Chinese New Year

Sam and I got to China just in time to witness the party: Chinese New Year. He stole my thunder and wrote about it before I did, but since I have neglected this blog so shamefully the past several months, I can't really mind much.

New Year is sort of extreme here. People here say it's like Christmas for the U.S., but I've found that to be something of a drastic understatement. Fireworks every night for two weeks, with occasional bursts during the day, is a bit more celebration than we put into Christmas.

That sort of gives the wrong impression, like it's a Fourth of July show every night and all day for two weeks, since it starts gradually. At first it's just intermittent crashes and booms and pops at sporadic times during the day and evening. Most of the time we couldn't see them but could hear them. Fin got to the point where he just slept through it, except for the occasional bark to show his displeasure.

Then New Year's Eve happened--Sunday night.

Oh boy did we see those. And hear them. Sam posted a video he took of the fireworks show our complex did [we think it was our complex, but it's hard to be sure since there's a fireworks stand on every corner in the city], which took place in the courtyard literally right below us. The thirteenth floor is pretty much the best place to watch fireworks, since at that height most of them are eye-level. We have fireworks remnants on our porch from how close the explosions were to us. It was pretty fantastic--like our own personal show. I felt a little guilty I hadn't paid to see it, since it was that spectacular. Left all the Fourth of July shows I've seen way behind. Anyway, that started at 11:30 and went for at least an hour, though by the end we were keeping Fin company in his bunker so I'm not sure when they stopped.

And those weren't all. There were at least two or three shows just as fantastic as ours that we could see, plus some people shooting fireworks off their balconies, plus a whole lot more we could hear but couldn't see. I've never been in a war zone and don't want to trivialize that sort of experience at all, but it literally felt like we were being thoroughly shelled--only it was very pretty to watch.

As I said, Fin was ok with the fireworks prior to and since Sunday [yes, people are still doing fireworks and, though the scale is not quite as great, the ones we've seen still go on for some duration and are very impressive], but he met his Waterloo on Sunday night--particularly with the fireworks show our apartments did. I think it was a combination of what must be deafening noise for him as well as bright colors quite literally close enough to touch. He had a little breakdown, poor guy. It started with him being in the room with us while we watched, barking, and degenerated to whimpering and whining and ended with him in the bathroom across the hall, whimpering and breathing heavily. He started off with just the bathroom but eventually fled to the shower, which I guess was about as cave-like a place as he could find. I christened it his bunker.

Once Sam and I were done with the show--and it went on a good half hour or so after we were--we joined Fin in the bathroom and shut the door. Having the door shut helped a lot to calm him down, so he wasn't whimpering or panting any more. And then, heartless owners that we are, we saw his confined to a small space as an opportunity to brush him without him being able to squirm away. Which we did. Mercilessly.

Eventually the really close fireworks show ended, though we could still hear a lot going on elsewhere, and we went to bed. Fin was very leery of going back into the bedroom and determined to keep watch on the fireworks while we slept to ease his mind. Apparently.

He's resting his head on a small ledge and is out cold.

But are fireworks the be-all-end-all of New Year? No, indeed. It is apparently traditional to have chicken for the New Year's meal (I think?), so about a week prior to the great celebration we could hear roosters crowing both in the early morning and throughout the day. I think people kept them on their porch prior to mealtime. And a few must have been spared, the-president-pardoning-a-turkey-on-Thanksgiving style, because we can still hear them cock-a-doodle-doing every so often.

Also, the decorations are breathtaking. Red lanterns, Chinese dragons, rabbits, etc. We haven't really taken many pictures since getting here, so I guess you'll just have to imagine them. And  you spend New Year's with your family, and a lot of people's families are out in the country, so the city was dead on Sunday and Monday, and relatively quite Saturday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. There was no traffic, taxis were practically racing to get to you first, and the stores were quiet. Huge transformation.

I guess I can sum it up by saying that next year we'll be taking some vacation time elsewhere.

We're not in [fill in the blank] anymore.

For all of you in the States, I would like to point out that what you're reading right now is from the future. You may think it's Thursday night, but I'm writing this from Friday afternoon. How's that for mind blowing? Sam and I are not only globe trotters [though I don't recall any trotting specifically to get here] but time travelers. I'll sign autographs on request.

