Tag: expatlife

Ramblings

Lessons Beyond School

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I know I complained about C’s homework load in my last post, but I want to acknowledge that our school offers amazing opportunities that teach valuable lessons beyond the classroom, some of which were not available to us in the U.S. (especially not in elementary school). Most opportunities are for 4th grade and up, so unfortunately O will have to wait his turn.

Little Diplomat. This year, C was selected to be a “Little Diplomat”. Occasionally, our school has visitors from other countries, and Little Diplomats are responsible for welcoming them, giving tours of the school, and presenting on different topics. C met people from Indonesia, Korea, Japan and the Kingdom of Eswatini. Being a Little Diplomat has allowed C to practice public speaking and learn how to interact with people from different cultures.

International Exchange. Early in the school year, C participated in a school trip to Penghu, one of Taiwan’s outer islands. He wrote about the experience here. Then last month, our school organized a trip to Korea for a week! Students even got to do a homestay for 1 night with a local family – how cool is that?! Hopefully C will be able to write a post about his Korean school trip sometime.

Beyond just having fun, C also learned a lot through this experience. Since he’s a native English speaker and comfortable speaking in front of others, the school often asks him to present or help translate between Taiwanese and Korean students. In the months leading up to the trip, students would also meet on a weekly basis to prepare – writing to Korean students, practicing performances, learning about Korean culture and language, etc.

Badminton Team. C has been on the badminton team since the beginning of the school year. I’ve always been a fan of kids playing sports – they learn about teamwork, get exercise, and develop grit. C absolutely loves playing badminton. And so much to his delight, his team has practices almost everyday, sometimes twice a day. Unlike the elementary school sports in the US, Taiwan school teams take practice very seriously (as with most other things 😅). Students have to run laps if they don’t do well during practices, and can get kicked off the team if they consistently perform poorly or have a bad attitude. It’s a bit harsh compared to U.S. standards but it definitely pushes the kids to work hard and take their responsibilities seriously.

Global Scholars Program. C isn’t part of this program yet, but will be applying for it. It’s a program for 5th and 6th graders that focuses on global issues – like reducing food waste – where students collaborate to develop solutions and create an action plan. They then present their action plan to other students from around the world participating in the same program.

The goal of this program aligns perfectly with what we’ve been encouraging our boys to do: identify a problem, come up with a solution, and take action. We hope this experience will help C build important skills like teamwork, communication, and leadership. To us, these skills are far more important than scoring well on a social studies exam. 😅

The programs I’ve mentioned are not available in every Taipei public school, so we really appreciate that our school has such an international and forward-thinking focus. That’s one of the great things about living on a small island like Taiwan – people are always looking outward and eager to learn from others around the world.

But it would be remiss not to mention C’s role in all of this. Despite a heavy homework load, he’s always excited to participate in activities. He definitely has a bit of FOMO – which, in his case, is a good thing – because he truly wants to make the most of every opportunity.

Ramblings

Typhoon Days in Taiwan

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In early October, Typhoon Krathon hit Taiwan. The eye of the storm was mostly in southern Taiwan but as a precaution, the Taipei city government decided to close offices and schools for two days on October 2-3.

Naturally, the boys were ecstatic. There was still homework assigned, because well, it’s Taiwan. 😂 Coming from California, we never had snow days but now we get to experience typhoon days or 颱風日!

Except, typhoon days aren’t as fun. People are advised to stay indoors because of high winds and rain. And with two active boys, staying indoors all day can be a challenge! Restaurants are closed. Grocery stores are cleared out the day before as people prepare to shelter in place.

But Typhoon Krathon turned out to be more of your average rainstorm, at least in Taipei. By the second day of closure, most businesses reopened and many people were out and about. (Which was for the best because we were running out of food. 😂) We started to wonder if cancelling school and businesses for two days was necessary at all.

Eating lunch at the food court in Taipei 101 during the second typhoon day.

