K's blog: January 25, 2009

Clara and I making dumplings with a Korean friend (r)

Today was our Spring Festival party- Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year as it's called outside of China. Today is like New Year's eve, where people if they were at home would go to family members houses, make jao-tse (dumplings) together, and spend time together. It's a day of celebrating, eating good food, and spending time with family. Many Chinese who are from rural areas are on their way home from places like Beijing, some will stand on the train for 24 hours before they reach their destination, because there are not enough seats and the trains are packed full. This year, there are fewer and fewer jobs in China because of the global recession, so many rural workers will be staying home and not returning to the city. That will have a large impact on China's available workforce. The international team at StAG had this party today, and I made the jao-tse filling, and my Chinese friend from the ladies' group brought the dough for the wrappers. It was good fun. :) There were laods of people there, some members of StAG and many not, who came along with friends. There was lots of excellent food, and it was good fun, though tiring. Celebrating important holidays from other countries and cultures is an essential part of the work of an international worker. Holidays that you've never heard of. :) Holidays, food, and family are all important to people across cultures, and that's an important aspect of communicating JC's love for people. Gd loves variety, and the cultures of the world are unique and special, each and every one of them. Some may seem weird to us- when I first began to work with Chinese students at UM I didn't know anything about their culture or their country, and some things seemed strange to me. But over time, as we make friends and share in each other's lives, what used to be strange becomes comfortable, and over even longer time what was comfortable becomes important to us as we accept the aspects of the formerly new culture into our own lives and value them deeply. So if you see a Chinese friend, this week you can say "Xin nian kuai le!" (sheen nee-ahn qwaie luh) Which means happy new year, and conveys the idea of a prosperous and blessed new year. And if you can't remember that, no worries- just wish them a happy new year anyway! This is the year of the Ox, year 4707 in the Chinese calendar. Most Chinese friends use skype to call their families back home- imagine if you were away from home on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day. It can be a lonely time for those who are not married, so a friendly chat is a good way to show that you care.