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Published: February 7th 2013
Lanterns
The city is well decorated for the upcoming festival!As my last several posts reflect, things continue to go well here in Hangzhou! We’ve officially been released on the big Spring Festival holiday break, so I will not be returning to work until the 12
th. Everyone else will be returning on the 17
th. What can I say? I’m a sucker for holiday pay…
Every year, not that unlike American schools’ Christmas break, Chinese commerce pretty well shuts down so that everyone can head home to be with their families for the Chinese New Year / Spring Festival holiday. Speaking specifically, the timing of this holiday is based on the moon’s movement into Aquarius – so it’s less about the date than it is about the moon cycle. In fact, I learned an interesting thing this year: given that my birth year is 1987, I grew up understanding that I was a Rabbit; that’s what the menu at Heaven Dragon told me, and I believed it! However, because of my early-January birth date – AKA before the Lunar New Year – I’m actually a TIGER! Talk about turning one’s world upside down!! Ok, well, maybe not upside down… but I will say that I do much prefer this Tiger title.
I’m embracing it. Anyway, this year, we’re heading into the year of the Snake which I understand makes this a year of slow and steady progress, and attention to detail… I’m not yet sure what that means for me and this impeccable year abroad, but I’m sure it will contribute to my journey.
In other news, I’m finally starting to settle into this apartment of mine. In fact, I’m writing these words to you from the comfort of my own bed, using my very own internet connection. That came at the hands of a fun-filled day of people randomly showing up at my house and speaking very loudly and quickly in foreign tongues. While the adventure of once again dealing with service people via Sara led to there being no time for a shower that day (gross), there was a great food adventure that found me – are you ready?? – TRYING CHICKEN FEET! AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! Ok, so I was ridiculed for the rest of the day by my lunchmates, Sara and Peggy, because I could not finish the thing. I’m sorry… I refuse to put something’s toe-nails in my mouth. It’s just not right. It is just NOT the
Green Tea Cakes
Wonderfully modeled by our own Vanna White, Jenny. right THING to do, ok?! But I tried it. And that is one thing that, although I’m not sure it was there in the first place, is no longer on my bucket list. Chicken feet.
Food is definitely a big part of the adventure that I am having. I have had a lot of wonderful, wonderful food here! The trick that I have learned is to be annoyingly stubborn about not choosing what I want to eat. This drives Sara absolutely bonkers, but any time I am out to eat with a local person, I absolutely refuse to choose what comes out! What good would it do me and my growing palate to choose things that I know I like and am familiar with? I am at an eating stage in my life where I am willing to try anything once… within reason… So, I want to eat like they would eat. I don’t want glorified Panda Express, I want a genuine experience. Yesterday, I went to lunch with Jenny (Hi Jenny!!!! Congratulations on being the only local person who has access to my writings!!!!) and her husband Blade – let’s take a brief moment with that one. I
love the names that the folks here have chosen for themselves. Some of them have very obviously tried to stay close to their actual name in Chinese; some of them have gone for as traditional a Western name as they knew of; and then some of them choose names like Blade. Rock on, brother. Other wonderful names that I’ve encountered: Smile, Queena, Little… It kind of makes you think: If you could choose your name, what would it be?
Anyway, so Jenny, Blade and I had lunch at this famous restaurant up in the hills of Hangzhou near the Lingyin Temple. I genuinely have yet to have bad food here in Hangzhou, and this was another very positive food encounter! Following lunch, we had a pretty incredible little hike. At one point, I had to stop because a somewhat overwhelming reality hit me as we were looking at some of the stone carvings along the path: I explained to Jenny that, in America, we hop around to our historical sites in Boston or DC and it has a lot of meaning to us, of course. These things are reflections of events that happened hundreds of years ago to build
this country of ours. Now, here I was having this experience with Jenny and Blade, examining relics – not from hundreds… but from THOUSANDS of years ago that are reflections of events to build this country of theirs. It’s really remarkable when you think about it. Unfortunately, a lot of the carvings have been destroyed or badly damaged by The Party’s attempt to do away with religion in general… but even that adds something to the reflective quality of all of this. History really is an amazing thing, and in China there is a lot of it.
Well, today I’m off to a day of rest and relaxation. I have absolutely no plans today, and my only hope is to wash my whites and take a nap. I’ll probably pick up the guitar a few times; I may even eat lunch. But I have no intention whatsoever of changing out of my pajamas today. Sometimes, even when you’re on the other side of the planet, it’s okay to just be normal and boring.
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grandma
non-member comment
Hellooooooooooo.......you\'re traveling the ruins of the past thousands of years......I broke a fingernail.....Now, tell me, what\'s more interesting in the great scheme of things? Love your blogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!............What a fascinating experience (not the nail).....My prayers and love are with you always..... Grandma