Celebrating Halloween!

Dear Family,
I have a new appreciation of Halloween as of today! I "took" Halloween to school today and what an experience...... These dear people - my students - really know how to celebrate the old fashioned way ! ! ! I showed them how our kids go" trick or treating". I wrote some Halloween tongue twisters on the blackboard and some of them read them and some of the students chose to sing me a song in English. They are so dear to me and they sing with such enthusiasm and gusto that it made me emotional. I wish that every one of you could have been there!!!! They REALLY got into the spirit of the holiday and we had a ball. The girls, as well as the boys, got up in front of the class and stood there and just sang their little hearts out. They are truly amazing. And this was only the first day of the next 10 days that we will celebrate Halloween. I am sure that I will have some choice experiences to report. And, those tongue twisters were unbelievable.. Wish that I could figure out a way to record those sweet voices, but I know that I will carry them in my heart until the day I die. They sang John Denver and Karen Carpenter songs as well as children songs.
After class today we went to the "RT Mart" - a wonderful store, with our little Chinese friend, Ariel. She knows where everything is located in the store and she can read all the labels!
What an advantage for us... She showed us where the yeast is located, where the dry beans are located and where the tomato puree is located.. These may sound like crazy things to all of you, BUT, believe me - they are of great importance to us. I have plans to make some homemade bread and some homemade chili. These things sound so good to us about now. We have been in the country long enough that we are getting hungry for some American "soul" food. I even bought a pork roast - which was easy to find, as the Chinese love pork. BUT, you should see how the fresh meats are displayed in the grocery store.....big slabs of fresh meat, just laying in the cases. And the chicken.... Oh my - it is cut up or whole, just stacked on top of ice! And the fish *0!#)+@**** there are fresh fish floating in big tubs of water, just waiting for someone to purchase and take home for really fresh fish for dinner. Not to mention the live grubs - what a delicacy. And people are allowed to touch, or feel,any of the fresh meat that is sitting out. What a different life, and the longer we live here - the more used we are to the differences. That is good. But, there are some things that we will never get accustomed to.
I just received a most welcome Skype call from my dear friend, Marion Whitney. It really cheered me up, as I am getting somewhat homesick. This time of year I start to think of home and all the beautiful colors and sights. Thanks Marion ....
I am going to close for tonight and write more tomorrow.
Much Love, Mom