“We are called the nation of inventors. And we are. We could still claim that title and wear its loftiest honors if we had stopped with the first thing we ever invented, which was human liberty.”
~ Mark Twain
Lafayette, we have arrived! Once again on American shores, we celebrated this 4th of July at the all-American “Mark Twain Days” festival in Hannibal, Missouri. Surely you’re familiar with the famous mid-western author?
Hannibal is his hometown, and they have hosted the Mark Twain Days for as long as I (Olivia) can remember. Frog-Jumping Contests, Fence-Painting Contests, Art and Craft Fairs, Races, Parades, Mud-Volleyball, Tom and Becky competitions — it’s great fun for everyone! If you’re looking for a bit of traditional American culture, this is it!
Mmmm.Mmmm. Good!
😛
June 20th was the Dragon Boat Festival (aka Duanwu Festival), celebrated by families and festivals all over China every year with delicious food, boat races, and fun times.
According to Jerry, the high school student I was tutoring, the Festival originated many centuries ago. All those many years ago, a greatly beloved leader of China (he said king; another student said it was a famous poet/advisor instead) was forced to watch as the enemies overwhelmed his people. Heart-broken at the loss and devastated by the tragic future his people were facing, he cast himself into the river. The people on the shore saw as he fell into the water and raced out on their dragon-shaped boats to save him. Unfortunately, they could not locate his body, so they threw out special rice cakes as an offering and means of remembering his sacrifice.
To this day, they honor this great leader by hosting dragon boat races and eating Zongzi (Zohng zuh)~ sticky rice balls made of a special type of rice and either fruits or meat- date filled Zongzi are the most popular here in Zhengzhou.
The video below isn’t mine, but it shows what the festival looks like!
Another student says that they also have a tradition with hand-made bracelets – boys wear them on one hand (I think the right); girls wear them on the other. Then on the festival, they thrown them into the river to cast off bad luck. I tried the bracelet thing and ate my Zonzi, so this year should be pretty good! 🙂
This past weekend was Homecoming for the Students at SIAS, so the Freshman and Sophomores help design floats for their different departments and schools. This was one of the floats – the lily started closed, then slowly opened as the young girl danced up out of it in the traditional flowing sleeves dance. Very beautiful!
I have yet to see a day where Balloons on a Blue Sky don’t make me a little bit more cheerful!
judged the Student run Sias Oral English competition last night. Students were judged on Presentation, talent ( piano, guitar, theatre!), and answering questions. They did great!
Follow up on part one of my Luoyang visit! You can see my post about the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, another beautiful site to see in the area 🙂
Did you know that for a long time the Peony was actually China’s official national flower? And it started right here in Luoyang, where the Peony was the flower of kings and noblemen. Now, there are many types of Peonies grown in the gardens of Luoyang, and those gardens are opened up to visitors during the annual Peony Festival!
Every year from the middle of April until the middle of May, the Peonies bloom and visitors from around the world come to check them out. The festival itself is during the peak time, usually April 15-25, when the flowers are at their most stunning.
There are many, many Peony gardens you can see, for example the Luoyang National Peony Garden (it was too busy so our tour bus couldn’t reach it; we checked out another garden) is said to be the very best. But there are many others you can see, like the one we visited. It was much smaller, but still breathtaking! You can check out China Highlight’s post for a list of options and prices!
You can reach Luoyang via Train (approximately 4 hours from Beijing and 8 hours from Shanghai) or by Flight, and the price to the gardens isn’t too bad. There are lots of hotels and restaurants to check out, and many other sightseeing activities for your family 🙂
Birthday party with a friend, playing pool with mom and friends, hiking all over the woods with other friends, celebrating sunrise service. Best Life Ever!
Spring is arriving in Xinzheng! I went for a walk in the river park with some friends yesterday. We were hunting for fishies and we caught some! Harry was out in the middle of one of the koi ponds balancing on the pots, it’s a miracle we didn’t end up with a soaked, stinky Harry 🙂 the trees were flowering, the weÖather was lovely, what a great day!
“She was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no city” ~ Roman Payne
Language Translation
Deceptively Blonde 