December Happenings

Hello All!

     Man time just gets away from me! I cannot believe it has been almost a month since my last Blog post. I post a lot of stuff on Facebook and tend to forget about and neglect the Blog. I got to remember to be more mindful of this Blog. It's a great way to keep track and document my time here in China. Other social media has been a priority and I need to re-evaluate that in my life.
     So, what's been happening? Quite a lot actually!  The Christmas Bazaar took place at the Kempinski   Hotel on Saturday, December 1st. It was a huge success for the Expatriates Association of Suzhou (EAS). We raised quite a bit of money for charity and everyone put in a lot of effort, time, and hard work. I also had a poker tournament that evening. Long story short, did not win, nor did I place in the money :( Oh well, another time...hopefully.
     Below is a pic from the Bazaar. Two expat ladies Elaine on the left and Klattjre on the right. They got in the Christmas spirit at their Tombola table at wore light up antlers! They are both lovely ladies and I enjoy playing mahjong with them on Tuesdays as well. They are both a lot of fun!

Here' s some more photos of the happenings that have occurred these last couple of weeks. I think I am just going to post them and explain them as I go along. Getting the first one to align was frustrating!



   



                     The following day was the Children's Christmas party. They received a very nice buffet lunch, a visit with Santa, picture with Santa, and a present. Here's a shot of me with a couple other volunteers who helped and worked the party.

Here's a shot of the ballroom where the party was held. It was a very nice party and the children and their parents who attended enjoyed themselves!

Two more volunteers :Sylvia and Cecelia who are members of the Activities committee. They plan most of the events for the EAS members all year long. I also play poker with Cecilia. Unfortunately, after 5 years of being in Suzhou, Sylvia is leaving Suzhou in about  week. She will be missed.                      

This is December 3rd., Monday.  It was Theresa's Open House Holiday Party. I went to this event last year as well. It was a lot of fun again this year with great food, wonderful ladies, and some mulled wine and spiked punch thrown in as well! Here are Klaartje (from Holland) and Elaine (from UK) and me. I adore these two ladies! We always have TOO much fun together and end up laughing till we're crying. We have shopped, volunteered, attended EAS events, lunched, and mahjonged together and it's a great time every time!

More expat ladies enjoying the festivities....

It's a pot luck; so there is also plenty of food from around the world. It's a good thing Theresa's apartment is quite large and can accomodate a big crowd. There was easily at least 30 to 40 women at this event. Again, such a nice afternoon. It's an event I look forward to! I told Theresa I was very excited when I got the invitation that she was hosting this again. Many of the women expressed the same sentiment.
     Ok...as you can see, that was just the first three days in December! I will post more about this month this week-end. So many events and happenings!  So, watch this space for more updates!!