This was right in front of me at a clothing store. At First, I thought it was a #flower. . . ‘Oh, cute’. Then realized. . . . no those are panties. This is a statue of looking up a woman’s skirt. Exactly what the kids and teenagers walking around need to see in life! It wasn’t even an underwear store!!!
Hot (่พฃ – la4) and Spicy Red Pepper #Snickers Bars ๐ณ๐ฑ๐จ๐ญ๐๐. . . . . There’s something just evil in that. It’s wrong. Dark-side esque Destroying the fine reputation of a delicious treat๐ซ. A sacrilege of the great ambrosia beloved by the gods. A travesty to #chocolate!!!
Chinese Spring Festival๐ . . . when all of China turns into gryffindor ๐ฆ house and red and gold colors ๐จ๐ณ rule.
I think Walmart might be secretly connected to Chinese hogwarts. Walk inside and its gryffindor pride
everywhere.
*Personally, I’m a slytherin – which fits, since my Chinese zodiac Animal is the snake ๐
When temperatures hit -32C (about -25F), the inside of my pantry window turns into #art!
No, but seriously, I have about an inch of #ice INSIDE my window. My refrigerator pantry turned into a walk-in freezer. All my #fruit froze ๐ญโ๏ธ
Did you eat your porridge yet?!?
Today (January 24)ย is the Laba Festival (ย ่ ๅ ซ) or Rice Porridge Festival in China!ย On the Chinese lunar calendar, La is the 12th month of the year, and ba represents the 8th day of that month.ย So basically Laba means 12th month, 8th day.ย And that day is today!!!ย ย
The Laba Festival (like so many Chinese festivals) is mostly famous as a food holiday, one where the Chinese cook and eat delicious foods like the Dumplings of the Ghost Festival, the Moon Cakes of the Moon Festival, etc.ย On the Laba Festival, people make different kinds of rice porridge filled with beans, nuts, dried fruit, etc.ย ย
The next Laba will fall onย January 13, 2019.
According to the old stories, the Laba Festival was traditionally a day of offering sacrifices to the ancestors in honor of celebrating the harvest season.ย I’m not really sure if this was the “upcoming planting for later harvest” festival or a “after the end of winter wheat harvest” festival, none of my students seemed to know either.ย However, we do know that in the old days, the word for ‘sacrificing to the ancestors’ was ‘La’ and it happened on the La month (January-ish).ย ย
Sometime during the Southern and Northern Dynasties (1st century AD) the festival was finally fixed to the 8th day of the La month.ย ย The myths say that the number 8 “Ba” was chosen because it was on that day (La Ba – 8th day of La month) that Sakyamuni (Gautama Buddha), an Indian prince, was able to finally achieve enlightenment and rise as a Buddha. Sakyamuni was the son of an emperor from northern India who grew sad when he saw his people’s suffering.ย He eventually abandoned the throne and chose to seek Buddhist enlightenment.ย One day, starving and tired, a young shepherd girl offered him porridge made of rice, giving him strength to continue on his way.ย A few years later, he attained enlightenment on the 8th day of the 12th month.ย In honor of his suffering and success, people began offering rice porridge to the Buddha every year on that day.ย ย
Over time, the harvest festival and the Buddhist festival came together in one big celebration.ย
Here in Dongbei (Northeast China), my students are all wishing each other Laba Day greetings and reminding each other to eat porridge.ย The porridge they are talking about is sometimes called Laba Congee instead.ย There are different variations; for example, some have lotus seeds and others have peas,ย fruit or nuts in it.ย Some have all kinds of stuff mixed together.ย Apparently some areas of China have meat or tofu in it, and some vegetables, because my friend posted a picture of that kind.ย ย
Because it is the 8th day, the Chinese like to add in 8 ingredients to make the porridge (I love China and their love of numbers).ย ย So they boil it like normal porridge, with maybe some extra sugar to sweeten it. It takes several hours to make, especially the beans which have to soak.ย ย
The first bowl is offered to the ancestors (for those who still honor them — it’s not quite as common here in China anymore, but the thought is there).ย Then some can be sent to neighbors or friends, grandparents, etc.ย Then the family eats the remainder together. Hopefully, you have plenty!ย If there is some left over, it means next year will be bountiful! (Remember this is still a harvest festival).ย
Apparently in some of the old times, the businessmen and government officials would give it to the employees on Laba Festival as a treat, but it’s history goes even further back than that.ย Some say it was originally served only to the ancestors during the Hong dynasty and later became more commonly served in the Song dynasty.ย A few say that it is made in remembrance of an emperor who grew up poor eating only congee and later asked everyone in the empire to eat it once a year to remember their origins.ย ย Whatever the origins, Laba porridge has been part of the festival since the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD).ย ย
Some people will also makeย Laba Garlicย as well.ย A couple students I know have posted pictures of the process on their WeChat.ย They peel the garlic and add it to a jar.ย Then they fill the jar up with rice vinegar and sugar.ย Eventually it turns GREEN!ย They’ll keep it until the Spring Festival when they eat it for the holiday.ย ย
ย
Adventures in Medical China๐ท!!!
Had to go to the #Chinese #dentist yesterday with my mom after she lost half a tooth๐ค. One of the hardest parts about being an #expat or living abroad is dealing with medical issues๐ค. They speak no English. . . you can’t speak to them. Figuring out appointments, instructions, explaining sensitivity idsues, allergies . . . . is all very complex. ๐ญ
So I called my school๐ข cause they are supposed to help. Three hours later, they gave me the phone number๐ of a guy who spoke no English (not helpfulโ).
As all good foreign laoshi (#teacher) do, I went to my students๐ง๐ฆ. Several immediately responded with offers to help. One girl๐ง found a really good hospital (Jilin University School of Stomalogy๐ฅ) that had a #School of Dentistry. Another girl ๐งcalled them and asked about the English. She warned them we were coming & got me the address. #Didi (China’s #Uber) ๐ got us to the hospital, and one the other students๐ฆ stood by his phone to be a #translator.
Luckily, the hospital ๐ฅ was EXCELLENT. The registration guide girl ๐ง helped us book a teacher and got us the medical card. In China, you get a membership card when you visit the #hospital. That card has all your medical history, so if you go somewhere else, they just check the card to see your past. Very easy.
Went to the VIP office and waited. They found a dentistry student ๐จ working there who had studied in #Maryland ๐บ๐ธ for a year, and he helped translate. Helpful & Good looking – Happy Days! ๐
Got an X-ray that took about 20 minutes. Went back and watched #Cdramas (Chinese soap operas)๐บ while we waited. Saw the Doctor๐ after about 2 hours, he recommended a root canal and did the first part. We go back 3 more times in the next 3 weeks. ๐ His bedside manner was great!
All in all, thanks to my Awesome students and the very professional &
helpful staff at the hospital. . . It was a relatively painless!!๐๐
Total Cost: $206
Membership Card (for VIP service with a Professor doctor): $4
X-Ray: $2
Root Canal: $100
Crown: $100
SO CHEAP!!!๐ค
Looks like a mushroom. Acts like a mushroom. Is a Bread Roll. Silly food. . . . Wearing camoflauge like he’s some sort of super food warrior!
One of the daily issues of life in #China is that they don’t clean the Eggs before you get them. So you gotta get the poop off before you can stick ’em in the fridge. These Eggs actually came from #Walmart and were in a real #Egg cart๐ฎ Usually you gotta pick ’em out of a giant pile by hand ๐บ
๐ณ๐๐๐๐
โShe was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no cityโ ~ Roman Payne
Language Translation
Deceptively Blonde 