Day 288 Chinese colleagues :)

Let me introduce you to Dr. Edwin, physics teacher.  He's my
office mate, and I call him "my best man on the ground in China."
Whatever I need, whenever I can't find my way, I need a
translation, help with my phone, my computer, or even a
much needed hug, Edwin has been there, at his desk right
behind me all year long.  He,quite literally, has had my back!
He's also funny as h*ll, sings beautifully, and ladies...he's SINGLE!

There are eight of us who share office
space together; four Westerners (Carlos
and Eric, above) Kathy and myself.  It
was Eric's idea to host a dinner party for
our Chinese colleagues at his place- to
say thank you, we appreciate you, and
now it's OUR TURN to introduce you
to some of our delicious food and customs!

Edwin brought duck tongues and duck spines (like the vertebrae,
I'm guessing?) as a finger food to share....because nothing
spells P-A-R-T-Y in my book like duck tongues and spines!
Eric and Carlos were gracious enough to give it a go- I could not.

Edwin was schooling Carlos in how to munch
on the duck spines- nom! nom!

These are called zongzi, which is a very popular
Chinese dish that is often sold on the streets. It is
sticky rice wrapped around a pork sausage filling.
It's then wrapped and tied in banana leaves and
steamed.  I can't say I really like these, either,
though I did try them (unlike the duck parts).

Eric mixed up a delicious batch of mojitos for
us all, except Ali's did not have quite enough
hooch in hers :)  Those Latinas <3 their rum!

Edwin, Helen, Lily, and Yan.  The only one missing was
Chase, who had to cover self-study duty that evening at school.

I'm in good hands with these two; my Best Man on the
Ground in the US to my left, and my Best Man on the
Ground in China to my right.  They take good care of me :)

I made chicken burritos, homemade mashed potatoes,
Len made pico, and I made a fruit salad.  Kathy
made "Not your Momma's Meatloaf", carrot
casserole, and delicious tarts for dessert.  Eric
and Ali made minestrone soup, a salad, and
fresh tomatoes with mozzarella and basil.  I
share all of this because typically Chinese do
not care for cheese, and nearly every dish we made
had cheese in it, or on it ,in some way, lol.
Still, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves,
as there was very little left over afterward.

We sat around and visited, traded school and travel stories,
and Len played a few songs...

And Helen and I danced!

It was a wonderful way to spend an evening, and to say thank you to our office mates for their kindness, generosity, helpfulness, and friendship.  I must say, we have one of the more 'fun' offices
of the whole school.  I really hit the lottery when I made the move to China, in so many ways. I have been one very blessed girl this year. Happiest girl in China :)

G'nite, y'all!