Zhong Qiu Jie Kuai Le!

Happy Mid-Autumn Day! It was a couple of days ago but hey, it's the sentiment that counts.

The Mid-Autumn Day Festival I went to Monday night was the most bizarre thing that has ever happened to me: Tom and I sang Frank Sinatra's L.O.V.E. for a crowd of 2,000 Chinese people waving light-up swords in the middle of a field. I am serious. This was not one of my bizarre dreams. I have witnesses as well as a video to prove it. Well, I don't *have* the video tape yet, but I am working on it, don't you worry.

How did this come about? you may ask. It is a long story, suffice it to say were were invited to a small government party to celebrate mid-autumn day > asked to sing a song for 20 people > told we had to be at rehearsal > told there would be many performances > found out there would be 2000 people > arrived to find an all-out stage with pyrotechnics, three fancy cameras, a huge TV screen, and singers with back-up dancers and costumes.

Strangely enough, I didn't have stage fright. I attribute this to the comforting fact that no one could understand what the heck I was saying and they love Tom and I because we are white. They were just happy to have us there. We recieved a beautiful bamboo carving as a gift (that Tom called dibs on) and I wished everyone a happy mid-autumn day in Chinese.

All in all, a superbly bizarre evening. We have been invited to another government event tomorrow evening (some of our foreign friends will be there), but I hesitate to go because really, anything would be a let down after that.