Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year!

Kung Hei Fat Choi

(Congratulations & be prosperous)

Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China.  For Macau, it means decorating streets and plazas, buildings and parks, and everything else in between with lights, lanterns, zodiac signs, orange trees, and lots of red paper decorations.  It also means fireworks, and lots of them!

It was great to be in Macau for Chinese New Year and learn more about the Chinese traditions and celebrations associated with this special holiday.  Here's some of what we learned and experienced: 

RED ENVELOPES

For weeks leading up to Chinese New Year, I saw people standing outside the banks selling brand new bills (usually 10s and 20s), and didn't understand what they were doing.  Then, the week before Chinese New Year, I noticed the lines at the banks were ridiculously LONG.  I discovered everyone was preparing for the red envelope tradition.  Red envelopes, symbolizing luck, are filled with money to be given as gifts during holidays and special occasions.  According to tradition, the money has to be new and crisp and even numbered but avoid using the number 4 because it's unlucky.  During Chinese New Year, red envelopes are passed out from married and elderly people to children and the unmarried.  It's customary to give red envelopes to all the children you see during the week of Chinese New Year, regardless of how well you know them.  The recipient often says “Kung Hei Fat Choi”, wishing the giver good fortune during the coming year.  Although Kyle and I didn’t pass out any red envelopes, our kids still collected quite a few.  We’ve been told that kids can easily receive thousands of patacas during Chinese New Year.

Red envelopes are often tied to orange trees that are used as decorations during Chinese New Year.

GOLDEN DRAGON PARADE

Dragons are a Chinese symbol of power, wisdom, and good luck.  They are also a vital part of the Chinese New Year celebrations.  

In Macau, a 238 meter golden dragon paraded through the streets and major tourist spots.  The parade also included lion dancers, the 12 Chinese Zodiacs, and figures representing happiness, honor, and longevity.  

We watched the parade as it weaved down the stairs in front of the Ruins of St. Paul's and got an up close view as it passed us on it's way to Senado Square.

FIREWORKS
Another popular tradition during Chinese New Year is fireworks.  There are a few firework shows during the week but the most exciting firework experience is the do-it-yourself fireworks.

Macau sections off 2 large areas (one on the Macau peninsula and another on the Taipa side) for people to buy and light fireworks, including redirecting traffic and erecting tall partitions.  There are also first aid stations, firetrucks, and many safety personnel.

Plus, it's best to wear long sleeves, a hat, and ear plugs.  As you can see, these are serious fireworks.

Kyle and the boys went with some friends to experience the DIY fireworks.

And, they had a blast!  

According to the boys, the fireworks were gigantic (as tall as Ian), super noisy (thank goodness for ear plugs), and TOTALLY AWESOME!  I'm afraid they've been scarred for life - fireworks in America will never compare to these Macau fireworks.

SCHOOL CELEBRATIONS

The kids were out of school for more than a week for Chinese New Year.  Before the break, they had a special day to celebrate the holiday.  Students were invited to wear traditional Chinese clothing and parents came to share a potluck lunch.  The Kindergarten classes also had a special performance.  They wore traditional Chinese clothing, sang songs in Chinese and English, had lots of props, and performed elaborate dance routines.  Although I didn't understand most of the words, it was still a fun, entertaining show.  They did a great job!  

Happy New Year!  May the year be filled with good fortune!                 

Macau Tower

"FINALLY!", the boys exclaimed as we headed to the Macau Tower on a beautiful, clear, no-school holiday.  They've been asking for months to see this 338 m (1109 ft) tall tower.  It was a perfect day for this attraction and it quickly became one of our favorites places here in Macau (we only wished we'd come a lot sooner).

First, we rode the lift up to the 61st floor to an outdoor observation deck.  I was a little nervous about an "outdoor" deck but it really only meant that the upper part of the windows and roof were open - perfectly safe!

