A Christmas Surprise

Last year I was in Canada, surrounded by snow, family, and friends. I went snowshoeing, skiing, and took in the latest Star Wars film. It was a Christmas to remember. This year I won't be able to return home for the holidays but I'm still making the best of it. We got a Christmas tree and I'll be spending the holidays with my girlfriend so at least I won't be alone.

That said, it's still a little hard to be in a foreign country on the biggest holiday of the year (at least in my culture). Apart from the odd Christmas tree in a mall, there isn't much Christmas spirit in China (fair enough) so it's a strange feeling at this time of year.

Yesterday, as per usual, I went to my morning classes and prepared to teach my students thinking it would be a normal day. My classes are high school level students and they range from 40 - 50 students in each class. As you can imagine, it can be a rollercoaster ride.

This day turned out special. The students cut my class short and told me they had something for me.

They all sang me the song "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", which was super thoughtful. That would have been more than enough for me but afterwards, every student came up and presented me with a gift. It was a little overwhelming as they piled item after item on me. I literally had an armful and I couldn't move because of it.

Honestly, it was a pretty random assortment of stuff. It ranged from scarves to the hat off one of my students' head. The gifts aren't so important to me though. I'm just touched that they went to the trouble to do this and it's reminded me of the spirit of Christmas - as corny as that sounds. I'll be looking to pay it forward whenever I can!