Happy Chinese New Year!!!

Chinese New year is my favourite holiday. Usually, we’d be at my grandparent’s place feasting and watching the Gala, but due to unfortunate circumstances, that’s not happening this year 😦

So, instead of moping, I thought I’d have some fun. Here are some things I look forward to that may not be so obvious

Commercials- Americans have Super Bowl commercials; China has CNY commercials. These ads are like hallmark commercials on steriods, with some humourous clips thrown in. There’s even a massive uptick in the production value of propaganda! Check out this example

Cherries and Pomelo- Fruit makes me happy. What makes me happier? Eating pounds of it in front of the TV while watching the gala. Pomelos are in season and cherries are in season in Chile, so there’s always a massive bowl of deliciousness that never stays full for long

Early Bedtime- I normally get to bed by 9:40. During CNY, lights out at 8pm. Those extra 2 hours really make a difference! Even better, my bed over there is the most comfortable of any I’ve ever slept in. Sure, it’s basically a foam pad on wooden slats, but that’s what works for me

The Phone- On New years day, the phone rings non-stop from about 9am to 12pm as one former student after another calls to wish my grandparents happy new year (they were professors). Although ringing phones are usually a HUGE pet peeve of mine, it make me very happy that so many people respect my grandparents.

Do you have any unconventional holiday favourites?

I hope everyone has a happy (Chinese) New year! Until next time, Bye!

• Travel