This deck is home to all the adventure and thrill seekers.  Not only can they take the plunge from the world's highest bungy jump but they can also go on a walk around the outer rim with no handrails just an overhead tether.  Notice the people in orange shirts behind us on the other side of the windows - those are the "skywalkers".  

Aside from the heart-pumping adventures, the Macau Tower also offers some fantastic views.  It was so much fun to walk around the deck and see our stomping grounds for the last 6 months in a whole new perspective.  The pictures below show the Macau peninsula side with mainland China in the background.   

The following picture is looking the other direction toward the island of Taipa, where we live.  The green hill in the foreground is Taipa Pequena (which we hiked and blogged about recently - can you spot the white zig-zag wall structure that resembles the Great Wall of China?).  

And this picture shows two of the bridges that connect the Macau peninsula (on the left) with the Taipa island (on the right).

The Macau Tower also has a revolving restaurant and an indoor observation deck with more amazing views in every direction.  It's especially fun to watch the bungy jumpers fly by from this deck. 

Plus there are a few spots with glass flooring that reminded us how high we really were.

Although Leah said she wanted to do the bungy jump, she was scared of the glass floors.  She would only walk on it if she was holding someone's hand and even then she walked very slowly and cautiously (so funny!).

The Macau Tower also has a theater, cafes, restaurants, conference rooms, and shops, including the kids' favorite, Toys R Us.  Along the boardwalk, there is outdoor seating, concerts, and a landing pad for the bungy jumpers (we even saw one jumper from this ground level and witnessed the thrilling smile on his face).  Plus, there are more beautiful views.  As you can see, we had a great time and the Macau Tower is now on our list of places to take visitors. 

A Vietnamese 1 Month Celebration

One of the best parts about living in Macau is meeting people from all over the world.  We've met people from many parts of Asia, Europe, Australia, a few from Africa, Central America, and the Middle East.  It is so much fun to find out why they came to Macau but even more fascinating is learning about their customs and culture.  I love discovering the differences and similarities of the varies homelands.

Recently, we learned that many Asian countries have elaborate celebrations when a child reaches different milestones in life.  Although annual birthday parties are typical, the first and seventh birthdays are especially important and usually include much bigger celebrations.  And a child's 1-month milestone is a very, big event in many of these countries.  Not only are the parents rejoicing the baby has survived the most vulnerable stage of life but it's also a time to introduce the new baby to family and friends. 

This week, we got to be a part of a 1-month celebration - Vietnamese style.  Our friends, Peter and Anny (both from Vietnam), had their first child, a beautiful baby girl named Ynna (notice it's the mother's name spelled backwards - how cute is that!).

They invited friends over to show off the new bundle of joy and share a traditional Vietnamese dinner.  Peter is a professional chef so the food was very good and the presentation of the kid's special dishes was just like a 5-star restaurant.

There were about 20 people in this small 2 bedroom apartment during the celebrations.  Most of us were together in the front room where they had packed all their stuff against one wall behind a small couch and chair.  Two women sat in the chair, 4 of us were on the couch, while the others sat on little stools or on the floor which was covered with newspaper for easy clean up.

We had a wonderful time adoring baby Ynna, visiting with friends, eating good food, and being entertained by my silly children.  Ian thought the party needed a little more entertainment so he kicked off an impromptu show with a Chinese poem.  Abby shared some of her Chinese talents with a song and Leah took a turn singing I'm a Child of God and Jingle Bells.  Then the kids started dancing Gangnam Style (I can't wait for a new fad song and dance!!). 

I love getting to know people from different parts of the world and learning about their cultures and traditions.  What a blessing to have our circle of friends expanding worldwide.  It really does seem like "a small world after all".

Cade's Birthday

wo de sheng ri shi yi yue er shi er hao
(My birthday is January 22nd)

Cade turned the big 10!  He's now a double-digit aged kid!

