Weddings, Dumplings, and New Years!

Exactly one month from today I will be boarding a plane back to the United States of America - a thought that seems surreal to me.  It will be difficult to leave my life here and the friends I’ve made, but it will also be delightful to return to home sweet home (where it is on average a good 40 degrees warmer). 

This past month was full of many adventures and good memories.  I have chosen just a select few to share with you.  Enjoy.

The whole city of Xiangyang was decorated in signs like these for Chinese New Year.   It was really beautiful, especially at night.  New Year is the most important holiday in China because it is not only when the Chinese people celebrate the start of a new year, but also when all Chinese people celebrate their birthdays!  It truly is a very special day.

A friend of mine and her family invited me to go with them to a wedding!  Having been to a wedding while I was in Morocco, I knew that wedding customs vary greatly between cultures and I was ready for anything.  It turned out to be just one huge (and I mean huge – more than 1,000 people) banquet.  The food was delicious and I got to meet some important people, since my friend’s mom is a high-ranking police officer.

The groom and his beautiful bride

The highlight of my January was the week and a half that I got off from work!  I took advantage of that and travelled down to visit a friend in Hong Kong (a blog post and pictures to come).  Before leaving Xiangyang, however, we had an Aston New Years’ Celebration Dinner.  All the teachers, managers, front desk attendants, and everyone else came together to enjoy a wonderful meal and some good wine.  The owner of the school was generous and took us to the most expensive restaurant in Xiangyang!  The word of the evening was “swanky”.  Here are a few pictures from that night.

My roommate  - Katherine, one of the Chinese teachers - Ivy, and myself

The Chinese manager at Aston - Nancy and myself

Some of my other coworkers and myself

The day before my flight south, Xiangyang had its first snow of the year!  It was picturesque and enjoyable at first.  Then, it turned into a real storm that shut down our little airport and kept me grounded.  My wonderful friends, the Jiu’s, who were originally going to drive me to the airport, invited me to spend the night in the apartment.  I did just that and had a great time!  Before they drove me to the airport in the morning, they insisted that Tracy (my friend) and I get up early and make dumplings.  It was fun and they were delicious, but I love this picture of us – it shows how tired we were!

Snow!

There will be a post (coming soon) regarding my adventures in Hong Kong!  So keep your eyes out for that.  But for now, Xin Nian Kuai le (Happy New Year)!  This year of the dragon promises to be a lucky one!