A Midsummer Night's Dream

Friday, December 12. Two classes in the morning. I track down Mr. Zhang who tells me that we will have no classes the week of January 5th. And classes will resume (at least this is what everyone seems to think) on Monday February 9th. So this means that we basically have 5 weeks to travel! I'm really looking forward to seeing more of China.

Tonight I have dinner with David and Tiffany at the noodle shop on the way to Hunan Teachers College to see:

The 8th annual English Department Drama Festival (we were invited by our little friend, Sandi, who is a student there) - and it was fabulous! You just haven't lived until you've seen portions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Sound of Music performed in English by Chinese college students hamming it up for all they're worth. I laughed so hard. They were hilarious.

Then afterwards we are invited back to Sandi's room to celebrate two of her roommates birthdays. (She is in a dorm room with 12 girls. Six bunk beds, and each student has a large square locker-type storage compartment. No closets. There is a bathroom but no hot water and no shower. They each have a bucket and a basin to wash both themselves and their clothes.) The girls were thrilled that we had come, and there are lots of little snack things as well as a huge birthday cake. They asked us to sing a song so we do a rousing version of "Deck the Halls."

We walk home in the pleasant night air.