Celebrations

Our first Spring Festival in China. What a wonderful week it's been. Last year, we opted for a week on the beach with friends in the Philippines so missed out on all of the festivities related to Chinese New Year. Now that we've been in the country long enough to make friends that are like family, own a cafe, and speak more of the language, we were looking forward to experiencing China's biggest holiday.

First off, China's New Year is based on the lunar calendar, rather than the Western solar calendar. So the date of the new year changes annually. This year, it fell on January 22/23. We were invited to the home of Chen, one of the other owners of Cup O' Joe to celebrate with her family. Chinese New Year is not much different from Christmas in the ways that we all celebrate by visiting family, eating a lot of food and just hanging out, watching TV, playing games and enjoying time off from work. So we were honored to be invited into her home on the most important night of the holiday.

We arrived at her apartment with Chinese sweets and jars of nuts in hand as gifts (you should see the mounds of nuts/seeds for sale at the stores here this time of year...cashews, pistachios, almonds, watermelon seeds, sunflower seeds...they are a very popular and traditional gift to give and food to offer at your home for Spring Festival). Chen was quick to apologize for the temperature of her house (about the same as outside, only no wind chill :)) and insisted we put on slippers and perhaps keep our coats on. Smells of homecooked Chinese cuisine wafted in from the kitchen and we went in to check it out and offer to help with no avail. There was some arguing over who would sit where and after persisting that Chen and her husband should take the seats of honor at the head of the table, finally we all sat down. Chen does not eat red meat and knew I was vegetarian (or as she puts it..."You...no animal"), so there were plenty of veggie options...tofu, mushrooms with greens, noodles and cabbage, da tou cai (literally "big head vegetable"), green beans, glutinous rice balls, cherries and kumquats...and then there was the meat, oh the meat...fish and egg, chinese chicken soup, dried shrimps, and more.

We sat and ate for a bit before Chen was back in the kitchen, cooking up more dishes and bringing out plate after heaping plate. They came out in courses and just when we thought we could eat no more, an empty dish would be replaced with a new hot treat to try. In the midst of all of the initial eating and cooking, Erich and I noticed Chen's husband and son anxiously looking at their watches and then the TV in the other room. We had heard that at 8pm on New Year's Eve in China, there was a nationwide broadcast that everyone watched. It seemed that our late dinner was about to coincide with the kickoff of the show and they didn't want to offend their guests. So Erich and I asked if it would be okay to move the table into the living room so that we could watch the program. They smiled wide at the suggestion and had the whole feast moved in front of the TV within seconds :) So there we sat for the next 4 hours, watching Chinese entertainment at its best...acrobats, musicals, opera, comedy skits, singers, dance numbers. Most of which was easy enough to understand and enjoy with our low level of Mandarin skills, but Chen's family was happy to translate the especially funny or poignant parts. As the program played, we ate more, drank some homemade family alcohol that was 3 years in the making, laughed, shared stories and cultural curiosities, and shot fireworks out of the window as the rest of the neighborhood was doing.

As the countdown began, we all went to the window and watched as thousands of fireworks were set off around our town. (The same types of fireworks that we set off in the states, only there are no permits or special licenses needed here. They are sold on the streets to children/adults, set off as you walk down the sidewalk and pretty much a part of daily life in China...the multitude of them at this moment was just amazing.) This video is the view from our apartment building at midnight. This fireworks show went on as far as the eye could see...it seemed that every family had purchased 1,000 fireworks and all set them off within a 30 minute time frame. I especially like Line's footage of the morning after...such a peaceful contrast to the night before...haha. Thanks to our friend Line for lending me the link since I only took photos that weren't so great of all the fireworks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE7qRFuqAZg&feature=autoshare

We stuck around for a bit after midnight, toasting to the hosts and to a prosperous New Year and getting invited to celebrations for Chun Jie next year with their family again, before bundling up, shooting off one more set of fireworks, and walking home. It may have been the bitter cold that evening, but our faces were frozen in large smiles as we left to go home...a memorable first Chinese New Year with our growing family here. Xie Xie Chen and Family.

