Santa Claus surprises the audience	The nativity play prepared by teachers and students	How many cookies can be swallowed in one minute?	Real Life English teachers and students gather for a holiday snapshot

Even though Christmas is not a celebrated holiday in China, nevertheless the city of Beijing brightens up at this time of year with lights and a multitude of holiday decorations. During this holiday season, we like to take the opportunity to impart knowledge relating to holidays and traditions in western culture and English language, to our Chinese students. In December the language center was transformed into a festive environment with decorations, a Christmas tree and Christmas music, and we planned a huge party for the students the week before Christmas.

Everyone was invited and much preparation was involved in planning for the event. Santa Claus (or Father Christmas for our British folk) even made an appearance on the evening, introducing the nativity play that the teachers and students presented to the audience. There was a Christmas cooking-eating competition, an introduction to our Shoebox Project by one of the teachers (our gift-giving project for a local migrant school – see further details below) as well as competitions, giveaways and carol-singing.

The classrooms became an open-house for learning. English teachers were each responsible for a classroom and learning activity – everything from making holiday cards and decorations, to learning about Christmas traditions, to singing carols and making eggnog. The evening was a great success and provided much laughter and cheer for all who took part, not to mention new insights into the English language and cultural traditions.

Kerry (UK) keeping spirits bright	James (US) in the games room	Jon (US), our holiday traditions’ specialist

Naomi (UK), the creative decorating master	CJ (Australia) adds some magic to the evening	Time to mingle, eat and converse in The Exchange

On a cold, wintry night before Christmas, the English teachers and RLE staff gathered in the cozy environment of a local English pub for a festive Christmas dinner. Sharing traditional fare including turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberries was a welcome way to celebrate Christmas while living away from family and our home countries. Pass-the-Parcel and teacher awards added a merry flavor to the evening together with delicious steamed Christmas pudding and pumpkin pie to top it all off!

Naomi and Kerry ready for some Christmas festivities

Katie and Nick pause before the Christmas pudding	Jonathan and William filled up after the feast	Dan and Tommy settling in for the games

On December 24, 2005, two buses set out from Real Life English to the Beijing Migrant Workers’ Children Xinxin School on the outskirts of Beijing. One of the buses was loaded with 171 shoeboxes all filled with school supplies, toiletries and clothing for each of the 171 children at the school. In addition there were boxes and bags filled with school supplies and clothing which had also been donated.

These gifts were an outpouring of generosity from the staff and students of World Link Education and Real Life Language Learning in answer to a Christmas gift-giving campaign to help needy children in Beijing. People from all over the city contributed to the RLE Shoebox Project.

The Xinxin Migrant School is one of the nearly 300 such schools in Beijing that educate the children of migrant workers who flock to the city in search of jobs. The local Beijing schools do not accept students without proper documentation, meaning the migrant workers need to establish their own schools. The Xinxin School, in existence for more than five years, has had to move several times as real estate prices in central Beijing have skyrocketed. They have been settled outside the 5th ring road since 2001.

However the impoverished facilities and lack of adequate heat do not dim the children’s enthusiasm for learning or their joy for life. The volunteer teachers report academic success for the children who unfortunately have to return to their home towns to attend middle school.

When our buses pulled up to the school on the 24th, the entire student body was lined up in corridor-fashion to welcome us. We felt like the football team running onto the field through a line of supporters. The children sang songs and carols to us in the courtyard, and then went into their classrooms to receive their shoeboxes and have a party with us. All who attended were touched by the children’s appreciation.

Mrs. Wei, the headmistress, has since contacted us to tell us that the children all opened their school boxes with their parents on Christmas Day and many shared their supplies with neighboring children who do not attend the Xinxin School. On behalf of the entire community Mrs. Wei visited World Link Education’s Real Life Language Learning on December 30 to express her deep appreciation for our support. All of those involved in the Shoebox Project have been reminded once again, it is much better to give than to receive.

A heartwarming farewell from the Xinxin children	The children’s choir that sang us special songs and read script	Kerry and Julia in the classroom giving out the boxes

Explaining our giving project to the children	James – our project leader	Naomi all dressed up in balloons

Bringing some Christmas cheer through song

Sarah imparting knowledge to her English students

1. Was this your first time in China?
No. I spent a semester in Beijing during my senior year of high school, studying at a local school and living with a host family.

2. Why did you decide to teach English to Chinese in Beijing?
Since leaving China seven years ago, I have wanted to come back and stay longer to really immerse myself in the culture and life here. Beijing is such an exciting city, with plenty of things to do and see, and I was excited to see the changes that have happened to the city since I was last here.

3. How do you find your teaching experience in Beijing?
My only teaching experience in the past has been with children, so I was a little apprehensive about teaching adults, but I have found the transition to be quite smooth and easy. I am developing lasting relationships with my students and am learning at least as much from them as they are from me. I have also done corporate work in conjunction with Real Life English, teaching business English to a local company in their office, which has given me a whole new perspective on teaching. While challenging at times, I love the opportunity to go to a different part of Beijing and see the workings of a thriving business here.

4. How do you like Beijing?
I love Beijing. It is a busy city, at times overwhelming, but the locals are eager to help foreigners adjust, and as the days go by, it feels more and more like my home.

5. What do you find most interesting about your time in China?
The food. I think eating one’s way through China might be the best way to experience it. While often dodgy, you can be pleasantly surprised by a pastry or a new fruit you find at an outdoor market. And the endless variety of animal parts available for eating never ceases to amaze me.

6. Tell us a few memorable experiences in Beijing.
The outdoor “massagies” at Houhai are to die for, especially for the price. The massagies at Fu Li Cheng are something you have to experience yourself to truly believe.
Several times a week, a group of elderly women gather in front of the grocery store here to do a sort of Chinese line dance, complete with colorful fans and a man in full costume and make-up to accompany them. Every time I see them dancing and waving their fans, I am entranced.
Taxi rides here are always memorable, and I am always amazed that I live to tell the tales.

7. How has your experience in China changed you so far?
I think I’m learning to be more flexible. Rarely in life do things go as planned, but in China, this is even more true. I really begin to get a sense of what is important, rather than taking those things for granted. And, I’m learning to be open to whatever life throws at me.

8. What is the thing you like the best about Beijing/ China?
No day is ever the same in China. While visiting the Great Wall and wandering around Tiananmen Square are incredible, I find the little things that happen every day as I live life here to be what really amaze me. The culture is so incredibly different that something as innocuous as a trip to the store can become an adventure if you’re paying attention to what’s around you.

9. What advice or tips would you give to other teachers who plan to come and teach in China?
Come with an open mind, no expectations, and a sense of humor.