Year in Harbin

I'm in Harbin, China for a year studying Chinese at the Harbin Institute of Technology. My major back home is Electrical Engineering but I'm doing this for the heck of it...so far it is awesome. don't forget to view the early photos here and the more recent ones here

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

a lot of fun on Christmas

When the staff at my hotel in Xi'an realized I spoke decent Chinese, they were thrilled. The hotel Christmas party was coming up, and they were hoping I could help them out by making some introductions and playing MC for the mostly English speaking crowd. The idea was that my English was better than theirs, so they could tell me what to do and then I could go ahead and translate into reasonably normal English. I told them I'd think about it, but what else did I have to do?

Chinese people can make a big deal out of parties sometimes. The owner of the hotel, dubbed Jim Beam years ago by customers with a sense of humor, is a fairly young Chinese guy with that hyper energy we normally associate with too much coffee. I doubt his thing is coffee since it hasn't caught on so much yet in Xi'an, but maybe he drank enough green tea to match the caffeine levels of the triple shot grande mochas chugged daily by those energetic Americans.

When the night of the party arrived (Christmas Day) Jim was rushing around making last minute preparations. As I walked into the restaraunt I was handed a santa hat and a little party horn that you can blow into to make the most annoying sound in the world. This guy wanted to make us westerners feel like we had a home away from home, and it was a really nice thing for Jim to do. The problem was, he didn't have a great idea about what our christmas expectations were. For myself, it sucked being away from home but figured I'd make the best of it by sitting at the "party" and chatting with other people who could relate to spending Christmas away from home. I wasn't looking for a party party. Lacking this piece of information, Jim had his mind set on some Chinese style merrymaking: a grand introduction followed by a toast, silly party games, followed by song and dance performed by the guests, most of whom didn't even know each other and who were ourselves coming from different countries and cultures in the west. I forsaw a flop if these were his standards, but felt bad bursting his bubble when he had such high hopes.

The first reminder that I was in China, and this wasn't a typical Christmas party, came right after I'd gotten my hat and sat down. A couple of the staff who I'd chatted with the day before came over to talk. They'd all gone out to buy festive gear for the party. On one head I saw a santa hat matching my own, but on the other was something I didn't recognize. "What's that?" I asked, and he pulled the mask down over his face. It was a wrinkly zombie-ape mask, framed by brown fur, plastic mouth frozen in a snarl and Frankenstien stitches protruding from the forhead. I choked back a laugh and told him it was an interesting choice in Christmas gear, and asked him if he'd heard of Halloween. He looked worried and told me "When we went out to buy stuff today, I thought this was a lot of fun. Isn't that what Christmas is all about?" I couldn't argue so I just shrugged and said it wasn't traditional but I didn't think anyone would mind.

Once enough guests were assembled, maybe 20 of us chatting around the small tables in the hotel restaraunt room, Jim Beam called me up front to explain his plan. I would introduce the staff, say a few words, and make a toast to Christmas. The festivities would then be kicked off by a game. "What kind of game?" I asked. He explained. "It's a contest. We get four people up front and give them each a bottle of beer. Whoever finishes first wins." It was my second time that night choking back a laugh. We were going to kick off the Christmas party with a beer chugging contest. After the contest, Jim said he was hoping to get volunteers to perform songs and dances. He asked if I'd be first.

I decided that this was a hilarious idea, but wasn't willing to be Jim's guinea pig. I faithfully relayed Christmas wishes to the guests. The chugging was a hit. Winner: Joe, representing America against the likes of an Albanian college girl who cheated and Jim Beam himself, who in the heat of the moment didn't even start drinking. At the speed of a seasoned Hawaiian bartender, Joe was certainly ready for some stiffer competition. I felt like a winner myself for not participating when Joe complained about his stomach all night. For those of you who don't know, a Chinese bottle of brew is at least two of our American longnecks.

Since I wasn't going to submit myself to Jim's crazy performance idea, I just announced an open mike and was about to sit down, but Jim wasn't done. He cracked a bottle of his namesake, treating everyone to a glass of Jim and coke. Only then was I allowed to sit down and enjoy a nice Christmas evening with Joe and a few new friends (the Viking had already caught his train).

When things wound down, I left the hotel. First, I took a couple of santa hats, found a replica of a terracotta warrior, and snapped a picture to remind myself of a Christmas well spent in Xi'an, China. Then I called home, where thanks to the time difference the Christmas morning festivities were just wrapping up. I got to talk to everyone and hear about the traditions that had limped on in my absence: Christmas eve bonding time for the three (two) of us brothers, wrapping paper blocking the view of the tree in the morning for added suspence, and my personal favorite, the christmas breakfast, coffee cake and sausage muffins. It felt pretty good to hear that my stocking was up and waiting for me no matter where I was. With so much at home, Jim Beam, zombie masks, and beer chugging just can't compete. Next year, I'll be home for Christmas.

 

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