Chun Jie/Spring Festival

It's the middle of winter...I'm seeing snow on Facebook posts, scarves are being knitted at Cup O' Joe, mulled wine is brewing, and the season of long underwear is among us, but in China we are about to celebrate Chun Jie (Spring Festival)...or "Chinese New Year" as the rest of the world seems to call it. The Chinese base their New Year on the Lunar calendar, so it does not correspond to Western New Year and in fact Dec. 31/Jan.1 in China is just like any other day of the year here. Last year, we went to the Philippines for Chun Jie, soErich and I are pretty excited to experience our first Spring Festival in Beilun over the next few weeks.

As with every day we've lived in China, we expect to hear the fireworks going off in celebration. But we've been told that during the days of/before/after Chun Jie that they will be going of at all hours of the night...continuously. It does not surprise me...the Chinese love their fireworks and they are set off to celebrate and "scare away the bad/bring in the good" at all occasions...weddings, openings of stores, births, ground-breaking for construction, birthdays...you name it and if there is reason to celebrate, there will be fireworks. Mostly the HUGE rounds of firecrackers are set in the middle of the road or parking lot and let rip! It still shocks me tosee people and cars zoom by who seem not to notice the gun-shot-like firingoccurring at their side. Maybe we will get some of our own and set off in celebration of the year of the dragon :)

There are somany traditions associated with this holiday, the largest and most celebrated of the Chinese year. We are constantly learning more and more about how the Chinese from different regions celebrate. Mostly, it sounds like Christmas in the States (minus the Christianity). Everyone gets off work and school for 2-4 weeks, they travel to hometowns to be with family, and everyone eats, drinks, watches TV and enjoys each other's company especially for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day (this year on Jan. 22 and 23). There are traditional foods specific to different regions and families. We were given a rice/corn based noodle to cook in a soup on New Year's Day from a Chinese friend...it will bring good health and prosperity. We're planning on having friends and Cup O' Joe staff who couldn't go home/are alone over to our place to make dumplings and some other foods on the 22/23. And I'mhoping to find a recipe or a place to buy "ba bao fan" (eight treasures rice), a sweet rice dessert stuffed with 8 "treasures" like dates, plums, seeds and cherries...one of my favorite Chinese foods, which happens to also be very traditionally eaten this time of year...mmmmm. Looking forward to this Chinese style holiday feasting :)

Today, wehad friends from the local community center come by to wish us "Xin Nin Kuai Le" (Happy New Year) and gave us the traditional "fu" posters and red lanterns to hang on our front door. "Fu", pronounced "foo" (not the disrespectful American "F. U."), means good luck/good fortune. The Chinese hang the fu characters on their door this time of year to bring in good fortune to their household for the New Year. Just in time too...we had taken down our Christmas tree and decorations the week before :)

Beyond the fact that we have another week off of school, I am eager to be out and celebrate Chun Jie with some of our Chinese friends who will be around for the holiday. Video and photos of the celebrations are sure to come!

Back in Time

We've just returned from an amazing trip to Guilin/Yangshuo/Longji, China and I wish I had the time to blog about all of the fun and adventures we had over our 11 days. Highly recommend. We forgot how much we love being outside, exploring and biking/hiking...which we did every day over the holiday. Since Xmas/New Year are not traditional Chinese holidays, and it is the middle of winter, there were little to no tourists and we basically had all of the trails, mountains, rivers, and rice terraces to ourselves. A typical day consisted of being mostly outside and only coming in to eat or sleep...it really made us miss living in a place like Colorado where you can be active and outdoors all year 'round.

We felt like time travelers, in more ways than one. First, since we traveled south, the weather was somewhat warmer (in the 40's-50's) so we experienced some autumn-like weather and scenery. I loved the colors in the leaves falling as we hiked around. It always seems like the fall season comes and goes so quickly wherever we live and that I miss the colors changing. So this was a perfect step back in time to sit back, relax and enjoy the refreshing, crisp fall air and natural beauty.

During our favorite part of the trip we also seemed to travel back in time to days when life was more simple, technology was limited and self-sustainability is key. Upon arriving in the Longji Rice Terraces, we were dropped by the bus at a gate surrounded by 70-something year old ladies in traditional dress, offering to porter your bags through the hillside on their backs. We threw our packs on, politely declined the offer, and viewed another Chinese couple pay one of the ayis ("aunti") to carry their luggage and 3 year old daughter in her bamboo basket. We were told there was no road, only a footpath to get further into the villages among the rice terraces. So we hiked in, up green-ish stones, around enormous rice terraces, through the mist of the winter fog. And 45 minutes later, we reached our village and a place to stay...a wooden guesthouse, kind of built like a reverse rice terrace...smaller on bottom and each floor above getting gradually wider. It was built in a traditional method, using only wooden pegs to join the lumber, no nails or screws in the foundational structure of the building.

