March 3, 2011 - 4:31pm
Adventures Abroad: Enjoying China's fall holidays
BY JENNY ZHANG
It’s been a few months since I’ve been studying abroad in China, and I would say this is one of the happiest times of my life.
School has been interesting this semester. My classes are all about topics I’m interested in learning more about: Modern Chinese History, Marxism, Mandarin, Jewish Culture, Sunzi Art of War and a film class on historical documentaries and movies. I especially like the professors for the history and Marxism classes because they’re extremely experienced in their respective areas of study. My history class is relatively small with about 30 students, so it’s very intimate. The lectures, however, are similar to those at the University of Michigan, but the workload is very light because there isn’t really required homework. Textbook reading is just an added advantage.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival break at the end of September I went back to Anhui, which is my home province, for a few days. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a special holiday for the Chinese because the moon is fullest then. It was good seeing my relatives, seeing old friends and eating lots of home-cooked food.
While in my hometown of Hefei, I also got to see The Mid-Autumn Festival Show. There were a couple of famous singers who performed including Lin Junjie! He is my favorite Chinese/Singaporean singer. The stage was outdoors and very beautiful, with traditional architecture and blue lights shining on the buildings that were onstage. There was also a pseudo-moon in the corner of the stage for part of the show. It’s a shame pictures weren’t allowed.
At the beginning of October we were also off from school for National Day celebrating the establishment of the Republic of China. During the break, I went to my second cousin’s house. I spent the vacation watching movies, practicing Taichi and making kimbap, which is Korean sushi. I learned how to make kimbap when I was in China during my middle school years. Kimbap is a combination of ingredients like egg, carrot, cucumber and ham in wrapped in rice and seaweed.
On the last day of the break, I went to Hong Ye Gu or the Red Leaf Valley. It’s fall and the leaves are turning red. It was a beautiful day for a walk in nature in the midst of mountains and a lake, and certainly a great day for pictures.
