the year of 2025

Year-end gathering

The last meeting of 2025 came with pizza. Jason had six boxes delivered to the venue at 6:30 so everyone could eat before the meeting started. Tracy took on the TME role for the first time, and by the end of the evening, the verdict was in: “2025 完美收官。[胜利]”

Two unexpected guests showed up during the meeting: a pair of kids whose mom was getting her nails done nearby. As one member put it: “这两个小朋友 妈妈在附近做美甲，没办法照顾小朋友，所以把它放到头马[破涕为笑]我们做的对吗？？” The response: “托班做得不错” and “这托班还能学英语.”

Prepared speeches

Stella opened with “To be continued,” a storytelling speech that involved enough physical demonstration to prompt one observer to say: “感觉是在比划司马光砸缸[偷笑].” Christy followed with “End the world,” which turned out to be less apocalyptic than the title suggested. The next morning, members reflected: “Not end of the world. Maybe close the world of work for a moment. But open another wonderful world. SZTM is the wonderful world.” Jason closed the prepared speeches with “Culture clashes,” sharing stories from his cross-cultural experiences.

Closing out 2025

When the group photos went up after the meeting, the reaction was warm: “好有过年的 feel.” Everyone took home an award that night, fitting for a year-end celebration. Brownie confirmed what the group already knew: Tracy had officially unlocked a new role. Min, who had signed up as Meeting Manager but couldn’t make it, sent her apologies from afar: “MM 很抱歉没能到现场.”