HAPPY SNAKE YEAR!!!

First let me wish you a happy SNAKE YEAR :)

This was my first Chinese New Year in China (in 3,5 years!)

Other years during this crazy "firecracker war time" we were having exotic tropical escapes to Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. This year we opted to stay in the "war zone" ;)

Chinese NEW YEAR essentials:

1) red posters with good luck characters 

2) "war arsenal" = all kinds of explosives ...anything from annoying noise makers to somewhat reasonable fireworks 

3) New Year dinner 

(followed by watching 8PM National New Year show with the family members)

So this was a cosy company dinner for those who stayed in Rizhao. 

Shortly before 8PM all the Chinese left to make it home for the TV show :) (even though there was a TV placed specifically for the show viewing purpose)

Our little foreign community stayed a while longer checking out the prosperity of the TV show ;) and then continued to our own party!

And this was how we left the table when we had finished our meal! 

(Many more dishes had already been taken away..)

4) Blowing up your arsenal :)

The morning after 

But even after the New Year is celebrated "the war" goes on ...starting around 6:30 every morning for the duration of the whole Spring festival (Chinese New Year holiday) for about 2 weeks...so forget about sleeping in ;)

It all luckily ends with Lantern festival that we just celebrated this past Sunday!

Lantern festival in Rizhao is quite a feast and this year the main celebration was held in Sun Park!

Some days before the Lantern festival

All kinds of colourful floats are being put together for this major festivity!

Inspired by Avatar?;) 

And wondering off the main tracks we bumped into float workshop! 

LANTERN FESTIVAL

1 hour long fireworks!!!

Masses of people!!!

Countless floats!!!

  

CHILDREN`s DAY :)

(Almost) live from Rizhao ;)

I was invited to participate (sing "Do Re Mi" from "The Sounds of Music" with 8 cute kids) in Children`s day concert in one of the Primary schools of Rizhao. 

Supper cute :)

"My Von Trapp kids" excited before singing :)

The best of the best

THE END 

Show`s over & kids are free! 

Children`s day seems to be favourite festivals of Chinese kids as they get specials treats and school`s off! 

My news shoes had their first performance today ;)

Cheers for all the ladies out there on International Women`s Day :)!!!

Chinese wedding ...angel!

I know...it`s been some time since my last post...I`ll try to do better in 2012 ;)

This time I wanna tell you about my experience of becoming a Chinese wedding angel :)

cool wings, no? ;)

And yes, I was finally invited to attend a wedding in China (kinda my wish for a long time already ;)

One of my Chinese colleagues invited me to her friend`s (I had never met) wedding and told not to worry about a dress... Now that was strange `cause Chinese usually don`t bother to dress up for the wedding..so I was becoming suspicious..

The result exceeded my every expectation ;) (it`s just not something you expect when you get a wedding invitation ;)

I "had the honour" of being one of the two wedding angels (something like a bridesmaid) and nobody had bothered to ask me if I would actually be fine doing (wearing) "that" (I know people who would never put that kinda stuff on ;)

Anyway...that kind of attitude of not bothering about "the details" is very typical for China :), but I`m not complaining - got to see all the backstage of Chinese wedding feast!

Angel team

Me and the bride in Dress No 1. The bride changed 4 dresses in 1,5 h!

Dress No 1 - to greet guests    Dress No 2 - to enter the banquet hall                                              Dress No 3 - to say "cheers" ;)   Dress No 4 - to say "bye bye" to all ;)

She is Chinese (Dress No 2). He is Korean.

They had already oficially gotten married in Korea 2 weeks earliet, so this was just a formality - letting everyone know they were married & collecting red envelopes (Chinese wedding gift is money money money - ALWAYS - given in a red envelope)

Angels in action

Showing their marriage certificate

Wedding theme was "Fairytale"...she was like a princess...there was a castle...horse...prince...soap bubbles.... actually, pretty romantic if you`re into fairy-tales :)

Dress No 3

CAKE = SPONGE :) No need to try...cause it looks 100 times better than it tastes!

The wedding guests arrived around 17:30 ...the wedding show started around 19:00...

...19:15 food was served (by that time I was already freed of my angelic duty and seated at one of the tables) and guests fiercely attacked it!

And while I was too excited about all the things happening around, taking photos and doing the polite small talk...it was time to finish! So at 19:50 most people had already left..and my colleague asked me if I was full...I lied and said yes....dreaming of a chocolate cake I had at home ;)

Guests collected food leftovers in plastic bags and ADIOS AMIGOS ...happy ever after :)

Romantic ;)

Back to Rizhao: Mooncake festival, spontaneous trip and slightly different Chinese art!

Rizhao beach by night
Low tide

Aliens never left..




"Mooncake fest" (Mid-Autumn festival) company party :)


Special dish & local delicacy: sea cucumber (our table didn`t dare to touch this culinary masterpiece ;)





Spontaneous trip to a city that is 2h bus ride away from Rizhao - Lian Yun Gang: wrote down the name of city, went to bus-station, bought tickets and went without any info on the city...arrived...on GPS found something that looked like nice mountain...took a taxi to mountain...


...wandered around...walked further...walked the streets...walked parks...found a hotel....slept...got a 6am wake up knock (more like continuous knocking with no intention to give up) on the door by police checking if all hotel customers had official receipts for the room payments (now that`s sick to do smth like that at 6am!!!)


...and in the morning took taxi and told..."to the beach" ...finished up on an island where one must pay 50 RMB to get to beach & seaside promenade...had a promenade...


Found cool abandoned (or most probably never used?!) villas


Found a groovy fishermen village..




And then returned to home sweet home - Rizhao :) Sometimes it`s really cool to have no plan and just go ;)





What would be the reason to drink wine at 10:00 AM on Saturday? ....well, in China - it`s exhibition opening (cause "naturally" opening an exhibition in the mooring is a sign of good luck!)

It was our first event like this in Rizhao and it took place in "1996" - club/restaurants/gallery!

All the important people.. (after speeches all of them got scissors and there was a group ribbon cut ;)




Art: 2 floors of gallery full of paintings featuring (mostly naked) women, birds, fish, and traditionally dressed men with swords...



...not your traditional Chinese art!






After the opening with the owner of "1996" - Max


After that we were invited for Exhibition opening lunch - traditional Chinese feast! So all in all it turned out to be 4 h event ;)