each a gift and talked about how grateful they are that we came and they know it's not easy and they hope we can come back again to the school some day.

The next part is the best. Their powerpoint said, "Time to give gifts to Sadie and Sarah!" The kids horded us with cards, small stuffed animals, chocolates, or art they had done. Then, they brought out a GIANT cake. The kids went crazy. One minute, I was standing right next to the cake, the next I was somehow not even within ten feet of it. It was like being on the floor of a really insane concert. Somehow I managed to get icing all over myself without even touching any cake. I love those kids. I'm going to miss them like CRAZY!

That evening, we invited Janny, Julie, and Heidi over for dinner and a small Christmas program/sleepover. We ate, read the story of Christ's birth from the bible, and watched the nativity video that the church made.

Christmas day was different. We woke up, Sadie and I exchanged presents, then we opened our stockings our mom sent us. We forgot to eat breakfast and had an early lunch before going to the shopping market to get our nails done. I also had to buy some new luggage since mine broke the first time I used it. Then we went to a hot pot restaurant with the foreigners and a few Chinese friends and followed that with KTV. Orange, one of our friends paid for the KTV as a Christmas present which was so sweet of her. It was a really fun day and unlike any Christmas I've ever had!

In the evening we Skyped with my family who was just waking up on Christmas morning. We watched them open presents and said hi to the family that came over for breakfast. This Christmas will not be one I soon forget.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! :)