OLAG. Our lives our great. Today’s lesson was about emoticons and emojis. So basically, I got to sit with my precept for an hour and a half and teach them IM language. It was great watching them guess what LOL, FML, BFF, and all our other text messaging lingo means. I don’t know if this constitutes as real English, but they loved it. When I got to explaining FML, MLIG, and OLAG, they got to come up with their own phrases, such as: “It is raining today. I forgot my umbrella. FML.” “I lost my wallet. I found it in the classroom today. MLIG.”

After class, Winne and Tina, two students in Unicorns, were waiting for us to have lunch. I had made lunch plans with them the day before, but little did I know of the feast that awaited us. Jess, Sofia, Arianna and I climbed up six stories to Tina’s dorm, where she and five other students eagerly prepared lunch as they waited for our arrival. Suddenly, Winne appear with four bouquets of flowers – one for each of us – in her hands that she had made using wires and pantyhose. She had taught us how to make these flowers in her dorm on Saturday and said she would make more for us, but we had no idea she meant a bouquet for each of us! Apparently this bouquet of flowers was not enough – Winne had also made a pair of earrings for each of us. We thanked them a million times, shocked at the hospitality and appreciation that our students displayed.

After this unexpected gift giving ceremony, the girls eagerly showed us their beautiful traditional paintings and calligraphy work while preparing dumplings and fruit for us for lunch. Lunch ended with Shiny playing piano while they all sang “Tong Hua”, a Chinese fairytale song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLsNzzQ6vYI), together. We all left with one word on our minds: OLAG.

Cam and Eliot had told us about the students’ hospitality and enthusiasm before coming to China, but little did I know that it would be to this extent. Leaving with our bouquet of flowers in hand, new earrings on, and umbrellas in hand to protect our new flowers, all we could talk about was how impressive our students are.  

This was not the first time that our students had displayed such hospitality. On our first day of class two of my students, Bom and Dara, had asked me what my favorite Chinese fod was. I had told them that I really like dumplings. They said that they could teach me how to make dumplings, and I eagerly accepted the invitation. Next thing I knew I had an email from Bom the next evening asking me what day worked best and what other teachers were interested in joining our dumpling party. Last Thursday Kelsey, Alyssa, Sofia, and I had the opportunity to go to Bom’s home, meet her family, and make dumplings with them which we later feasted on during our delicious home-made lunch (made me realize how much I miss homemade food!). Upon leaving, Bom’s whole family – and I mean aunts and uncles who had come to make dumplings with us – told us that we were welcome back anytime and insisted that we take home a jug of her mother’s home-made wine. This was also one of the greatest experiences I have ever had.

These two events are just two of the multiple interactions and extremely welcoming gestures our students have displayed. So despite the pouring rain the past five days, temporary power outage this evening, and extremely early mornings, it is our students who make our lives great here in Jishou.

Hoping for a sunny day with no rain tomorrow,

Miryam