We have been in China approximately two and a half weeks, two of which were spent getting over jet lag. It's no joke to wake up at 4:00am ready to start the day or be ready for bed at about 6:00pm. It's like my first trimester all over again--the 6:00pm going-to-bed part, anyway; certainly not the ready-to-start-the-day at any time whatsoever part. And, not even kidding, I think there have been fireworks of some kind at some point of the day and evening for the last two weeks. The Chinese idea of celebration has made me slightly ashamed of our own in America. Why resign yourself to only one day to celebrate important things when you can stretch it out to two or three weeks? I'm thinking Thanksgiving in particular could really benefit from that mentality.

So, China. I thought it might be entertaining to write down some of my first impressions, though I really ought to have done it two weeks ago when they were really fresh. I think I've lost some of my shell-shocked reaction as I've gotten used to things.

Driving

Driving is an art here, with no particular rules or expectations. We won't get our car until sometime in March, which I think is a good thing. I don't think we would be brave enough to try driving on our own until then, anyway.

• Taxis. As we currently have no car of our own, we are at the mercy of taxis to get around (unless a friend very graciously offers to drive us home or pick us up, naturally). I think there are about a million taxis here. That seems like a big number until you realize there are 14 million people in the city, and almost every single one of them is willing to shell out for a taxi when it's cold outside (which has been nearly every day we've been here). This adds to the excitement of going anywhere. Additional excitement can be found in telling the taxi driver where you want to go in your best Chinese and having him look at you blankly, obviously understanding nothing of what you said. All part of the adventure.
• Bicycles and scooters. You may have heard that bicycling traffic in China is high. I feel like any rumors you've heard are grossly understated. Whereas in America bikes are largely at the mercy of drivers, the opposite appears to be true here. If a few hundred bikes are determined to go across the intersection even though you have a green light, who are you to say no? I remember the first time being outside during the day and being overwhelmed at the sheer number of bikes and scooters and how the cars really had no choice but the bow to their will. It's phenomenal.
•  Variation. As far as traffic in the road goes, as long as it has wheels, it's legit on the road. This includes cars, bikes, scooters, rickshaws, wheelchairs, etc. The large roads through the city have wide bike lanes, protected by metal barriers, which are equally anything goes. If you're cycling east but on the westbound side of the road, no matter--just hop in the closest bike lane and be careful not to crash into oncoming traffic. They also double as turning lanes for cars, usually taxis, even if the turn isn't for another half mile or so. And if you're tired of the segregation of the bike lane, feel free to join normal traffic. This applies to all wheeled modes of transportation, as listed previously.
• Pedestrians. Where in America, pedestrians look before crossing the street, this is something of a hazard in China. If you, as the pedestrian, make eye contact with the driver, you are giving him permission to go, rather than the other way around. Therefore crossing the street requires a bit of out-of-the-corner-of-your-eye watching to make sure you're not going to be hit but otherwise a blustering show of fearlessness as you step into traffic. Also, crosswalks are optional. If you want to cross diagonally, go for it. Cars will, for the most part, stop for you. If only one side of the street is clear, cross it and wait on the double yellow lines for the other side to be clear. Certainly no one's going to stop for you, so you take your journeying in your own hands and be forceful about it. Talk about self-empowerment.
• Rules. Driving rules are more like guidelines, or perhaps the tools of lesser mortals. Red lights are optional. If you see a gap, especially if you are a taxi, you take it. Cutting others off is a matter of course and nothing to get upset about. Merging requires only an inch of space between cars, and even the inch is not required. Distinguished lanes are also optional. You can be in the right lane, the left lane, between the two, the bike lane, or even the oncoming traffic lane, and it's all perfectly legit. The only hard-and-fast rule seems to be "Don't get hit and don't hit anyone." As long as you follow that, most things seem perfectly appropriate.
• Honking. As you might imagine, there is quite a bit of honking that goes on. However, it has a rather different feel to it. Where people in the States honk to show their displeasure, in China it's a matter of courtesy. A "hey I'm coming up behind you and am about to cut you off" or a "I'm flying past this entrance, make sure you look before merging" or "you're stopped in the middle of the street and I'm going around you" or "hey cyclist, I'm turning right and will be close enough to clip you, so be aware." Honking, I believe, takes the place of traditional driving rules in trying to ensure public safety. And it's always a little honk--a "hello, I'm here, please watch out" sort of honk--rather than the lay-it-on-you-there's-no-way-you-can-miss-that-I'm-put-out sort of honk Americans seem to prefer. As I'm not even sure where the horn is on our car, I foresee difficulties in driving should I ever feel so brave.

