a few top questions that I have been asked frequently in this country:
1. when did you come to US?/how long have you been here?--since 8/21/2010
2. Which area of China are you from? How big is it?--Shenzhen, close to HongKong. Population 10,357,938 (2012)
3. What are you studying now? why?--nursing. I always want to.
4. will you go back to China after you graduate?--God has His plans for me.
5. Does Chinese food here taste like home? --definitely.NOT.
6. how long have you been learning English? --since grade school but only focused on grammars, writing, and reading. taught by Chinese teachers.
7. how many language do you speak?--Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka, English
8. how did you end up here in Peoria? --through exchange student program between the college I went to in China and ICC. I was major in Business English before, which is Business & English.
9. Were you a Christian before you came here? --yes, since 2008.
10. Do you have any family here? --no. but I have many American families here.
11.
12.
13.
14.
.....
my brain is fried by reviewing OB exam so I kinda forget what else people usually ask me.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Red Envelopes
Thanksgiving is coming up. So fast. Holidays always remind me of home. I love holidays when people don't need to go to school or work and families get together. Just love it.
Soon enough, it will be Chinese New Year again. Since I came to this country, I haven't paid attention to the lunar calendar which we use back home. We also use the calendar you use here, but a lot of festivals are based on lunar calendar. I don't know which dates Chinese New Year and Mid-autumn Day are. It's kinda sad, but probably it would be even worse if I did pay attention to that because I won't be able to celebrate with my friends and family. However, I have been doing fine so far.Too bad I have to miss all my red envelope, which we get it on Chinese New Year. Not-married kids and the elderly usually get lucky money on this festival. :)
Speaking of lucky money, I think I should talk about this more.
Lucky money is also called red envelope=we put money in a red envelope. Color red symbolizes good luck and also against evil spirit. It's given out by married couple to single people or the elderly. When I was a kid, I always always looked forward to Chinese New Year.
1st of all, we usually start to clean every corner at the house two weeks before the New Year. We wash everything, curtains, blankets, sheets, etc, just like everything gets dirty and is washable. On the New Year Eve, my dad usually purchases little orange tree for hanging red envelop and some other flowers. Orange in Chinese is ji zi. Ji means "great", "luck". Basically every family has two little orange tree by both sides of the door. Then we will put couplet (Dui lian) on both sides of the door as well. Couplet is Chiense poetry. Usually we buy something saying nice because this couplet usually stays there throughout the year. One time my uncle wrote the couplet. He has a very good handwriting of cursive Chinese characters. Couplet usually is written with calligraphy brush pen. It is one kind of art and it is very hard. I tried to learn that from my grandpa when I was at third grade.Apparently, I didn't get that gene. :P Maybe I did, but I didn't practice long enough. My grandpa, my dad, and my uncle are all good at calligraphy writing.
Then! After putting all the decorations up, just like what you do for Christmas except we put stuff everywhere. There's always Chinese gala show on New Year Eve. After a huge dinner with family, we all sit around and watch the gala show and talk. By midnight, the whole village will be filled up exploding fire works because every single family has somebody stays up and light up the fire works to celebrate the 1st second of the New Year. Well, basically whoever already sleeps will be up anyway because it is too loud and smoky. lol
On the 1st day of New Year, we get up with all kinds of fire work sounds from different directions. We usually went to grandparents room to say best wishes to them and ask for lucky money. but...it's changed since both my grandparents passed away. No more excitements of getting up and rushing to their room and saying wishes loudly. I haven't been home for New Year for three years.
So after that, we usually ask for lucky money from parents, uncles and aunts. We will say some New Year wishes before we ask for red envelope. :P Then the following 15 days, we have chance to visit relatives and friends and have more lucky money. :P
But red envelops are not only for the New Year, but also for the wedding and some other festivals or birthdays.
Instead of giving the couple actual gifts that they register for, we bring red envelopes to the wedding in China. Everybody who attends the wedding give red envelope except the kids. It is nice to have cash in hand and buy stuff for the new home. But I think getting actual gifts is kinda cool. Feels like you unwrap gifts on Christmas day.
So this is brief about Chinese New Year in my family and Red envelope.
Soon enough, it will be Chinese New Year again. Since I came to this country, I haven't paid attention to the lunar calendar which we use back home. We also use the calendar you use here, but a lot of festivals are based on lunar calendar. I don't know which dates Chinese New Year and Mid-autumn Day are. It's kinda sad, but probably it would be even worse if I did pay attention to that because I won't be able to celebrate with my friends and family. However, I have been doing fine so far.Too bad I have to miss all my red envelope, which we get it on Chinese New Year. Not-married kids and the elderly usually get lucky money on this festival. :)
Speaking of lucky money, I think I should talk about this more.
Lucky money is also called red envelope=we put money in a red envelope. Color red symbolizes good luck and also against evil spirit. It's given out by married couple to single people or the elderly. When I was a kid, I always always looked forward to Chinese New Year.
1st of all, we usually start to clean every corner at the house two weeks before the New Year. We wash everything, curtains, blankets, sheets, etc, just like everything gets dirty and is washable. On the New Year Eve, my dad usually purchases little orange tree for hanging red envelop and some other flowers. Orange in Chinese is ji zi. Ji means "great", "luck". Basically every family has two little orange tree by both sides of the door. Then we will put couplet (Dui lian) on both sides of the door as well. Couplet is Chiense poetry. Usually we buy something saying nice because this couplet usually stays there throughout the year. One time my uncle wrote the couplet. He has a very good handwriting of cursive Chinese characters. Couplet usually is written with calligraphy brush pen. It is one kind of art and it is very hard. I tried to learn that from my grandpa when I was at third grade.Apparently, I didn't get that gene. :P Maybe I did, but I didn't practice long enough. My grandpa, my dad, and my uncle are all good at calligraphy writing.
Then! After putting all the decorations up, just like what you do for Christmas except we put stuff everywhere. There's always Chinese gala show on New Year Eve. After a huge dinner with family, we all sit around and watch the gala show and talk. By midnight, the whole village will be filled up exploding fire works because every single family has somebody stays up and light up the fire works to celebrate the 1st second of the New Year. Well, basically whoever already sleeps will be up anyway because it is too loud and smoky. lol
On the 1st day of New Year, we get up with all kinds of fire work sounds from different directions. We usually went to grandparents room to say best wishes to them and ask for lucky money. but...it's changed since both my grandparents passed away. No more excitements of getting up and rushing to their room and saying wishes loudly. I haven't been home for New Year for three years.
So after that, we usually ask for lucky money from parents, uncles and aunts. We will say some New Year wishes before we ask for red envelope. :P Then the following 15 days, we have chance to visit relatives and friends and have more lucky money. :P
But red envelops are not only for the New Year, but also for the wedding and some other festivals or birthdays.
Instead of giving the couple actual gifts that they register for, we bring red envelopes to the wedding in China. Everybody who attends the wedding give red envelope except the kids. It is nice to have cash in hand and buy stuff for the new home. But I think getting actual gifts is kinda cool. Feels like you unwrap gifts on Christmas day.
So this is brief about Chinese New Year in my family and Red envelope.
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