Christmas in Hangzhou

Here's what I learned about Christmas this year: Christmas isn't Christmas without your loved ones. I know... I am wise beyond my years.

I've always loved Christmas. It is just a feel good, warm and cozy time of the year. And I am NOT talking about Christmas shopping. Being at a mall around Christmas is an angry, sweaty and suffocating time of
the year. More than anything I love that all of us Clark kids sleep at my parents house on Christmas Eve. It's the best sleepover of the year. Christmas Eve is always a fun night including a fun game or movie. Christmas morning I still feel like a little kid and run downstairs to open my stocking. Although I cant tell anyone what was in it until Anna has opened hers, because they are usually filled with the same thing and I'm not allowed to ruin the surprise for her. Sitting around the fireplace in our pajamas, listening to Christmas music and opening gifts is so wonderful. The afternoon and evening is spent with the extended fam and includes a white elephant gift exchange...love it. This is my Christmas tradition.


So this year, being that I live in a country where they do not celebrate Christmas and not being with my family.... Not the best Christmas. I feel as if it has been skipped this year and is being replaced with a really long and cold winter.

Christmas Day was spent at a coworkers house. It was a handful of really good people. We played the South African version of Taboo, Charades, beer pong, watched Christmas movies and had a big meal! It definitely helped with the holiday spirit. After that party a few of us walked to another Christmas party for more food and drinks! It was a lot of fun but a really long day. My only gripe about socializing here is all the small talk. I think I will write a brief autobiography and give it to potential friends. That way they know everything about me and we can just jump into the friendship. If any of you want to send me your "Carrie Testimonials" I can just pass those out as well.

I stayed up late and Skyped with my family while they opened presents Christmas morning. It was wonderful! It is rough being only two dimensional however. This morning when I got to work there was a Christmas package from my parents. The scarf and mittens will be very useful as I am in a car right now and can see my breath. Americans find heat when it is cold; turn on the heater, start a fire in the fire place. That kind of thing. The Chinese; they just adapt.


This morning on the bus on my way to work the woman sitting next to me threw up. I think that has killed the holiday spirit for me. It was actually the second time I've seen a woman casually puke in a bag on
the bus like it ain't no thang. With all the spitting, picking their noses, and puking on buses I don't see how anyone could say the Chinese have poor manners?

I think some of the funniest things happen to me when I'm in a cab, car or bus. 13% of the cab drivers are awesome, while the rest of them are angry and awful. Some of them have cab swag (Mom- "swag" is a word the young kids are saying as an alternative for cool or style. You can look it up on Urban Dictionary). The school provides a couple of drivers for me when I have to go to other campuses. They are usually so sweet but do the funniest shit. A few minutes ago my driver just jumped out of the car. It's dark and cold so the windows are all foggy. Traffic started moving so he came back? You just never know what they're up to!? And the bus... You see it all: cutest Chinese babies, old lady screaming matches, morning sickness, inappropriately loud telephone conversations...etc.