Chinese New Year

So Chinese New Year is finally winding down. There were a few fireworks tonight, but nothing much. We had a fun week relaxing and celebrating. Chinese New Year is a strange time to be here. It's almost like watching Christmas without really participating. Everyone everywhere travels home, to whatever city or village they were originally from. People travel for hours by bus, trains, and planes to make their way home. Stores, restaraunts, banks, post offices, schools; everything closes for the week. Life essentially grinds to a halt. Our ayi is gone for a month. Rob is off of work for a month. Our Chinese lessons are done until March. Of course there are always a few things open, but the quiet around our house is a little weird. The weather was nice though, so we had a good time playing outside for a bit, walking to the beach, spending time with friends and visiting a playground or two. It was nice to spend time all together with Rob's family with no particular agenda or time constraint. On "New Years Eve" Rob, Nik, and their friend Maksim climbed Fushan which is the small mountain in the middle of our city. They climbed up after dark (a slightly risky thing to do) and then watched the fireworks displays explode all over the city. Really it was a pretty great idea and if I hadn't been recovering from a cough I would have gone along. But as it was Mckenzie and I decided to stay warm inside with the kids and watch the excitement.




After living in China I will never again drive for miles, park in a field, walk for a few blocks, to sit in a field, and watch fireworks from a mile or so away. Our fireworks displays here are much more personal :-) From dusk until the wee hours of the morning, fireworks go off from every direction around our apartment. You can stand at any window and watch someone setting off a full fledged box of fireworks from the street next to our house, the next apartment complex over, down by the beach. You don't have to have any special credentials to set off fireworks, anyone can buy them from any little stand on the road. No one seems very concerned with fire safety or even finger safety :-) The kids ran from window to window and watched in delight. Thank goodness they aren't afraid. Thankfully they also managed to eventually fall asleep and ignore them for the rest of the night too.


All in all it has been a refreshing time for us as a family. It was nice to take a bit of a break from our crazy schedules and recharge our batteries. It's always a good reminder of all the blessing God has given us just in each other.

Comments

  1. Every Day is an AdventureFebruary 25, 2011 at 2:42 AM

    Great post and you are right....after living in China you will never look at fireworks the same. Our girls were a little bored with fourth of July festivities when back in the US. Also....how is it that I have never found your blog before. I will definitely be a follower now. Someday, we will meet :)

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