Well, the school where I live is closed from now until February 24th. While American students may not envy the long days of study of their Chinese counter parts, they definitely must envy a month long vacation in February.
The country basically goes on holiday for most of February. Some workers only have one week off work. I am fortunate that I have two full weeks off. I plan on traveling to visit my Chinese handler at his home in a village near Hufei in Anhui province. As I posted previously, his mother is supposed to be a good cook. This travel plan is dependent upon getting one of the difficult to obtain train tickets. It is only a two hour ride via high speed train, but there is no telling whether I can buy a ticket.
Because everyone in this country of a couple billion people goes on holiday at the same time, it tends to clog up the routes of mass transport. Fortunately, you can only buy a ticket 10 days in advance, so I have some hope I might get a ticket.
I also might just go fly there.
After I get back from Anhui, I am invited to another teachers family home for a few days. I think I am going to someone's wedding, but I never know what the plan is until it is just about completed. That is pretty much the Chinese way of things. Who needs to prepare when you can go and do it.
For the Lunar New Year, people will hang hand painted calligraphy on both sides of their doors. These banners contain ancient confucian pronouncements about the importance of learning and how learning how to write and read well makes one a better person.
People will also hang a picture of an ancient Chinese general on their door to scare away ghosts. The general will snap the necks of any hungry ghosts who try to come mooch off the living. That is how it has been described to me.
Chinese new year is traditionally a 15 day holiday that starts on the day of the lunar new year and ends with the red lantern festival.
I hope it will be a good time.
Below are pictures of a calligrapher painting some banners at a school where I work. He is the parent of one of the other teachers.
The country basically goes on holiday for most of February. Some workers only have one week off work. I am fortunate that I have two full weeks off. I plan on traveling to visit my Chinese handler at his home in a village near Hufei in Anhui province. As I posted previously, his mother is supposed to be a good cook. This travel plan is dependent upon getting one of the difficult to obtain train tickets. It is only a two hour ride via high speed train, but there is no telling whether I can buy a ticket.
Because everyone in this country of a couple billion people goes on holiday at the same time, it tends to clog up the routes of mass transport. Fortunately, you can only buy a ticket 10 days in advance, so I have some hope I might get a ticket.
I also might just go fly there.
After I get back from Anhui, I am invited to another teachers family home for a few days. I think I am going to someone's wedding, but I never know what the plan is until it is just about completed. That is pretty much the Chinese way of things. Who needs to prepare when you can go and do it.
For the Lunar New Year, people will hang hand painted calligraphy on both sides of their doors. These banners contain ancient confucian pronouncements about the importance of learning and how learning how to write and read well makes one a better person.
People will also hang a picture of an ancient Chinese general on their door to scare away ghosts. The general will snap the necks of any hungry ghosts who try to come mooch off the living. That is how it has been described to me.
Chinese new year is traditionally a 15 day holiday that starts on the day of the lunar new year and ends with the red lantern festival.
I hope it will be a good time.
Below are pictures of a calligrapher painting some banners at a school where I work. He is the parent of one of the other teachers.
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