Then in early November, another typhoon – Typhoon Kong-rey – hit Taiwan and other parts of Asia. This was a super typhoon and the strongest in 30 years. Normally, typhoons in Taiwan occur during the summer months when the air is the warmest. It is rare to to have typhoons in October, and even rarer in November so you know it was going to be a wild one. Schools and businesses closed again. This time we made sure to have enough food to last a few days.

We’ve experienced a few typhoons by this point, but most of them turned out to be rather tame. Typhoon Kong-rey however, was a real beast.

The rain and high winds howled for most of the day, but thankfully stopped before bedtime. Otherwise, I don’t think we’d be able to sleep!

The morning after:

Despite the strong wind, most of the damage was just fallen trees in our area. Although this typhoon was much stronger than Typhoon Krathon in October, the boys had to go back to school the next day. Maybe the fact that midterms were coming up had something to do with it! 😅

All of the debris was cleared out within a few days. As with the earthquake earlier this year, buildings in Taipei remained intact, and we never experienced any power or internet outages. Taiwan has its fair share of natural disasters but they are impressively well prepared!

Ramblings

Summer 2024 Activities in Taiwan: Zongzi, Fencing, and Monkey King Opera

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This summer, Baba’s sister (my SIL) came to Taiwan and stayed with us for 2.5 months. Prior to her arrival, the boys excitedly came up with a list of places to take her around Taipei and beyond. This is one of the few times we get to play host. Since most of our friends and family are from the Bay Area, we never had to take anyone around until we moved here.

Luckily, my SIL was down for everything. Even though we didn’t sign the boys up for any full-time camps, they still had a busy and productive summer! This is just a snippet of the things we did, in addition to Alishan and Indonesia (which I’ll blog about next!).

Zongzi Cooking Class. We had such a fun time learning how to wrap zongzi 粽子 at CookingFun Taiwan. At the time, the Dragon Boat Festival holiday had already passed so it was just the four of us in the whole class!

Making zongzi is extremely labor intensive since each ingredient needs to be prepared separately and in advance. The process can take days. Our teacher had already prepared some ingredients for us beforehand, so we were able to make 26 zongzi’s during the 2.5 hour class and take them all home with us!

Fencing. Fencing always looked like sword fighting to me so I thought the boys would enjoy it. I found a one-day trial class and signed the boys up. The class was really fun, but it’s quite a journey from our place and I’m not sure if we want to manage another extracurricular during the weekend. But how adorable are the fencing uniforms? 😍

Monkey King Chinese Opera. The Monkey King opera is put on by Taipei Eye Performing Arts. The show was really entertaining but I’m also glad it was only an hour. 😅 While there were English subtitles displayed on the side of the stage, Chinese opera can be rather hard to follow! The pre and post show activities were so much fun. We got to dress up in traditional Chinese costumes, participated in a print-making activity, and even met the actors.

Shrimping. Believe it or not, one of Taiwan’s pastimes is indoor shrimping. You rent fishing rods for about $13 an hour, and can catch as many shrimp during that time. The first time we went, we only caught 5. This time, we caught 9! You can then grill and eat the shrimp onsite. Despite how peculiar this all is, we always get a thrill whenever we catch a shrimp. The shrimp pool we went to this time was called Fun蝦休閒釣蝦場. It was clean, had AC and the staff was kind – highly recommend!

Tainan. Baba and I already took the boys to Tainan last October, but my SIL wanted to visit the city with the boys. They went for 2 nights, which gave Baba and me some much appreciated time off! 😊

Staying Active. It’s absurdly hot and humid in Taipei during the summer, so we had to find ways to stay active indoors. We played badminton, ping pong, swam, and went to the gym at the nearby sports center. On occasion, we would join a group of visually impaired people at Sun Yat Sen for a run at night. (Ok full disclosure: I did it once and couldn’t stand the humidity but Baba, my SIL and the boys went a few times!)

