Chinese New Year

Central to this week long holiday is the mass migration piece, the largest movement of humans every year: around three hundred million (300,000,000) people trains and buses from the city centers to the surrounding countryside to visit relatives. The families gather together for feasts, fireworks, and celebrations, before returning in a flood of humanity back to the cities.

This means that the cities are, for the most part, shut down with very little in the way of shops, restaurants, offices, etc., open. For an American living in the city and a holiday week from work, there’s not much to do. And with plans to travel to South Korea hitting several snags, the perfect ingredients began to fall into place for a surprise trip home to Colorado.

Ingredient #1: My mother’s birthday was on January 20^th, and my holiday would last from the 22^nd to the 30^th, just barely missing the holiday. However, a family celebration was planned for January 28^th.

Ingredient #2: My little sister (mei mei in Chinese) Shannon was moving back home from Chicago, but this was to be kept a surprise until my mother’s birthday party.

Ingredient #3: My twin bro (di di means little bro in Chinese) agreed to meet me at the airport Sunday evening and to keep my arrival a secret.

Ingredient #4: The element of surprise! No one was expecting me home until March. As I dreamed about the many surprises I could arrange for family (family is jia ting) and friends, the long trip home and the high ticket price began to pale in comparison to the value of seeing those close to me, and the memory of their reactions. I am but an amateur cameraman, but on my trip home I captured some award-winning, heart-felt moments with the moving actors and actresses that are my family J

Ryan “hinted” that I might be home-sick on Sunday, the 22^nd, before he snuck away to the airport to pick me up. I haven’t felt too home-sick in my time away, but ever since I booked my flight to come back for Easter in March/April, I have admittedly been counting the days. My excitement grew every day! I think this was further accelerated when, in Hong Kong, I saw a nice American family at a gift shop. The mother was calling to her two sons and they joked about a gift item, then the dad and sister came to join them. I was immediately jealous of the family travelling and laughing together, and yearned for the days of our dance family vacations throughout the states, our trips to Pueblo, bachelor parties in L.A., etc.

Now I sit in DIA, writing the next portion of my blog. My heart is warmed by the memories and time spent with family. Time well spent! It is hard to leave so soon, but it will only be a short while away, at least this time. I can’t wait to see everyone again in March, and to be able to visit with some of my relatives on my dad's side as well. His siblings are a little more spread out outside of Denver and Colorado, but my next trip will be able to involve some of his family in Montrose!

Happy New Year!