BEST BEHAVIOR
Before going in, a representative from the museum tells the kids it's very important that they remain absolutely quiet inside. His words stick for all of three minutes.
They enter the museum and listen to him tell them about different paintings. The paintings are interesting, but far more interesting is the floor; it's slippery, and if you get a running start you can slide halfway across the room.
Also interesting is the foreign guy who's come to the museum with them. Why is my nose so big, one girl wants to know. Do I see it all the time?
"If I cross my eyes," I tell her.
Soon everyone is crossing their eyes looking for their noses.
"I don't think it looks bad," the girl reassures me. Besides, she says, "all Americans have big noses ? and blue eyes."
In the next gallery, the kids are taken with huge photographs of lotuses. Several of them decide they're going to become photographers, then ask to borrow my camera. They take turns using it to take photos of the giant photos and of each other flashing V-signs.
When they get home from the museum, the kids will start into their homework, have dinner then rehearse their skit for the upcoming Christmas Eve pageant.
Already they've each received a box of gifts at the recent Kidzday sponsored by the local American Chamber of Commerce. Over 2,000 boxes were given to area kids to provide a bit of Christmas cheer.
But there's no shortage of cheer among the kids at Christian Herald and no lack of holiday spirit. One girl breathlessly listed all the things that came in her box, careful not to forget anything. Did she get everything she wanted for Christmas? No, she said.
"I wish I could give a box like that to Vicky and Mr. Chen and my family. Christmas is about giving."
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