Happy New Year! Boom!

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you celebrated with a bang. Here in China, my friends and I certainly did. The day started with students' classroom parties. I attended last year and know that it's quite unlike my idea of party and more of a informal, last-minute concert where all guests must sing solos. I decided to skip that, wisely. Then the school held a big concert for all the teachers, featuring performing teachers that can actually sing. Here our school leaders sing lead vocals to the closing number. 2 hours, no intermission, no English, little understanding. It slowly lost its enjoyability.

However, my own plans with friends made the night. One friend enjoys the flavor of beer, but has only drank Chinese beers. Another few friends had never had a cocktail before, being these were foreign to China until recently. Therefore, we held an international beer and cocktail tasting night. I introduced the flights of beers, describing each and explaining for what to look. Then I taught about mixing cocktails, covering techniques and guidelines. It was great fun to have the chance to introduce friends to something completely new.

The most fun, however, was when the new year arrived and we went out to set off firecrackers. I especially enjoyed it having never set off firecrackers in China before. Firecrackers are such a key part of Chinese celebrations. Birthdays, holidays, weddings, and more are all times that the Chinese will set off fireworks. Having lived here already 1 1/2 years and experiencing many times where I think the city is being bombed because of fireworks rumbling in the distance, I was thrilled that I could take part. Happy new year! Boom.

Later days,
Rick