Chinese New Year is quite a holiday. We had no idea what to expect, but when we went to the Auchen grocery store the day before New Year's Eve, we were blown away by all the people a
nd all of the buying. Americans shopping on the day after Thanksgiving look like novices out for a Sunday stroll in a museum compared to what we witnessed. The girls were still at school so Larry and I decided to grab some essentials before Mr. Liu left to go to his hometown. Good thing as I would have feared for their safety. It's one of the few times it's felt like a country of 1.3 billion people. All 110 check out lanes were open and had at least 20 people in line. We grabbed a basket each thinking it might be easier to manage than a cart. What we realized in hindsight was that folks were using their carts as buffers or bulldozers, which ever need fit. My ankles are still recovering from the many "bumps". Carts were piled high with bai jio (very strong wine), candy and gifts. Everyone was in good spirits and in a hurry. We came to a quick conclusion those essentials we thought we needed weren't that essential after all. We grabbed some milk and got the heck out of Dodge.
nd all of the buying. Americans shopping on the day after Thanksgiving look like novices out for a Sunday stroll in a museum compared to what we witnessed. The girls were still at school so Larry and I decided to grab some essentials before Mr. Liu left to go to his hometown. Good thing as I would have feared for their safety. It's one of the few times it's felt like a country of 1.3 billion people. All 110 check out lanes were open and had at least 20 people in line. We grabbed a basket each thinking it might be easier to manage than a cart. What we realized in hindsight was that folks were using their carts as buffers or bulldozers, which ever need fit. My ankles are still recovering from the many "bumps". Carts were piled high with bai jio (very strong wine), candy and gifts. Everyone was in good spirits and in a hurry. We came to a quick conclusion those essentials we thought we needed weren't that essential after all. We grabbed some milk and got the heck out of Dodge.New Years Eve was spent with the Kresky's and Gill's (Sulzer folks). Wendy cooked some wonderful traditionl dishes including dumplings. She even showed me how to make them. She was very patient as I attempted to fold over the dough. I stopped after one or we'd still be there.
The fireworks had already started throughout the city and when we left their apartment to find a taxi, the sky was lit up with color. We watched from all the windows in our house as our neighbors exploded box after box after box of TnT. Firecrackers packs twenty feet in length popped all around. Sparklers and rainbow whirleys and so many others with names I cannot either remember or pronounce entertained us and then annoyed us. It was after 2am before I finally succombed to sleep, lulled by far away thunderous booms.
The fireworks had already started throughout the city and when we left their apartment to find a taxi, the sky was lit up with color. We watched from all the windows in our house as our neighbors exploded box after box after box of TnT. Firecrackers packs twenty feet in length popped all around. Sparklers and rainbow whirleys and so many others with names I cannot either remember or pronounce entertained us and then annoyed us. It was after 2am before I finally succombed to sleep, lulled by far away thunderous booms. We awoke to a blanket of snow and more thunderous booms. Fireworks aren't just for nighttime, they work extremely well as alarm clocks. The girls and Larry were dressed and outside by
7:30am. They built snowmen, had snowball fights with the guards, took a walk by the canal and enjoyed the wintery white stuff, while I enjoyed their enjoyment from the comfort of our family room. I'm pretty sure I stopped liking snow when I moved to South Carolina and was seduced by the balmy winter months. We thought about travelling to a tropical location, like Thailand or Vietnam. We decided we'd hold off as Larry's been travelling so much. We all just wanted to be "home" together.
7:30am. They built snowmen, had snowball fights with the guards, took a walk by the canal and enjoyed the wintery white stuff, while I enjoyed their enjoyment from the comfort of our family room. I'm pretty sure I stopped liking snow when I moved to South Carolina and was seduced by the balmy winter months. We thought about travelling to a tropical location, like Thailand or Vietnam. We decided we'd hold off as Larry's been travelling so much. We all just wanted to be "home" together. We explored different parts of the city and visited some favorite 
places. We found a DVD store and stocked up on the latest theatrical releases. That's one of few times the girls actually don't hear "no" from me when they ask for something. I mean, really, how can I refuse them a 5RMB movie. We walked out of the store with 20 DVDs, most new releases, for less than it would have cost for two DVDs in the States. One of our favorite restaurants opened a store in Times Square. It's the Japanese-owned Italian restaurant that has free refills. Free refills hasn't caught on just yet, but we're hoping if the girls ask enough times at the different places we go, it might just happen.Three days after New Year's Day, the 
fireworks barrage hit a new level. Larry said it felt like we were living in a war zone. The debris from the explosions rained down everywhere. I was standing on our back steps watching the dazzling displays when I was sprayed with powdery residue. Our next door neighbor had a minor mishap when his box of rockets tipped over and shot down the street. A couple rockets lit up the underbelly of anothern neighbor's BMW. I watched in horror, just waiting for the luxury sedan to burst into flames. Thankfully, the flames sputtered out and our neighbors ran inside. These rockets aren't like the little 
bottle rockets, these things revurberate and shake the foundation of the homes. Mr. Liu left a half dozen for us, so when I was pretty sure some of our neighbors were asleep, we lit those suckers. Well, the effect wasn't what I hoped, in fact, just the opposite. Come to find out, fireworks competing is part of the fun. Just wait until next year. I am starting to understand the importance and excitement surrouding the holiday. It also explains why for many it's the only holiday celebrated. It takes an entire year to recover.
places. We found a DVD store and stocked up on the latest theatrical releases. That's one of few times the girls actually don't hear "no" from me when they ask for something. I mean, really, how can I refuse them a 5RMB movie. We walked out of the store with 20 DVDs, most new releases, for less than it would have cost for two DVDs in the States. One of our favorite restaurants opened a store in Times Square. It's the Japanese-owned Italian restaurant that has free refills. Free refills hasn't caught on just yet, but we're hoping if the girls ask enough times at the different places we go, it might just happen.Three days after New Year's Day, the 
fireworks barrage hit a new level. Larry said it felt like we were living in a war zone. The debris from the explosions rained down everywhere. I was standing on our back steps watching the dazzling displays when I was sprayed with powdery residue. Our next door neighbor had a minor mishap when his box of rockets tipped over and shot down the street. A couple rockets lit up the underbelly of anothern neighbor's BMW. I watched in horror, just waiting for the luxury sedan to burst into flames. Thankfully, the flames sputtered out and our neighbors ran inside. These rockets aren't like the little 
bottle rockets, these things revurberate and shake the foundation of the homes. Mr. Liu left a half dozen for us, so when I was pretty sure some of our neighbors were asleep, we lit those suckers. Well, the effect wasn't what I hoped, in fact, just the opposite. Come to find out, fireworks competing is part of the fun. Just wait until next year. I am starting to understand the importance and excitement surrouding the holiday. It also explains why for many it's the only holiday celebrated. It takes an entire year to recover.
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