Glass Blowing. It never occurred to me to try glass blowing, but I wanted to find indoor activities to avoid the heat and this popped up on a blog. Guests get to take part in the entire process, from gathering molten glass from the furnace to forming the glass with the blowpipe. It was a fun, educational experience – but didn’t come cheap! Depending on the shape you want to make, the cost can be $30-$100 per person. Initially, we weren’t sure if we wanted to do it, until we realized the same experience in SF would cost around $200! Gotta take advantage of the benefits of living in Taiwan while we can. Our glass blowing experience was done at Kun Crystal.

There were more activities we did but I don’t want this blog to get too long. We had a pretty fun and productive summer, right? Except I’m sure if you asked the boys what we did all summer, they’d say, “Nothing. We just sat at home and played with our tablets.” 😒 Why do I even bother? 😂

Ramblings

Lessons Learned from Taiwan Public Schools: One Year Later

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Hours and hours of homework everyday. Tests each week. Instruction based purely on rote memorization. Berating from teachers.

These were the kinds of “horror” stories I read about Taiwan public schools before coming here. I mulled over our decision to send the boys to a public school, but ultimately agreed with Baba that it’s probably the best way for them to learn the language and culture.

Now that we’ve gone through one year in a Taiwan public elementary school, I can say that while some of the stories are true…it also isn’t nearly as bad as I imagined? Above all else, the boys learned many valuable lessons through this experience.

Time Management. Yes, there is homework everyday. O (1st grade) gets about 15-20 minutes of homework on average, while C (3rd grade) gets about 1.5 hours each day. Even more homework is assigned on the weekends and long holidays. On top of this, there are tests every week. Then the boys have extracurriculars and additional tutoring in math and English (from Baba and me).

This is a 180° from our life back in San Francisco. But with this shift, C and O have learned a lot about time management. They know to do homework when they come home. They know to ask Baba or me to double check their homework. When there is an upcoming test or more homework than usual, we strategize how to tackle everything. We complete the homework on Friday, then we spend Saturday and Sunday reviewing for the test. Yet through all of this, they never seem daunted by the workload.

C’s homework assignment book. He makes a habit of checking off assignments he’s completed.

How to Study. I honestly didn’t know how to properly study until college. I used to aimlessly flip through my textbooks and call it a day. 😅 In Taiwan, teachers make students correct errors on homework and tests (訂正). So when it’s time to prepare for an exam, we’d review the problems the boys got wrong before doing new practice problems. In reading comprehension, they both know to preview the questions first before reading the passage so he knows what to look for. If they write a character incorrectly on at practice test at home, they know to write it again three times for me, just like they do at school. Education is taken very seriously in Taiwan and I think this principle has rubbed off on the boys.

Facing Challenges. The task of learning a new language is a challenge in and of itself, but the overall curriculum in Taiwan is more challenging than what we had in the US. O had to learn 10+ vocabulary words each week, including how to write the character and their definitions. C, for example, learned geometry and started using a protractor and compass. In science, C learned about magnetic fields and plant biology. On top of generally harder coursework, remember that everything is also written in a foreign language.

The boys started off not understanding anything in school. But day by day, they showed up to school without feeling discouraged or defeated. And in just one academic year, they have not only adjusted well at their new school but more importantly, learned that they can take on any challenge.

O’s first day of school and not understanding a single word. 😂

However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the factors that played into our mostly positive experience in a Taiwan public school. First, we never put any pressure on the boys. We just want them to try their best and if they end up failing their exams, that’s ok too. Second, we were lucky to find a school and teachers that have been supportive. Our school is known to be less intense than other nearby schools. We were also lucky to find a great tutor to help C with his homework. But I think the most important factor is C and O’s personalities. They are generally carefree, easy-going, can make friends easily and are at an age where they can still quickly adapt. When things get tough, they shrug it off and move on. Their resilience never ceases to amaze me.

