Although there's no real snow here and the temperature is still hovering around 90 degrees (F), Christmas season is definitely here. There are super elaborate decorations all around Saigon and tons of lights that illuminate the city at night. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a menorah to light Hanukah candles with, so I celebrated with the Herzl Camp Youtube broadcasts of candle lighting each night (morning for me). In lieu of the holiday season, the Australian ladies threw a Christmas party at the orphanage on Wednesday morning. It was complete with face painting, balloons, ice cream cones, Santa suits for the kids, Christmas trees, and a special lunch made by the cooks at Thien Phuoc.As if the party wasn't enough, we loaded about 20
of the kids into vans after lunch and headed to the British International School (BIS) where the Year 1 and Year 2 kids put on a Christmas performance for us and the rest of the school. The BIS kids were adorable as each class had their own themed costume and corresponding song such as "I'm a lion because I roar" and "Never smile at a crocodile." There was even one class' own rendition of "What's in the box?" that rivaled the Ozo song by the same title from the summer. Although it took a lot of man power to 
get all the kids in and out of the vans and school, seeing their excitement throughout the performance made it all worth it. It seemed to be a good, eye-opening experience for the BIS students as well. One girl kept asking "What happened?" as we carried the kids from the orphanage up the stairs and into wheelchairs. In addition, I felt like I was in England for the duration of the little field trips because most of the kids and all of the teachers and administrators had British accents (of course)!What I'm Reading:
-"What Works in the Classroom? Ask the Students"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/11/education/11education.html?hp
-"Study Finds Setbacks in Women's Health"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/health/research/09women.html?scp=1&sq=women%27s%20health&st=cse
-And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails
by Wayne Curtis
Shira - this all lis a great experience, my gosh!
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