December: A month of Community

      The month of December past without a post on my blog. I apologize for my absence. It reflects the blessing of being delightfully busy with holiday activities and a new community. One of my New Year's resolutions is to stay in the loop a bit more. Since 2010 is "So last year," I will briefly tell of my activities.
      My friends and I made a pact on Thanksgiving to make sure that the Christmas spirit was in full swing this year. We were fearful that Christmas would not be the same far from home. Although Christmas was a lot different this year, our holiday activities were plentiful. Among my favorites were making a gingerbread house with Jason (he had never made one before), watching Elf, a church pot-luck, and attending Handel's Messiah.
      As the days streamed by I did my best to revel in the moments before I would be off to China! My days slowed down the most on Christmas Eve when I was able to remove myself from my traditional teacher role and help the students celebrate Christmas. It was a magical day where Santa visited and Christmas carols were sung.  By the end of the day, the students were so excited and exhausted!!  The day ended and my plans to celebrate Christmas Eve with my co-workers quickly faded as I head home to pack and wind down 2010.