Conducting in China: Thankful Month Post 4

Day 20- I'm thankful for this clever picture that made me laugh quite heartily. It also reminds me of something an old college friend used to remind everyone of when they were going in a direction that he thought they ought not go. (It's a TRAP)

Day 21- I'm grateful for reasons to dress up (sometimes). On Friday, YAS held a formal Winter Dance. Apparently, YAS in the past tried to hold an event like this but to no real success. This time, almost 50 or so kids showed up, dressed their absolute best all practically too shy to even talk to their best friends they see everyday, much less talk to someone of the opposite gender. A few of the students had a 'date' but honestly I don't think any of the 'couples' talked to each other, much less danced together. We as the teachers tried to limit ourselves to the amount of dancing we did so as not to discourage the kids. We hired a photographer to come and take pictures of the kids just like a normal high school dance. Two kids were the designated DJs and they must have done a good job as there was always someone on the dance floor. Granted, you had some of the kids playing on their phones the entire time avoiding everyone and the ones that were tired before they came and slept the whole time and then you had the boys who thought they would be clever and sneak outside to cross the street just to see how far away they could get. Are you freaking kidding me? But all in all, I got some exercise, got closer to the kids while they all laughed at my dance moves and got second-looks since I was wearing a formal dress and 3 inch heels with heavier than usual makeup (which is normally none).