InstaSnow!

When I was in Canada this summer, I came across a little container of fake snow in a museum gift shop. (Pictured next to my cool Christmas decorations).

It seemed like a fun thing, and since it's Christmas this week, I can finally use it! 

I tried it out last night, and was really pleased! It's a powder that reacts with water and expands to 100 times its original size (so I could make 2 gallons of snow with the amount I bought) and its look and texture are suprisingly similar to real snow! 

It's not cold, but is cool to touch and feels slightly wet. You can't make shapes out of it but you can squish it between your fingers and it will resume its original shape. 

It was fun to bring to class.  Some of my students could have played with it all afternoon! 

Apparently it's also used for decorations and indoor snowboarding places. It was worth my... however much I paid for it! It's been a lot of fun having Christmas

 parties, songs, and gift exchanges so far.  Tomorrow I'm off to Taipei for the rest of the week, and I'm looking forward to spending Christmas with my friends here. 

Some Christmas fun so far:

• I've gotten 4 cards so far, 2 from Canada, one from a friend from Yuli, and one from one of my students. 
  
• I've been teaching my church students "Away in a Manger" and "O Come all Ye Faithful" 
• I saw a horse-drawn carriage yesterday on the streets of Yilan, which was part of a mall's Christmas promotion.
• I sent my Christmas package home in record time last week.
• I've been wearing a Christmas hat to class every day.