All right, this is getting long. I guess I'll split things up so this doesn't end up being a book all by itself. I'm pretty sure there was more I planned to write about driving, but it's gone now. Luckily we're here for two years, so there's a chance I'll have more to say about it later.

New Beginnings And Grand Adventures

We've moved to China. We're pretty excited about it and settling into our new home. Today is Chinese New Year's Day. Last night was New Year's Eve. The Chinese invented fireworks, so you can bet they do it right. :)

Here is a little bit about the Chinese New Year this year, which is the year of the dragon. I got this from my second-cousin's blog, who is also living in China right now:

The Year of the Dragon starts on January 23rd this year 2012.

The Chinese dragons are described as supernatural creatures that can control water-related weather phenomena such as rainfall, hurricanes, and floods. There many such descriptions in Chinese myth and folklore. Thus in old times during drought and flooding, it was customary for Chinese to go to temples dedicated to the 'Dragon King' to offer sacrifices or to pray for rain, or the cessation of it.

In China today, dragons have become an auspicious symbol signifying success and happiness.

A Chinese dragon is typically a combination of 9 different animals. For example, the horns of a stag, the claws of an eagle, and the 117 scales that cover the body are that of the carp. Chinese dragons are invariably accompanied by thunder, rain, cloud, or water in the paintings, drawings, or displays.

The dragon is the fifth sign of the Chinese Zodiac and represents luck. The year of the dragon comes every 12 years and is most welcomed by the Chinese people. According to Feng Shui masters the year 2012 will be the year of the water dragon. The element of water represents wealth in Feng Shui. Therefore it is really good news for people who have encountered financial difficulties during the last few years. It takes a cycle of 60 years for the next Water Dragon Year to come again. It is truly a year to cherish, and we should all make the most of it.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year the family gets together to celebrate the holiday just like Americans would gather together for Thanksgiving or Christmas. The reunion dinner or Nian ye fan will include some traditional foods, hanging red symbols on doors and windows, and lighting of fireworks to scare away evil.

The Fu character is pasted on the front door of homes around China for the Chinese New Year. The Fu character means happiness, and you want your year to be full of happiness so you put it on your door to keep happiness in and any bad luck out. With many of the holiday celebrations in China, similar sounds will dictate what you eat or give to help symbolize the meaning of the holiday. TouFu in America or DouFu here in China has the same Fu sound as the happiness so they will eat DouFu to symbolize happiness.

Niángāo is a new year cake made from steamed glutinous rice; Nian is the word for year and gao is the word for cake, or the word can mean high/above average. Eating Niángāo symbolizes a better year than the past years.

Yú is the word for fish, which has the same sound as Yú, which means to have surplus/extra. The Chinese will have fish at their dinner to acknowledge the surplus they have at the close of the year and the surplus they hope to have in the next year.

Jiǎozi or dumplings are shaped like ancient gold ingots. The Jiǎozi are usually eaten around 11:00pm on Lunar Eve. Sometimes families will put a coin in one of the Jiǎozi and the person that gets that one will have a very fortunate year.

Before dinner the family will light Biān Pào; these are strings of loud fireworks to scare away the evil ghosts. At the turn of the New Year the family will light Yānhuā or the flower fireworks like the ones we are used to seeing in America to start the Spring Festival.

So Holly and I are celebrating the new year right now. We're pretty excited about it since our baby will be a dragon baby. Which is pretty much the coolest thing ever.

In which I tell the future and don't even know it

So I've spent the day going through my email and clearing out the messages and chats and things I don't want cluttering things up, and I came across this bit of fortune telling. It was just after Sam was offered his job last December, and we were telling friends the good news. As we are preparing right now to leave for China, my last comment struck me as particularly prophetic.

me: so . . .

Sam got an offer yesterday.

friend: OOOOH

and?

me: chances are high that we'll accept :)

we're getting pretty excited about it.

and . . . we're again thinking puppy thoughts, haha

friend: haha, perhaps moving in March AND a puppy

you are so daring

me: I know, right?

all we need is to throw a baby in the mix and we'll be nice and overwhelmed.

Overwhelmed indeed, though Fin isn't quite a puppy anymore.

And speaking of Fin, here's a cute picture of him to end things with: