Chung Chau Fai Lok!

*Translation: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.

So, let's start with some Background on the festival. Mid-Autumn festival celebrates the moon, and the harvest, similarly to our Thanskgiving. People light lanterns, eat mooncakes, gather with their families and watch the moon (Not so much last night because of clouds, but I did see it!). Our Chinese professor told us that many people with family overseas enjoy this holiday because when they look at the moon, and then their relatives in the UK or US or wherever look at the moon, they're looking at the same moon. Awww.

My festival fun started last Saturday when I participated in a volunteer project to deliver mooncakes to Senior citizens. A friend and I went to The New Territories, Hong Kong's suburban area, to a 'town' called Tsuen Wan, the very end of a subway line! There, we went to a seniors' centre, and were split into groups of two, one of whom would speak Cantonese. My partner and I visited two different Apartments. The woman in the first apartment was so friendly, she felt bad not to speak English, but smiled big and gave me a thumbs up when I stumbled over a few Cantonese words. The couple in the second apartment were friendly too, and so impressive! In their 70's, they bike two hours every day to the ocean! I was so lucky to have a fantastic partner who translated better than the translators at parliament-Wendy, if you're reading this, thanks so much!

Some of the seniors had mentioned a fruit called a Pomelo, which, when they were young, they would carve to make the lanterns. So, I purchased one of those, along with a lantern and a mooncake.

Minor Segway here in the middle of the week-Arabic class was set to start Tuesday, but instead we got all dressed up and went to a fancy reception hosted by the Saudi Embassy at the four seasons hotel, with important ambassadors, and even the chief-executive (governor) of Hong Kong!

Back to Chung Chau Fai lok. Wednesday, the day of the festival, my buddy Tracey ,and her Friend Francesca, took me and a few other foreign students from my hall to Victoria park to see the festivities, including a 'fire dragon', chinese acrobatics, and of course many lights and lanterns. We took my lantern (although candles were banned this year), and a few of us ate our mooncakes.

It was a great time! I'll post pictures soon, I promise!