A Chinese Christmas Memory

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It all started with a simple invitation: "Would you join us at our faculty Christmas party? Oh, and could you sing a song too?"

Certainly. Of course. What could be more simple? Go to a small faculty party (maybe 30 people) and provide a little entertainment along with a couple of student groups. What we found was a little more elaborate.
The auditorium held at least 500 people who were all ready for an end-of-the-year talent show. It was full of energy and excitement, and it was loud with students talking (and gawking) and people rushing around trying to get the program started. What followed was a mixture of singing and dancing (both traditional Chinese and hip-hop) in a large Christmas variety show, which even featured a western act which got the crowd into it by having them sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."







Several times during the performance, scrawny Santa Clauses came out and threw candy into the crowd which roared with delight.  We started the night shocked, uncertain we were ready for this kind of spotlight. But after hearing a couple of groups who struggled to find the right key (and a few who weren't even looking) that were well received, I relaxed realizing that however bad we might think we sounded, they would be welcoming and appreciative. 



Afterwards, we took a large group photo and then were greeted by several of the students who wanted selfies with us (something we are becoming very used to). Overall, it was a very enjoyable night, but another reminder that even though people may be speaking correct English, they don't have the same cultural context we do, so we will need to be flexible and patient.



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