Are Taiwan public schools the best fit for our family in the long run? Probably not. Like I mentioned, there is some truth to the stories you hear about schools here. Much of the curriculum is based on rote memorization, with homework and tests getting more and more intense in the upper grades. It’s not for everyone. And since we want to eventually move back to the US, we want C and O to hold on to values that are important for their growth in the future – things like creativity, project-based learning and critical thinking.

In the meantime, we are happy here and could not have asked for a better experience. The boys even said they like school in Taiwan more than in the US. 😶I always remind C and O how lucky they are to be able to go through two very different education systems that will only enrich their life experiences.

Ramblings

One Year Ago

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One year ago on this day, we left our home and went on the biggest adventure of our lives.

I still remember the days leading up to June 3rd last year and realized I never documented it. I remember tossing and turning every night, wondering if we were making the right decision. I remember my anxiety building up as we slowly gave/sold/stored away our belongings until our home of 7 years no longer looked like ours anymore.

On the day of, I woke up in disbelief – which as I later discovered, became a constant theme throughout the day. Is it really June 3rd? Are we really doing this? Is it too late to change our minds? 😂

In the morning, Connor’s good friend stopped by for another goodbye. Baba’s sisters and BILs came over to spend time with us and help us get rid of any remaining furniture. We ate lunch together and at around 4pm, my sister and BIL came to pick us up for the airport.

It was hard. We did one last walk through of a now empty apartment, a place that carried so many memories. My SILs cried as we left. I felt terribly guilty, like I was prematurely cutting short their relationship with the boys. They played a huge part in helping us raise C and O, and that is something we’ll sorely miss.

Although I told them not to come (because airport parking is crazy expensive!), my family met us at the airport to send us off. Everyone was in good spirits and excited for us, which made leaving a little less hard. They will always be my biggest cheerleaders, and I am so, so thankful for their support.

Going through the gates was surreal. I was flooded with anxiety, excitement, shock and everything in between. I couldn’t eat or sit still. Or breathe. (On the other hand, Baba and the boys seemed oblivious to it all. 😒)

When the plane took off, I looked over at Baba in disbelief. Did we really just leave the place we called home for most of our lives? Are we really not going to see our families for 3 years? I dozed on and off throughout the flight but every time I woke up, I wondered if this was all a dream. I simply could not believe this was happening.

Now, a whole year after that pivotal day, I wish I could tell the 2023 me that it’ll all be ok. It’s kind of funny how much I worried back then, when this has turned out to be such an incredible and transformative experience for our family. We began this journey long before we stepped foot in Taiwan. Looking back, the conversation Baba and I had could’ve gone in a totally different direction, but whether it’s through some divine intervention or just pure luck, I’m forever grateful that we decided to take the chance.

Ramblings

Learning Chinese: 1 Step Forward, 2 Steps Back

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This post only pertains to my Chinese learning journey. I’ll write about the boys’ progress in another post.

We’ve been living in Taiwan for 9 months already 🤯, and for the most part we’ve adjusted to the Taiwanese way of life. We’ve made friends, are comfortable navigating around the city, and have our daily routines nailed down.

The biggest challenge has been, and continues to be, learning Chinese. I wrote about first learning Chinese 6 months ago, and while my Chinese has improved drastically since then, I feel like it’s plateaued. I can comfortably order at a restaurant, exchange simple pleasantries with strangers, and introduce my background. But beyond that, it can be a struggle holding conversations.

My conversation skills are completely dependent on the topic. I can chat about the kids’ school and about daily life, but if the topic shifts to say, skincare, I am clueless. (This actually happened in real life: I went in for a facial and had zero clue what the aesthetician was telling me about my pores and moisturizing. 😅) This is because I have been learning vocabulary by subject matter. I write down words that are useful or related to a topic that interests me. For example, after the earthquake, I learned the Chinese words for “damages”, “aftershock”, and “predict”, knowing that this subject might come up.

My notebook of Chinese words. I’m already on my second book!

