Intro This will mostly be just general thoughts of recent days (Also happy Evermore season to those who listen.) Lots of stream-of-conscious and bad grammar incoming warning:
Snow and Middle Schoolers
I think my new favorite thing might be the first snowfall of the year starting in the middle of the school day. Often, working with middle schoolers can be challenging. But the pure joy of thirteen year olds when the snow starts to fall embodied the very feelings of "Holiday Season" and it isn't even the winter holiday in China! We only got about half an inch, but between each class period, the kids would rush to throw on their gloves and run outside. They spent the next ten minutes making snowballs or drawing in the snow and generally just playing.
During their PE classes (which were still held outside) they would play in the snow. During lunch, they all were playing. During recess (for the elementary students) the teachers just let them play in the snow. The high school photography classes went to document the snow fall. Today the sun is shining and we shouldn't get more snow for quite some time (Shijiazhuang is generally a dry climate) but there was just something about that day that will stick in my mind of the feelings of joy that the first snow of winter can bring.
Truly the soccer field felt like The Green at midnight after a Dr. Seuss email (Dartmouth folks.)
Holidays
The joy of yesterday's snowfall reminded me of exactly what the holidays feel like. I hung up the Christmas lights and stocking my mom sent and curled up with candy canes and hot chocolate in the evening. I have been asking the question a lot lately of what the Holidays mean, and especially what they will mean for me this winter since I am alone during them.
Often this idea of "someone alone at Christmas" feels devastating when people imagine it, but I don't feel that way at all. On Thanksgiving, I missed my family and friends, and at Christmas I am sure I will feel the same way, but it is not the desolate loneliness often depicted. Maybe it's the easy access to technology, the temporary nature of my time in China, or simply my non sentimental personality, but I find it easy to find the joy in the season regardless.
At home, I would never have been reminded of the true of joy of winter by those middle schoolers taking every second of free time they have to simply play. At home, I wouldn't get to spend the day after Christmas traveling to Mt. Fuji in Japan. While being home with my family would be lovely, I just find that there is joy even in a holiday that looks different than I am used to. While for one year, my holiday resembles more of a Hallmark Movie protagonist's pre-movie life than the one she finds on a Christmas Tree farm in her hometown, I am not sad about that fact. Instead, I am excited. (I'll see family in February and I can talk to or FaceTime anyone at any time.) That doesn't mean I don't look forward to next year and future years of holidays with my family, but I am happy with the shape this unusual holiday season is taking in my life.
