St. Patrick's Day

It is impossible for everyone to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on the same day. So, Old Town held its holiday parade on March 6th, beating neighboring cities to the punch. At first glance, Old Town’s St. Patrick’s Day parade was a dog day. Market Square held a small dog show/contest with tons of dog treats, books, dog-friendly groups. I felt under dressed without a dog at my heels. There was a small antique car show (50’s Buick, Model A), displaying the vehicles to be used in the parade to transport parade dignitaries. Some of the cars were green (perfect for this holiday). For some bizarre reason the purpose of the Saint Patrick’s Day parade was half to honor Irish heritage and half to honor the military. I falsely expected a solely Irish celebration. There were Irish step dancers and Irish wolfhounds following pipers from the fire department. The only random group was the Bolivian dancers, which had no relation to Ireland at all.
One way I prepare for this holiday is to bake Irish soda bread. I am no cook, but soda bread is one of the few foods I am confident in preparing and giving to others. This year, I made loaves for friends and family. My family went through two and a half loaves by St. Patrick’s Day.

恭喜发财

To all my Mandarin-speaking friends: 恭喜发财。老虎年快乐！Happy Chinese New Year!
This year, Chinese New Year began on Valentine’s Day and lasted until the end of February.
On the 21st, DC’s Chinatown held a Chinese New Year parade. I already knew that Chinatown’s locals used traditional characters, but I was still struck by numerous Taiwanese flags hanging next to American flags. Having visited the PRC four times, I subconsciously expect the flag of the 共产党, instead of the 国民党.
Most of the parade attendees were non-Asian, unfortunately. Regardless of being back in the US for half a year, I still prefer an Asian (or Chinese) crowd. I guess that year I taught in China affected me more than I thought. The vendors were also not Asian, which made the area seem even less Chinatown. This is a feat because the area is predominantly Western stores and restaurants anyway. Damn you, Verizon Center!
Dad and I watched the many lion and dragon dances. We even saw people in Chinese zodiac costumes, although the rooster was not convincing. The parade lasted about thirty minutes. I want my parades to last longer than a wait for Domino’s.

Belated Happy Christmas and Merry New Year

Shame on me for not writing faithfully on my blog. Two holidays came and went and no blog appeared. Until now.
This past Christmas was fully American and European thanks to my parents. My stocking contained nuts and a tangerine (Europe), and I watched the fantastic "A Christmas Story." The movie was my own regret about my first Chinese Christmas. Somehow this movie did not come across the Pacific. I will agree that "A Christmas Story" is distinctly American, and thus can be confusing for those unfamiliar with American culture. However, if China sells "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" I refuse to understand why a Christmas comedy remains unavailable in China.
The Christmas tree lit and Christmas carols in the air was a perfect holiday atmosphere. It is a lot of fun to deck the tree, but I always dread taking the tree down. The living room becomes so boring and normal.
New Year's Eve is another holiday that differs in various countries. Since I did not surround myself with drunk Americans/foreigners in China, my experience there differed greatly from anything in the States. This year, or rather last year on Dec. 31st, I welcomed 2010 at a club. What better way to celebrate New Year's than surrounded by drunk, dancing strangers? My friend and I enjoyed ourselves and went home relatively sober. :P On the subway ride home, however, I realized how drunk people get. The train driver yelled at someone attempting to urinate on the platform. When you gotta go and your inhibitions are really inebriated, what else is there to do? Now I wonder how many times this metro train driver will have to repeat himself on St. Patrick's Day. If this is any sign, 2010 will surely be interesting.

American Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
This was my first Thanksgiving after returning from my year in China, and it was thoroughly enjoyable. In Shenzhen, I forgot about Fall. I forgot that leaves change color and fall on your lawn, so I nearly drove off the road seeing a neighbor's yard covered in bright orange leaves. I never realized how much I missed the colorful leaves.
Luckily I remembered the American Fall, so the actual holiday was not too shocking. I watched the entire Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with all the balloons and pretty floats. Then, the more unofficial celebration, the Purina dog show. My family and I commented on the dogs, especially the bulldogs.
As with every other American holiday, Thanksgiving revolves around food. My family is no exception. The only difference is that we do not bust our butts attempting to create a spread that would make Martha Stewart jealous. I feel that one should always be allowed to relax and ‘let one’s hair down’ when surrounded by family. Within reason, of course. The best part was Grandma’s sweet potatoes. Even though my Chinese Thanksgiving was fun, nothing can beat an American Thanksgiving. Food and family can be present in any country, but what China lacked was the atmosphere. Around Thanksgiving in the United States, we all emit good feelings about the upcoming holiday, which changes the mood of everyone around. In China I failed to discover a mind-control technique to make Chinese about me to feel the holiday.
Now it’s time to get ready for Christmas. Thanksgiving was not even over before I saw my first Christmas ad (during the Macy’s Parade no less).

