It’s hard to believe that we have been here almost six years. Five years ago, the kids here had never heard of Halloween. About the only ones that dressed up were the teachers, and a handful of students. The rest looked at us and were thinking wtf??!! Five years later, we realize we have created a monster! Most students now go all out with their costumes and the variety is incredible. Of course, not all of them would pass inspection in Canada…probably the large group that arrived dressed as a Chinese gang and armed with actual baseball bats would be one group that would be turned away at the front door. However, in this country, anything goes. Permission to not wear the school uniform brings out the outlandish in everyone. Creativity, coupled with cheaply available costumes and a flair for dressing over the top on a normal day in this city, results in some pretty cool outfits. Here’s a sampling of what we saw all day at the school.
My last Sports Day!
Once again, October brings Sports Days to schools all across China. And Maple Leaf was no exception. A couple of weeks ago,the school turned out to put in several hours of pageantry, running, hula hooping and other heavy-day athletic activities. The weather started out a little threatening but the sun broke through the clouds by late morning and the heat showed up for the rest of the day.
Sports Day in Chinese schools is a big event! It is a mini version of the Olympics. Every home room marches out in procession and provides a short performance for those in the audience. It is up to the kids to put their show together on their own time. Where they fit it into their busy schedule, I have no idea. There is always a formal opening ceremony and closing ceremony. In between, the students do their best to outdo each other in a variety of events. It is not like track and field in North America. Other than the running, broad jump and shot put,there are very few traditional events. Usually, we end up judging such things a skipping, hula hoop races, and three-legged races. You never know what event is destined to appear each year. Read More