And he's excited to claim he celebrated this milestone birthday in China.  

sheng ri kuai le

Cade invited a few friends over after school to celebrate his 10th birthday.  It was a noisy party of boys being boys but they had fun hanging out together, opening gifts, and eating Scotcheroos.  Instead of birthday cake (not Cade's favorite - especially since it's made with chunks of jello here), Cade asked for Scotcheroos, a family favorite.  His friends loved the new American treat but who doesn't love a Rice Krispie treat made with peanut butter and topped with melted chocolate?  Best treat ever!

Cade also introduced a fun way of opening gifts to his friends.  While Cade closed his eyes, one of his friends said "Happy Birthday" in a funny voice.  Then Cade guessed who was talking.  If he answered correctly, he opened the gift; if he guessed wrong, the friend got to bonk him on the head with the gift before opening it.  The boys thought that was great fun (aka beat up the birthday boy with his gifts)!

After gifts and treats, we went to a cool show called The Dragon's Treasure.  It's in a special dome theater with lots of special effects. 

 Cade and his friends thought it was great.  I was a little worried it might be a little too scary and intense for the younger kids but, besides squeezing my hand a few times during the show, they loved it.  And, there's been no nightmares since then - double thumbs up. 

While waiting for the show to begin, the kids gained the attention of one of the guards/ushers.  He was fascinated with the blonde kids and the different nationalities of their friends.  He was especially entertained by Leah, who would not let go of one of the boys.  Notice that Leah's hanging onto one of the boy's arms.  She tried to hold his hand or be next to him the entire evening.  It looked like she had her first crush.  I kept trying to pull her away and distract her but she always found her way back to the same boy.  He was very patient with her and such a good sport.  Leah even told the kids she wanted to marry him.

Now, back to the birthday boy - Cade is an amazing kid!  He's smart, helpful, happy, and a very good example (not only to younger kids but older kids and adults too).  He enjoys reading, math, science, has a contagious laugh, loves to play sports (especially soccer), draws, plays the piano (even accompanies the Primary music on Sundays), is learning to play the ukelele, likes to build things, misses the Scouting program, and is a good looking young man (lots of moms at school often tell me how handsome Cade is).  I love Cade and am so glad he's a part of our family.

Taipa Pequena

With beautiful weather lately, we took the opportunity to explore a part of Taipa we've not been to before - Taipa Pequena, one of the two highest hills in Taipa.  This hill has hiking trails, a kid's park, and a large sculpture complex.

The hiking trails wind gently up and around to the top of the hill.  We chose a trail with stairs and although Abby's trying to look weary by wiping her brow it was an easy climb with lots of green trees, bushes, and colorful flowers.  It was wonderful to be surrounded by nature - the sights, the sounds, the smells, the feelings - it was all so therapeutic for our family.

As we were climbing the hill, we met the most happy, spirited old man.  Every 3-4 steps he stopped, stretched his arms high above his head and circled them slowly back down while joyfully exclaiming HAhahaHAhahaHAhahaHAhahaHA.  The first few times we heard him we thought it was a bird singing.  When we passed him he greeted us with a bright smile and a hearty Good Morning and then continued down the stairs pausing frequently to repeat his singing stretch.  Fascinated, we just stood and watched him until he disappeared.    

We encountered this happy old man again at the park.  This time he was stretching his legs with giant kicks and balancing poses and he was still smiling and merrily humming.  He was so entertaining - we could have watched him for hours.  He continued on his happy walk while we played at the park.  We kicked a soccer ball around, swung on the swings, climbed on the jungle gym, and just enjoyed being out in the bright, warm sunshine.  

The Taipa sculpture complex is a huge, white, zigzagged wall, inspired by the Great Wall of China, and shows day-to-day activities of life in Macau.  There are areas for outdoor gatherings such as morning Tai Chi classes that are very popular here.  And, the views from the top of this complex were some of the best we've seen in Macau.  