We checked in for about $12/night and headed up the creaky stairs to our room, which had large, traditional wooden windows looking out onto the rice terraces...breath-taking. Since peak season is in the warmer months, and everything was pretty traditional here there was no insulation in the building. We found a hole in the wooden wall that had been repaired with a piece of duct tape...all that separated us from the great outdoors :) Needless to say, after some hikes in the now winter-like weather (we had snow flurries and ice one day), it didn't take us long to find the "xiao kou" or small fire/grill in the family's kitchen. So we would sit around the open fire in the corner of their kitchen with the Chinese family that lived there...adding wood, peeling garlic, practicing our Mandarin, and eating...as we dethawed from a hike or passed the evening hours when it was dark and you couldn't go anywhere. This, I think, was my favorite part of the trip. We really felt like a part of their family in that kitchen and they welcomed us as such. We had a taste of real life in the countryside as we shared time with them...and during this time of year, it was lived around the fire...source of heat and food. We saw and appreciated the time and effort of preparing a meal in a place where a 45 minute uphill hike on foot was necessary to get anything from outside of the small village. They picked their dinner from the garden in their backyard and slaughtered the chicken walking around the front door. During the days, clothes were mended and new designs sewn on them...at night, meals cooked and stories told...all around the fire. Erich and I would hike around the countryside all day until our toes or fingers were numb, then knock on a wooden door and ask to come in to a random stranger's home to sit around the fire and warm up...and they were all so happy to share the warmth they could provide along with tea or snacks and broken conversation. The simplicity of it all was alluring to us. Part of me thinks that had we gone here first rather than last on our trip, we might've stayed the whole time there.

Ping An Ye Kuai Le!

"Happy Christmas Eve"! In Mandarin, "apple" is "ping guo" and the translation of Christmas Eve has part of the word "apple" in it..."ping". So what? It has become a tradition in China (mostly for the younger generation) to purchase red apples on Christmas Eve and give them to others as good fortune. I was a little skeptical, but as I entered the local cornerstore the other day, there was a tower of red apples in boxes, shaped like a Christmas tree. I almost bought one,but they were 10 RMB (about $1.50) each, and I can buy a whole bag of them minus the box at the market down the street. So I purchased some red apples (kind of pinkish-yellow really, but Red Delicious apples aren't for consumption in Beilun), and I took them to the Cup O' Joe staff this morning with a hesitant "Ping An Ye Kuai Le". They took them with smiles and Jack explained that a saying in Mandarin about "ping bao" also means protection, so there is also some kind of tradition about sleeping with the apple nearby on Christmas Eve and then eating it on Christmas Day. I smiled and thought, "When in Rome...." so perhaps we will be snuggling up with our apples tonight to reign in protection and good fortune for 2012.

Makes me wonder why we don't have some kind of mixed-up, loosely lost in translation tradition for Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) in the U.S.? The Chinese are much more knowledgeable about International traditions and celebrations than all Americans combined. For example, my Mandarin teacher, Shelley, was giving us a run-down of how to say different festivals/holidays throughout the year. Among those on her list were UN Day, Women's Day, and Children's Day...all Internationally recognized days of honor across the globe. She knew what they were called in English, Chinese and knew the dates they were celebrated from the top of her head. I was ashamed at how little I knew about the important days others' celebrate before I came to China. I have celebrated and learned more about Chinese, Indian, Muslim, British, and German celebrations while here than I ever did in the States. It's been nice to be able to be a part of it all and welcome others to be a part of our celebrations as well.

As I write, I am between cooking pulled pork (yes, Erich did all of the preparation, I am just watching it in the oven), mashed potatoes, brownies, zucchini bread, and green bean casserole for the Holiday Dinner we have planned for the cafe tonight. (Also on the menu, but being cooked at the cafe are: glazed ham, acorn squash, stuffed tomatoes, yeast rolls, wassil (spiced cider) and some other desserts). There are about 20 expats and Chinese locals joining us and contributing a variety of other holiday foods. Most foreign friends left for the holidays, so we have gathered up the remaining few who have to work or just opted to stay in Beilun for a proper holiday celebration with food, drink, music, games and enjoyment of our lives here in China.

