Happy New Year (1-5-2015)

New Year’s Day was a three-day holiday—Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with Friday’s make- up classes on Sunday. On Wednesday, Michelle called to let me—also Hannah, Kasey and Dale—know that Mr. Jiang, the new deputy president, would take us somewhere for New Year’s Day. Paul, Sean, and Ian were also invited but were spending the holiday in Chengdu. I had been looking forward to a quiet day at home after three days of final exams, but such is life. Kasey and Dale felt the same way. And I knew that Hannah had Carol visiting and would have planned to spend the day with her. But I also knew that it would be fine once we got going. And it was.

When we met, Mr. Huang and his friend Luke were also in the group. Since there was room in the cars and it was a fun day, Carol was also invited to join us. The destination was Luodai, an ancient town I had already visited but the others hadn’t. 

As we approached the entrance to the tourist street, a man thrust a baby monkey onto my arm. Soon several people were taking photos. The monkey was happy enough as long as the man kept feeding him bits of fruit. When Mr. Huang arrived after parking his car, he asked me “How much?” I told him the man had just thrust the monkey onto my arm. I hadn’t processed that he wanted money. Mr. Huang took care of that by offering a small amount. The man wasn’t happy with that, but Mr. Huang spoke firmly, I think explaining that I hadn’t asked for the monkey. It was cute, though.

When we got to the main street, unsurprisingly since it was a holiday, it was already packed. There was no leisurely walking down the street, as we had to be constantly watching what was going on with people around us. 

Shortly after arriving, we stopped at a place known for special noodles. Hannah explained that these are called “sad noodles” but didn’t know why. We had four kinds of noodles and a leafy vegetable. Three of the noodles dishes were cold. Most were a bit spicy for me, but it was fun to try them. As we walked down the street after lunch, Mr. Huang bought a few snacks for us to try. When we were looking at hanging cooked geese, he bought one for us to try. It was quite tasty.

Next we went to a special farm area known for fresh food, including “wild” chicken and other meats. I think the proper description was “farm-raised” or perhaps “organic” as the animals were in pens; so they weren’t wild or free-range. There we had chicken hot pot cooked with fire. The pot was set into a brick stand that had a fire to cook the dish. The chicken was good, but it was all on bones—too many small bones with not much meat on them for my taste—and was challenging to eat. The water it was cooked in was a little spicy for me. But most of the others enjoyed it and it was fun to try something new.

After eating, we walked around the farm area for that restaurant and saw chickens, ducks, deer, goats, and pigs. Green, leafy vegetables are grown between the trees. 

On the way out, we passed a flower market. We’d seen people buying and carrying branches with yellow flowers along the road, and there was a woman selling them beside the street. Mr. Huang bought a few bunches and gave one each to Dale and me since we were in his car. Luke explained that they are Chinese flowering plums (not for fruit) that are a symbol for strength and endurance because they bloom in the winter. They have a lovely scent and can be used to make tea.

Last Sunday I met Xiaoyu, my former Peace Corps program manager and now friend, for lunch in Chengdu. We met at the Shangri La Hotel because it is near his home and he knew it had a nice dim sum buffet lunch. He was correct. We were given a list of items and could check as many as we wanted, as all are included in the price. Needless to say, we ate very well. 

The hotel has several huge Christmas trees. When we were talking about the trees in the city, Xiaoyu said that there were fewer than in previous years. Interesting. We have always gotten along well, and it was nice to meet and talk with him as a friend outside the office.

Afterwards I returned to the area near IFS/Chunxi Road to visit the monastery in the area. It’s in the process of being reconstructed; so there’s a lot of construction going on. But it’s still a quiet respite from the busy shopping streets. One of its highlights is a tall, ebony statue.

On my way out of the area, I came across Santa riding along advertising something. He lives on in China well past Christmas. Students thought he was for New Year’s, as they tend to merge Christmas and New Year’s, and I remember last year seeing Santa images and Christmas trees until the Chinese New Year, which isn’t until mid-February this year. 

He is also featured on panels advertising the students New Year’s shows. I’ll be out of the country and won’t be able to observe if Christmas decorations continue as New Year’s decorations again, but I’m guessing that they will. 

The new Chinese year is a Year of the Sheep/Ram. Symbols are already appearing.

Final exams are over. Last Monday I gave oral exams to half of three classes for 7.5 hours straight. I had a short break planned between two classes, but the first one took longer than I’d planned and the next class arrived early. Tuesday I had exams for seven hours, but I had a break for an hour and a half, which I really appreciated. Wednesday I had exams for only two hours. Sunday I finished the last three classes for a total of 7.5 more hours with a lunch break. I had learned from last year’s experience to take hot tea. Usually, I was OK with the rooms for about an hour. Then it was time to put on the hat and a glove. My scarf was good for warmth and to wrap the ungloved right hand while students talked. I was glad I had my warm boots and tights. I was ready this year.