Day 5 -Rest and a "Banquet"

Day 5

Monday, July 7


Today was a day off. At 10 am we had a meeting about what our week would look like with the kids, and our schedule for the 10 days of English Summer Camp. After our meeting my group went out for lunch and exploring, but I opted for a nap instead. I know that seems lame, but I know myself. I need downtime and rest to decompress. Otherwise I get irritable and agitated with whatever is going on around me.

I took a good nap and watched some Downton Abbey. This evening we had our "Banquet" with the administrators from the school. Huiying, the Chinese director of CCEC (Chinese Cultural Education Center) located at USC-Aiken, was there, as well as Beth, one of the staff of CCEC in Spartanburg. The school principal and several of the teachers came as well.

When we first got to the restaurant we were taken to a private room with a large round table in it with enough seats for about 15. The table had a lazy susan in the  middle for the food. We were the first ones there, besides Beth and Huiying. We had to wait for the Chinese staff to show up before we could sit down, per Chinese custom. The guest of honor, or most senior person, sits in the seat facing the door. In this case, that was the principal of the school, Baoding Middle School No. 17. Her staff sat on the same side, again facing the door. As a show of respect, we sat in the seats facing away from the door. No one is allowed to eat until the person at the head of the table eats. Before that person eats they make a toast. After all this happened we began eating.

We were there for about 2-3 hours. The food never stopped coming. The dish is placed on the lazy susan and then everyone just gets what they want. I didn't try anything particularly weird or interesting. I stuck to meats I know, like chicken and pork, as well as vegetables and sauce. The most interesting thing was the drink situation. We had red wine, tea (which I think just tastes like hot water), and yogurt. Chinese yogurt is the consistency of thick milk - but has a fruity taste like yogurt from the US. People drink it has a beverage here.

Here are a few pics from the evening: