Holiday Party

I’m going to a holiday party on a Saturday after work. It’s being thrown by my actual employer, not the training center. It’s their annual Holiday Party.

Usually, it’s at Christmas. But, for some unfathomable reason, this year, it’s at the end of November. Maybe it’s a Thanksgiving Party?

I’m not really looking forward to it. It’s going to be after I teach 4 classes and have to get up early again the next day to teach several more. On the average Saturday, I just want to go home and sleep after work.

But there’s free food (please be a good buffet) and I can meet the public school teachers (Yay more foreigners!). I’ve only seen a couple of the other foreigners that one time I did a fun fair. Now, there’s going to be a whole room of them.

Reservations

Unfortunately, my employers picked a very bad day for those of us at the training center. Some people have to teach until nearly 7. But the party is scheduled to start at 6. I finish at 5 so I could get there on time, but just barely.

As my training center is the only one my employers supply teachers for anymore and there are only 5 full-time teachers, my employers didn’t really take us into consideration when planning.

One of my coworkers did throw a bit of a fit as she’s one of the ones getting out late. She tried to convince our contact person at the company to have a separate party for us or to at least think about us more when party planning because we never get to go to anything.

When I signed up, I was promised some form of get-together about every month or two and Chinese lessons. Neither of which has happened. Ever.

I hoped this party could change that and I’d get to meet some new people and make more friends.

And then I got sent the schedule.

That dashed any hopes of having fun. And dashed them hard into some massive granite boulders. There was no fun to be had with this schedule. Every minute was planned out.

There is no time for chatting or mingling. There was no time to meet people or make friends. Hell, there were only 30 minutes to eat the buffet!

The party was also starting later, and, therefore, ending later, than I was originally told. But, they’d be celebrating my November birthday.

Maybe I’ll get a cake or present?

The Party

I left work with a couple coworkers. Safety in numbers and all that. It is also helpful to go anywhere new in a group – more people can help figure out what to do faster.

We managed to get there about 10 minutes late, right in the middle of the opening speech. We did have to sign in and scan a QR code to enter the raffle first.

We also got a present – a decorative plate. I didn’t take mine home, and once you see the picture, I think you’ll know why.

Food! And “Entertainment”

We had just sat down when I heard the guy say, “buffet” and I ran. I was hungry! We only had about half an hour scheduled for food and I didn’t want to waste half of it waiting in line.

But, the buffet was a bit of a letdown. Thankfully, there was enough edible food that I was able to stuff myself, but I mostly ate rice, fruit, and french fries.

After that, I spent some time avoiding the many wandering cameras. I don’t like my picture taken on the best of days, but I especially don’t like it taken with a bunch of random people I’ve never met before.

Next up, it was time for our first raffle. It was a weird WeChat random picture chooser. I didn’t win anything, but, as the prize was some Chinese dish set with chopsticks, spoons, and bowls, I’m not all that sad.

I then had the misfortune to listen to something on the schedule called Good Deeds and Such. It was torture from the first second the lady got on the stage. Luckily, it was just a very short monologue. And I was in the back of the room so I could easily distract myself by writing some of this post.

Then, we listened to a bunch of kids and Chinese teachers talk about how much they love their foreign teachers. The teachers got a little certificate and a red envelope of cash.

And then it was time for another raffle. This time it was bedsheets. I may have enjoyed this one a little bit more as my current sheets are bright blue with dandelions on them (they were cheap). But I don’t know that I would have liked to carry them home. They were heavy!

I missed most of the “traditional ethnic dance” due to needing a bathroom break. Unfortunately, some people were having a smoke break in the little alcove leading to the bathrooms. Indoors! One thing I will never like about living here is the prevalence of indoor smoking, or just smoking in general.

Cake and Presents

I did arrive back in time to be informed that they just called my name, last name then first name (Really? They’re my employers. Why can’t they get my name right?!), to celebrate my birthday and cut some cake.

However, I missed having to symbolically cut the cake or be in any of the pictures because a bunch of people blocked my way up. I didn’t really want to go up, but I did want cake.

Once most of the people had made a cut, but not me, they wheeled the cake off to the side, saying that they’d serve it. I never saw them do anything to the cake, just move it off to the side and put some silverware and plates on the cart.

I kept watch on the cake, waiting for them to plate it or do whatever they were going to, but they just left it alone.

They did pass out birthday presents. I’m not sure what it is. And I wasn’t the only one. One of my table-mates also had a birthday and he asked about it. The person passing them out had no ideas either. I can see how much thought and effort they put into them.

Eventually, someone else got fed up with waiting and grabbed themself a piece. I know a good idea when I see one and grabbed one for myself right after.

It was a yummy cake. It was vanilla cake and frosting with a very thin bit of blueberries in the middle. Not what I was expecting in a cake, but not bad. And I grabbed myself a cantaloupe ball as well.

By the time I finished my cake, it was almost time for the 3rd raffle as the Gratitude Moment was finishing up. For anyone wondering what a “Gratitude Moment” is, it is when the company talks about how good they are and play up their charity and donations.

It was a good thing I stayed for the raffle as I won! I got a very fancy, expensive watch. That I don’t want and would never wear. If you like it, I’m selling it.

Finally, it was time to run away. It was 9:30 and well past my bedtime. There was someone singing, but my bed was calling much louder.

My coworkers stayed for about another half hour as one of them is British and very polite.

I didn’t care. I wanted sleep.