So on days when I’m chatting about kids or eating out, I feel pretty good about my Chinese. Other days – like today, when a sales person tried to introduce me to different types of sneakers- I feel like I took 2 steps back.

All is not lost though. Because I have been writing down words and reviewing them consistently, my reading and writing skills have improved a lot. I can read signs and simple text messages without having to copy and paste into Google translate. I can write messages using pinyin (though it still takes me awhile to do). An indirect effect to all this is that my mom even noticed that my Cantonese got better! 😊

Aside from learning vocabulary words, I have been listening to podcasts, meeting language exchange partners and doing weekly sessions on italki. (I’ll list these resources at the bottom of this post.) I still volunteer at the boys’ school and it’s a great way to chat with locals, but our conversations are usually pretty perfunctory. I stopped taking in-person Chinese classes after the boys’ winter break. The classes gave me a great head start, but I wanted to try other things.

Baba asked me what my next goals for Chinese are, and honestly I’m not sure. To feel confident enough to just speak without mulling over every word? To be able to have deeper conversations with people? I don’t really have a definitive, measurable goal other than continuing to improve. It’s hard, but to be able to connect with people using their language is an amazing feeling.

Resources for Chinese Language Learning:

  • Learn Taiwanese Mandarin podcast – Probably my favorite podcast so far. The best part is she has a website with transcripts of each episode that includes pinyin and the English definitions.
  • Talk Taiwanese Mandarin with Abby podcast – Another good podcast for Chinese learning. You do have to join her Patreon to access the transcripts.
  • italki – An online language platform where you can schedule 1:1 video chats with teachers. It’s convenient – you can schedule classes according to your schedule – but classes can be expensive. I found a teacher I really like on there.
  • Tandem – A free language exchange app where you can find people to chat with. (Conversely, I’d help them with English.) I’ve met a couple of people through the app, but the problem is finding someone who can regularly practice with you.
Ramblings

Earthquake!

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While my sister and BIL were in town, we had another visitor: an earthquake! It happened on Tuesday, April 3rd at 7:58am. We’ve experienced tremors before in Taiwan, but this was a big one – measuring in at 7.4 – with many, many aftershocks. The epicenter was in Hualien, which is about 2 hours away from Taipei.

A big earthquake like this is something that is forever burned into your memory. (I still remember everything from the 1989 San Francisco earthquake!) After I dropped off the kids at school, I cooked breakfast while my sister sat on the couch. Suddenly, we felt the ground shake and when it didn’t stop, we both scrambled under the dining table. 😂 The ground rolled violently back and forth, and the noise was thunderous. Meanwhile, my BIL was in the bathroom the whole time and Baba didn’t feel a thing because he was biking. 😶

The earthquake might have only been for ~30 seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Luckily, no one was hurt (that we know of), and there was very little damage in the apartment, except for a crack near the front door and in the boys’ room.

Our school sent pictures and notifications shortly afterward, reassuring parents that all the students were safe. Because Taiwan is prone to earthquakes, our school does regular earthquake drills. So other than feeling rattled, all the students and staff were prepared. Classes resumed afterwards as usual, and C mentioned that his teacher was worried she wouldn’t finish the lesson on time! 😂

Taiwan’s preparedness for this earthquake has been impressive. In Taipei, other than the MRT and trains halting service for a couple of hours, there was no significant disruption. There were no power or internet outages, businesses were open as usual, and all buildings remained intact. Many US publications commended Taiwan for its earthquake resilience and the huge strides it made after the 7.7 earthquake in 1999.

The greatest damage has been in the epicenter, Hualien, where Taroko National Park is located. So far, 13 people have died in the area but relative to the magnitude of the earthquake, the number of fatalities is pretty low. The park is likely to be closed for at least a year, and some trails like Zhuilu Old Road may be closed for much longer.

