Apology, Toasts, Pictures and Potties

First of all, I read back over my recent Spiderman post, and I cringed. I am so mouthy sometimes. I've been working on controlling myself when I "get my Latin up" as one of my friends puts it, but sometimes I say things without thinking. I sounded harsh, and I didn't mean to. I made a goal not to talk about my personal life here, and I feel like I kinda violated that on that post. So, apologies, I'll refrain from future discourse like this.

Toasts: it's not just what's for breakfast. During formal dinners, either family or business, it's traditional to give toasts to each other throughout the meal. I don't really enjoy this tradition, because I just wanna eat all the delicious food, you know? But it's an important part of the culture here. (During our training period, we even had a banquet to teach us this custom. It's that important.) You must give the toasts in the proper order, or it's a big faux pas; the most honored person in the room, then the next, and so on. So if you go to a Chinese dinner, you need to pay very close attention to the hierarchy of the room. The Chinese LOVE hierarchy, and if you don't respect it, you lose.

So at dinner with the family, I knew Baba (Dad) and Mama should have my first toast, as they are the oldest and therefore most important. But I couldn't remember who the oldest brother was. Argh! Then I noticed the brother sitting closest to Baba-- yes, it must be him. (It was.) I toasted him, then all the other brothers down the line, and his sister. You should always keep your glass lower than the person you are toasting, and it becomes a game. During one toast, we lowered our glasses so much they hit the chair, and they got a kick out of that. One of them said, "She is Chinese now!" I took it as a compliment.

A few more pictures.

Here I am on New Year's Day with my director's little sister, her husband and her daughter. (After being up all night NYE, literally, plus a four hour car ride, I look a little busted! But I know you all love me for my personality.)  I was laughing when they took the picture. This was her 40th birthday party; how amazing does she look?

Below is me, my director's son, and my director's niece. She is darling! I'm going back to this city in two weeks for Peace Corps training, and we made plans to get together while I am there. I'm excited to see her again, as well as the sister and family above.

Related: I thought I was a picture ham, until I moved to China. THEY WIN. Also, the finger shape I am making means "8" and is a good luck sign in China. Yes, all numbers have an associated hand gesture. The more you know...

And finally...a picture in a hotel room bathroom stall. Western toilets are still rare in my part of China, and are usually only found in Western restaurant and hotel chains. (And luckily, my apartment.) So, sometimes some instructions are needed:

The end. Thanks for reading! I hope you found it worthwhile. And yes, I will keep writing while I am on my vacations and at home. You are stuck with my nonsense a while longer!