After class, I go talk to Dr. Prettyman about the three classes I\u2019ll be missing while we\u2019re in the US. She mentions she needs help selecting music for a faculty participation performance at the talent show on Dec. 31. I\u2019ll be in the US, but they want me to help find the music. She also needs me to present some of the ideas to the faculty at the meeting after school. Ouch! I have to go home, pick-up my computer charger, return to school for the meeting, and put together some ideas for the faculty meeting. Normally I don\u2019t attend faculty meetings because they\u2019re the same time as Orchestra Club, but with most of the students gone, no club today.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an hour home, and then an hour back to school. With a charged computer, I put together some ideas (with help from Judy\u2019s karaoke library). The presentation is short and the performance idea is \u201cnew information\u201d to the faculty. They table the discussion to get their heads around what they might want to do.<\/p>\n
Next on the list is Judy\u2019s program at the Renaissance. I leave school at 5:15, loading up in a taxi (I\u2019m in no mood for the subway after 3 long trips earlier today). Traffic is a beating. I have to travel from west to east, through the center of Beijing, down Chang\u2019An Blvd., past Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. It takes an hour for me to get to the hotel. I was beginning to sweat it a little.<\/p>\n
Judy\u2019s choir had arrived earlier and are enjoying a mini-buffet, provided by the hotel. I grab a quick bite, and then head out to make sure the sound will work properly. The students did a nice job in the restaurant, especially considering their age.<\/p>\n
The program kicks off at 7:00 pm with a gorgeous tree-lighting. The students sing great, and the audience of parents and hotel patrons is enthusiastic, spurring on the students even more. They are a huge success!<\/p>\n
![\"This](\"http:\/\/gordonandjudy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/IMG_2095.jpg\")
<\/a>This view is from the back of the choir. Check out all the cameras<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Another view.<\/p><\/div>\n
After the program, the props are put away, and the students are dismissed to their parents. We load everything in a small bus, along with Shannon, a couple of teachers, and a handful of students. Back at school, we unload and move everything back into the school. 15 minutes later, we\u2019re in a taxi headed home. It\u2019s been a great night! This was most likely Judy\u2019s last Christmas program, and we\u2019d be celebrating, if we weren\u2019t so tired.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s Thursday, so I\u2019ve got an early class. I\u2019m gone by 6:30, headed for the train. When I arrive at school, I realize I didn\u2019t pack my computer charger. It\u2019s the first time this year I\u2019ve walked out with it. … Continue reading