Monday, June 2
Photo 1: Traditional scenery at ZongTongFu (Nationalist-era Presdient's House)
Photo 2: 弟弟 and I at ZongTongFu
I slept past 9:00 am today; it a true gift as we get few opportunities to sleep late on this dialogue. My host family has me sleep in a beautiful Western-style room on the second floor, while everyone else lives downstairs, so it is rather 寂寞 (lonely) sometimes. Today tough was special since it was 端午节 (Dragon Boat Festival)! Alex and Dong Lao Shi set expectations very high since it is a highly celebrated holiday around China. However, I walked downstairs to an empty home; it was oddly quiet and seemed just like a normal day. My host father heard me walk downstairs and soon greeted me "早上好." He explained that my host brother, 弟弟, had a soccer game and we should hurry to go watch him play. We ate a quick breakfast, fried flat bread filled with scrambled egg, and rushed to make sure we didn't miss his game. As usual, my host father drove like a maniac; lanes in China are more of an idea rather than an actual tool. He zoomed between cars and seized every opportunity to get further ahead if he saw an open space, no matter who was around him. Chinese drivers may be crazy, but they are definitely skilled and confident enough to be able drive in such a manner.
Luckily, we arrived in one piece and even with all of the rushing we found my 弟弟 enjoying a nice 休息休息. Little did I know that he still had a good two hours or so left. My host father and I explored the park and played some basketball to pass the time. Still no 端午节 celebrating. After the soccer game, 弟弟 took me on a tour of China's previous President's home; it was very traditional and beautiful but just like every other attraction in China, it was filled with tourists making it tough to move and fully enjoy the experience. We stopped by 新街口 on the way to pick up my brother's new glasses but made no effort to stay and find some 端午节 activities.
Back home, it was time for another 休息; I guess since my brother goes to school from 7:30 am to 10:00 pm he needs all the rest he can get before he has to do his homework and practice piano, all after soccer practice. The parents must also have been resting since they were nowhere in sight… a very relaxing Sunday for a big holiday. I joined in on in the fun and had a rest for a few hours. My host parents woke me up and told me to get ready as we were going out to dinner. I thought to myself, finally going to celebrate the holiday! But my luck ran short as we just went out to a restaurant nearby; the food was still delicious, although I wonder if it is worth going through all of the trouble to eat the small amount of meat on crawfish. Back home, the parents went to bed and I finally asked my 弟弟why we didn't do anything special for the holiday? His reply was simple, it just wasn't that important to his family…
I got stories from classmates about their 端午节, who had some better experiences. Many students were taught how to make the traditional holiday food, 粽子，a glutinous rice bound in bamboo leaves (one of my favorite Chinese foods). Others explored various places around Nanjing like the Confucius Temple.
Overall it was a very relaxing holiday, very similar to one I would have in the US if didn't have school. If I really want to see how the Chinese celebrate a holiday, I need to stick around for the Chinese New Year…
- Jonny
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