Unemployed, but Still Active

I am still looking for a job, but I refuse to get too discouraged. Many people are in worse straits than I. Who else is lucky enough to have parents who do not charge rent or food money to their child tenant? However, the lack of a 9 to 5 job does tempt me not to do much. It is very easy to become lazy and idle, which is why I help keep the house tidy. Finally, my vacuuming skills are valuable! Dust bunnies beware (or hide where I cannot reach). With Mom's help, I am continuing an unofficial form of education. We are taking an online Harvard course on "the history, philosophy, and literature of childhood," where we listen to various interpretations and historical backgrounds of children's books. 'Lolita' to 'Little Red Riding Hood.' Even 'Goodnight Moon,' which I still have a copy of. Mom pulled out her French fairy tales from our library, but I cannot understand any of it.
Lately, I have lectured twice about my experiences in Shenzhen at the Asian American Forum and my former high school. I spoke about China's educational system and the life of foreigners in China. The high school students were shocked by the intense and strict schedule my students at SZ2G dealt with. SZEG students woke up at 6:30 AM and went to bed at 10:40 PM; the time in between is organized into sections offering little free time. American high school students have some freedom to decide parts of their daily schedules. The students also liked the different foods I showed (Modern Toilet and Beijing's snack street). More of them want to visit China, partly for the food.

FSO

After two weeks of intense study and even more weeks of worrying, I took the FSO (Foreign Service Officer) Exam on Monday October 5th. This was the first step towards my dream of working for the State Department.
The State Department is crafty. They want to scare you pantless suggesting all the subjects you should be familiar with. The site tells you (more intelligently) that you will be tested on everything that ever happened in the history of ever. And yet I know I would never be asked about cartoons and comic books, which is knowledge discrimination. If you want to impress a Japanese official, you should know something about ガンダムor at least Miyazaki.
Despite these psychological attacks, I still took it. To my surprise, it was easier than I expected. Granted I took LSAT tests and exercises for two weeks.
Now I play the waiting game, 3-5 weeks to hear if I passed the test or not.

国庆60周年!

Let me start by saying Happy Birthday, China.
At 10pm on Sept. 30th, I watched CCTV 4’s broadcast of National Day. I witnessed organization that Americans are incapable of. The soldiers were lined up ever so nicely; they looked like clones. Soldiers were the same height, had the same clothes, and stood the same way. One of the interesting sections was the women’s militia (女兵) who wore magenta outfits with white go-go boots and berets.
The ceremony started, of course, with the national anthem and flag raising. Then Hu Jintao gave a speech full of Party buzzwords. After that, he gave the military review. Hu poked his upper body out of a sunroof of a Chinese Red Flag limo with four microphones in front. I kept expecting him to through a pie or start dancing; he looked too serious for his own good. As he was driven past the troops and tanks, he stoically greeted his comrades.
Once the military review ended, the military parade began where the tanks and troops marched past Tiananmen Square. It was amazingly frightening and frighteningly amazing. The soldiers marched in step, and even the vehicles were ‘in step.’
Floats for each province and region and ministerial department followed the military parade. I saw floats from Guangdong Province (广东加油), Macau, and Beijing. Other floats included energy, transportation, physical education, and the Olympics. Following the Olympics float was the 同一个世界 float, featuring foreigners. While the Chinese all looked, dressed, and acted the same, the foreigners looked disorganized and messy. Their costumes were different, as were their ethnicities and heights.
In Tiananmen Square was a crowd of people lined up holding various colored fans used to create phrases seen from above like “热爱人民,” “服务人民,” and “社会主义好.” I felt smart recognizing and translating the phrases, even though they were simple. The people changed the colored fans simultaneously. I found the fact that so many people moved as one without relaxing for hours amazing.
At 8am on October 1st, Americans could watch the evening concert. China’s national celebration lasted half a day! Of the singers, I only recognized Jackie Chan, who has a moustache that does not suit him. During the day I saw soldiers, people on floats, people by floats, fan people, dancers, singers, and musicians. At night there were even MORE people: singers and dancers. I half expected the participants equaled the population of Beijing.