This view shows the first of three bridges built that connect the island of Taipa to the Macau peninsula.  Although it's not clear in this picture, we could easily see the entire peninsula east to west and pick out many of it's distinguishing landmarks, like the Macau Tower, home to the tallest bungee jump in the world, (far left in this picture).  Just last week while riding a bus across one of the bridges, I saw someone bungee jump off the tower.  The Macau Tower is still on our to-visit list but there will be no bungee jumping for the Kisebachs.

As you can see, the weather is beautiful, so if you need to get away from those unusually cold winter temperatures, come to Macau.  This is the best time to visit :)

School Days

As the kids and I walked to school this morning with happy, playful attitudes, I couldn't help but reflect on the contrast of this same walk just a few short months ago.  A walk that was filled with dread, anxiety, and lots of tears has now become a pleasant, enjoyable morning ritual.  I love holding the kids' hands, having serious and silly conversations, taking turns pushing the stroller, laughing together, and navigating through the sidewalks of Taipa.  It really has become one of my favorite parts of the day.

Cade, Abby, and Ian have each made great friends, learned lots of new things, and adjusted well to school.  The first semester is coming to an end this month so Cade is busy preparing for final exams, Ian's getting ready for another Kindergarten Concert, and Abby's super excited school is half way over.  Here's a few highlights from their first semester.

In P4 (4th grade), Cade's been learning to write different kinds of stories, essays, and poems.  I love this poem he wrote about our trip to Macau.  He summed up our long journey perfectly!

Adventure

by Cade Kisebach

From North Salt Lake,

To L.A.X,

Then Hong Kong,

It was very long.

On the ferry,

It was kind of scary.

None of their words,

Were nouns or verbs.

 At Macau,

I was like, “WOW!”

Twenty-five hours,

Was more like 100 hours.

From North Salt Lake,

To L.A.X,

Then Hong Kong,

It was very long.

Abby is in P2 (2nd grade).  At the Primary Art Show, Abby and her class had an opportunity to show off their work from their Art, Music, and Drama classes.  They displayed their drawings done in different mediums (chalk, paint, and pencil), sang a few songs, and performed a dance about the 4 basic elements of life (which they've been studying in science).  Abby represented fire, thus the red scarf.  

Although she was a bit nervous before the show, Abby did a great job and really enjoyed performing on stage.

Ian is having so much fun in K3.  Every other month, they put on a Kindergarten Concert.  The different classes take turns performing songs or reciting poems in English and Chinese.  The third concert is next week and this time their Chinese song includes some more intense choreography so Ian's been practicing quite a bit at home.  I included a video of the first concert earlier in this blog so if you missed it, here's a link to it http://yearofthelotus.blogspot.com/2012/10/kindergarten-concert.html 

The biggest highlight of the first semester of school was Book Week.  An entire week was filled with extra activities, games, special rewards, and a fun Friday party to promote books and reading.  Parents read books to classes during the week, the administrators called students at home in the evening and if they caught them reading the student was given a new book the next day, teachers handed out bookmarks to students reading during the school day and when the student collected 4 bookmarks they also got a new book.  But the best part was the party on Friday when students and teachers dressed up like a book character.  Parents came for a potluck lunch and assembly where the students showed off their costumes. 

Ian was a knight in shining armour,

Cade was Percy Jackson with an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt,

and Abby dressed up as Annie from the Magic Treehouse book series.

I'm so glad there are so many good memories from this first semester of school.  It may have been a difficult adjustment but the kids are stronger for it.  They've each learned some valuable life lessons.  I hope there's many more positive school days to come in the second semester. 

'Tis the Season

It's hard to believe how quickly Christmas came upon us.  For most of December, we struggled to believe that it was really the Christmas season.  Even with the surprising number of holiday decorations around town

and the Christmas carols (in English) playing in most stores, it was still hard to believe Christmas was coming.  Leah was convinced it wasn't the Christmas season because there was no snow but the rest of us (I believe) were simply waiting for the traditional sights and sounds we associate with this special holiday.  But celebrating any holiday in the "traditional" sense in Macau is challenging.  So, our Christmas traditions and celebrations were modified but we still felt the Christmas Spirit and enjoyed this wonderful season.