We are so fortunate to have spent the past year and a half making friends that we consider family and to be able to spend this holiday season with them. 2011 has been good to us...Erich built a cafe from literally an empty shell of a building and has created a sense of community among the people in Beilun thatwas much needed, I have continued to grow and learn as the art teacher of creative, open-minded international students, and we both look forward to at least another year of adventures in China, as I recently signed a 3rd year contract to teach at AIAN.

I am off to prepare for the festivities...Christmas music and lights to help motivate me (I am my Mother's daughter as much as I sometimes deny it). We will be traveling to Guilin (Southern China) for 10 days to ring in the New Year, so will post again when we return on Jan. 6. Warm wishes of love, life, and happiness wherever your holiday celebrations take you...Ping An Ye Kuai Le (Happy Christmas Eve), Sheng Dan Jie Kuai Le (Merry Christmas), Xin Nian Kuai Le (Happy New Year), and all of the other Happy's/Merry's that you might celebrate this time of year :)

(Below are photos from 2 of our holiday parties from earlier this month...a potluck celebration/holiday trivia at our apartment for the AIAN staff and a holiday staff/customer appreciation dinner provided by Erich and Cup O' Joe.)

Kindergarten Klass

Walking into our apartment for the first time, one may confuse it for a kindergarten classroom. Shoes piled up at the entrance in no order whatsoever, piles of crayons, papers, and paints strewn around the easel and across the tables, one lonely sock peaking out from under the couch, looking for it's mate. Neither Erich or I can claim to be neat, tidy, or organized when it comes to our house, so we apologize in advance to anyone coming to visit. This is why we have an "ayi" here...to be our pseudo-mom and clean up after us when we are too busy or lazy to do it ourselves. As ashamed as we are to admit it, we need help keeping our house in order...some kids never grow up.

Beyond the messes we share with kindergarten living, we have also begun labeling items in our house with the Mandarin words/characters to help us learn the language. Friends come to visit and get a giggle from the labeled drawers of utensils telling you that "cha zi" = fork and the photo on the wall is of our "jia ting" (family). There are drawings of common clothing items with their Chinese names in the kitchen as well as a "family tree" diagram hung on the wall to learn the SUPER-specific names for family members (example: cousins have specific titles, depending on if they are on your mom or dad's side, as well as if they are older or younger than you, and male or female).

But hey, the labeling system works for new language learners in kindergarten, it should work for us too. So far, it's helpful, I just need to remember to look at and read the signs rather than glancing past them to other messes around the rooms :) Any suggestions for learning new langauges is much appreciated. I also take Mandarin classes twice a week with some friends and subscribe to a Mandarin podcast. Erich learns plenty of bad words and lingo from working at the cafe and communicating with his employees. As we anticipate year 3 in China, we are constantly looking for ways to grow and learn in this country we call home.

iNspIRaTioN

inspiration. we all need it...to do what we love and feel a sense of motivation and fulfillment. tonight i was inspired by a music night held at cup o' joe (erich's cafe). you know the feeling you get right after being inspired?...a heightened sense of life, head swimming with possibility,loving the life that has been given to you. that's where i am.

the night was full of spirit and passion...people, young and old, who played instruments and sang...all sharing their talents. students writing their own songs and passing around the guitar, scottish folk singers, christmas carols, violin, chinese melodies, piano symphonies. it was beautiful and wonderful and touched me to see so many people just enjoying life. no one could have been happier anywhere else.

inspired...not to pick up an instrument or sing, but to create something as beautiful and personal in my own way. it's been awhile since i have felt inspired to make my own art...not a teacher example or experiment for class. i need to make my own art. i need to find my voice again. how could it have been so long since i have made MY art? i guess i got lost in other things in life and forgot. how am i teaching art when i'm not even making it myself? it's time to start again and what better place than china where i am in a constant state of awe, inspired by everything that surrounds me? i don't know what i will make but i am inspired to start something. i want my head to swim again.

as my dear friend, and amazingly talented artist, Lauren Austin once told me though, art is hard work. i know that i was fortunate to receive this inspiration tonight, but i cannot just sit around waiting for inspiration to make my own art. i need to make time for art, i need to create even if i am not inspired, i need to find inspiration instead of sitting around and counting on it to fall in my lap. i will start small...but i am starting.

thank you erich for organizing this music night. i know i am not the only one inspired by it. i saw the smiles on faces, the pure joy in the voices singing, the soul in the feet tapping to the beat. this is what inspires us to live life. sometimes we just need a little reminder.