Our Christmas decorations were simple this year with a nativity and 4 stockings.

And, finally on Christmas Eve, Kyle and Cade bought a tiny, little snow-covered Christmas tree (not much bigger than Kyle's hand) complete with bows and decorations.

Macau's decorations were mostly of Santa and reindeer but we found this cool, outdoor, blue lit Christmas tree at the Venetian

and an actual, real evergreen tree at the Macau Ferry Terminal (the decorations were silly but the smell was captivating).  We stood looking at the weirdly decorated tree for a few minutes just to enjoy the smell.

In mid-December, we had a special sacrament program performed by the children and youth of our church.  The kids, a total of 12, took turns reading the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible between singing Primary songs and congregational Christmas hymns.  It was a beautiful program!  Cade played the piano for one of the songs (If The Savior Stood Beside Me) and did a fantastic job.  Abby had the tough job of being with Leah to keep her reverent and help with her part.  Knowing first hand how difficult that can be, I was impressed.  Abby will be an excellent babysitter!  And Ian, stole the show.  Not only did he sing the loudest but he was the only one to quote his scripture by memory.  After saying his part, there was an audible gasp from the audience because they were so amazed he'd memorized his scripture.

After the sacrament program, we had a special Christmas party at church.  Everyone dressed like shepherds and sat on blankets to eat a simple dinner.  

During the party, we were invited to give Jesus a gift.  Unlike the gifts the wise men brought Jesus, our gifts were to be something in our lives that we were committed to improve or change during the next month.  We wrote down our gift on a piece of paper, sealed it up, and placed it in a beautiful box.  

At the end of January, we'll have an opportunity to open our gifts and reflect on how we changed or were touched by the Spirit during the past month. 

Our Christmas Eve was filled with last minute shopping and preparations, but we ended it with a fun dinner and quality family time.  Our dinner turned into a play-with-your-food contest and I couldn't tell you who had more fun, the kids or Kyle.  But, you can be the judge and pick a winner.

     

After a silly dinner and a yummy dessert, we gathered to remember the reason for the Christmas season.  We dimmed the lights and acted out the nativity.  Cade read Luke 2 as the rest of us took on different parts. Leah was baby Jesus, Abby was Mary, Kyle was Joseph, Ian was a shepherd, and I was an angel.  Usually we only read Luke 2 but this night Kyle continued to read from Mark and we learned more about this story including the wise men's visit, Simeon's witness of the baby Jesus at the temple, Joseph taking the family to Egypt, and their return to Nazareth when it was safe.  Ian and Cade made quick character changes as they took on more roles including the wise men, Simeon, Herod, and his soldiers.  We all had a great time acting out the nativity story and remembering why we were celebrating Christmas.

Christmas day was filled with lots of fun and excitement as we opened gifts, talked with most of our family members in the US, and played games.

In the afternoon, we gathered with some church members to go caroling. 

Seeing first hand the living conditions of many of the people here was a very humbling and eye-opening experience, especially for me and the children who haven't really been exposed to it yet.  We had a good time and shared the Christmas spirit with many people.  It was a great opportunity and a memory we'll look back on for years to come.

Afterwards, we had a few friends over for an American style dinner.  We served turkey, cranberries, mashed potatoes, spinach salad, rolls, and had Apple Betty (a Kisebach family favorite) for dessert.  Of our 8 guests only 1 had ever eaten turkey before so it really was a new experience for most of them.  

We also taught them a few new card games.

Surrounding ourselves with friends really helped us to enjoy the Christmas holiday and fill the void we had from not being around our own families.  We feel extremely blessed and are especially grateful to have such wonderful family and friends.  We love you all!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

If you didn't get our Christmas card/newsletter, please give me your email address and I'll send it to you.