Communal Eating Habits

Eating. It's something we do to survive, to indulge, to cope, to socialize. Never in my life has eating become such an intriguing topic of conversation as it has since I have lived in China. Maybe it's because Erich now owns and runs a cafe/coffee shop, maybe it's because of all the new smells and tastes there are to experience in a new country, or maybe it's because there are so many foods we were used to having easy access to in the States and just can't find here...so when someone does, an entire celebration feast ensues to celebrate said food item. (This last example mostly refers to the Mexican Potlucks that spur up in our building. Cheese, tortillas, avacados, peppers, sour cream...all are rare, but more rare is someone willing to pay the ghastly prices of these items if they are found. Sowhen one ingredient is discovered and purchased, we join forces to come up with creative solutions for the other ingredientsand"voila", Mexican Night.)

Eating is no longer a solo event. We find ourselves making plans around meals. New restaurants pop up on the streets around our apartment like wildfire. So as soon as we see the ceremonial flowers outside of the front doors (indicating opening day), we are typically lined up at the door to try out the new tastes and experiences they have to offer. When we moved here a year and a half ago, our block had one pizza pub and one European eatery, the rest was local cuisine. Now there is Cup O' Joe (American breakfast and sandwiches), a Malaysian restaurant, Korean food, and a Chinese vegetarian place, among other new local places as well. We have probably visited every restaurant within walking distance, found our likes and dislikes, and continue to try out new places as they open. Our taste buds are always cravingnew anddifferent things.

But more than the food, what we go out to eat for is the company and socializing. Most often, we eat with friends from school, along the trail of a newly found hiking/biking trail, with Chinese friends, with staff at Joe's and other people we meet along the way. Entertainment in Beilun is not quite the same as Fort Collins, so if you want to hang out with someone, and you don't want to go to KTV (kareoke), a restaurant is one of the best places to do it. Locals are not too keen on hanging out in their home until you know them really well and bars/pubs just came into the Chinese culture in the 1980-90's, so they're not a hot spot to chill out unless you're only with foreigners. (Most of the Chinese girlfriends I have don't drink at all and if they do, it's a sip of wine and then juice or tea. And the Chinese men we've hung out with are the exact opposite...give them 30 minutes and a bottle of bai jiu and they're good to go!)

Beyond the eating out, I think "potluck' is on the top 10 words that I text these days. As mentioned before, ingredients that are hard to come by are best enjoyed in the company of friends, so we often find ourselves inviting others over to enjoy some chili, home brewed beer, or baked goods. Plus as the weather getscold and walking a distance to eat involves adding 4 layers to your ensemble, staying in and cooking becomes more and more enticing. We potluck with friends on a weekly basis and it has come to be something I look forward to...simply eating and chatting and sharing.

Sometimes we joke that we're living in the 1950's. We take the elevator up two floors and knock to borrow an egg...we skype a friend on the25th floor to see if he has cinnamon...neighbors ring our bell to share 10 oranges they were given among 30 they were just given as a gift from their boss.

Food sharing is a commonality that we encounter daily and although it may seem irrelevant, it seems to be a stark contrast from what I recall in the States. The whole style of "my meal/my plate/my dish" doesn't exist here. You order several plates at a restaurant, they go in the center of the table, and everyone shares. If you run out of something and want more, you order more. There is rarely "ownership" of food...it belongs to everyone and all are welcome to eat. I guess you could say it's communist China at it's best. But I see similar eating habits in our school cafeteria. One of the Japanese students will bring sushi rolls in their lunch and never eats them all...they are passed among friends from all nationalities to share and enjoy. He is not concerned about eating them all, or greedily hiding from everyone else the deliciousness. The favor is returned by other students who fill his bowl with noodles, and pour sweets into his hand. It is this open, generous spirit that I love about China and my school.

To end this random rant on the in's and out's of our Chinese eating habits, I will share my favorite thing about Chinese culture and food: In China, the best gift you can give someone is a box of fruit. They are relished, carried on buses/trains for trips to visit family members, and given to us as a greeting almost. "Hi friend, long time, no see...here, try this fruit. It is delicious. My wife just picked it from a tree this morning." I love it and the fruits I have received here are among the best I have ever eaten. Bon apetite...wherever you are eating in the world today!