We feel so fortunate to have visited Taroko just 2 months before the earthquake. I’m saddened to hear that people lost their lives exploring this beautiful place, and it will be awhile before it can be enjoyed again. Here’s to hoping that the rescue and reconstruction efforts in Hualien continue smoothly and safely! 🙏

Ramblings

A Special Visit

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In early April, we welcomed my sister and BIL to Taiwan! My niece was on her 8th grade Chinese immersion trip to Taipei and Hong Kong, so it was the perfect excuse for a visit. (Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see my niece at all because of her school’s strict schedule, what a bummer!)

While my niece stayed with her classmates at a hotel the entire time, we hosted my sister and BIL at our place. The boys were so excited to see family other than Baba and me for once! They nagged Uncle 6 to play Chinese chess whenever they could, and the adults squeezed in a badminton game while the kids were at school.

Since both my sister and BIL have been to Taipei a couple times already, we skipped all the touristy stuff and just ate to our hearts’ content. This made for a much more relaxing visit because we weren’t rushing from place to place. And boy, did we eat! Here are some of the more memorable places we visited:

  • Paradise Dynasty: A contemporary Taiwanese/Chinese restaurant that serves xiao long bao, fried rice, wonton noodle soup, etc. It’s a good alternative to Din Tai Fung.
  • Lan Jia Gua Bao: My sister and BIL said they were craving gua baos ever since they had one in Seattle, so we took them to the best place that we know of in Taipei. There is something so satisfying about braised pork belly with crushed peanuts, cilantro, and pickled mustard wrapped in a soft bao.
  • Yong Kang Beef Noodle: My favorite place to get the classic Taiwanese beef noodle soup. It’s on the richer/spicier side, which in hindsight, probably wasn’t my sister’s cup of tea. 😅
  • Smoothie House: Even though it’s not mango season, shaved ice at Smoothie House is still a treat. We had shaved ice with frozen mangoes and fresh strawberries.
  • Tian Jin Scallion Pancake: Tian Jin is a simple food stall in the middle of Yong Kang Street that sells fresh, cripsy scallion pancakes. Along with Yong Kang Beef Noodle and Smoothie House, Tian Jin is always one of the stops we make whenever we’re in Yong Kang.
  • Din Tai Fung: Do I need to say more? When in Taiwan, this place is a must.
  • Sichao Rice Shop: A Taiwanese fusion restaurant with yummy dishes and beautiful presentation. The atmosphere was contemporary and elegant without being pretentious!
  • 上海宴: Another restaurant serving xiao long baos, fried rice and meats, but this place does everything very well. I’d say their XLBs are second to Din Tai Fung’s.

After 5 short days in Taipei, my sister and BIL took off to Hong Kong. It was so nice seeing familiar faces, and their visit made me miss having family around even more. There is a level of comfort with family that’s irreplaceable because they know you better than anyone else in this world. While we’re having so much fun in Taiwan, I only wish it were possible to combine everything we love in one place. ❤️

Ramblings

The New Normal

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Almost a year ago, I wrote down my prediction for how I’d adjust to moving abroad. Knowing how I normally react to big changes, I predicted that I would hate it the first couple of months, then learn to love it, then finally reach a plateau. Now that we’ve been in Taiwan for half a year, I thought about this post and how far or close it was to reality.

When we first arrived in Taipei after a 2-month trip in Europe, I didn’t really like our new home. Compared to places that we had just visited like Florence and Barcelona, I’ll be completely honest – Taipei isn’t the most visually appealing city. 🙊 Some buildings look run-down and grubby, electric wires hang haphazardly, and the skies were grey and gloomy (at least during August when we first arrived). I even began to wonder if we should have moved to Spain instead.

Luckily, that feeling lasted for only a couple of weeks and not months. I started to appreciate how safe, cheap and convenient it is to live here, and how quickly we felt at home in this foreign place. I had worried about how the boys would adjust, but the move was like any other day to them. 😂 From when we first landed in Taiwan to their first day of school, they remain completely unfazed. I’m beyond grateful and proud of their resilience.

I already shared what we love about Taiwan so I won’t repeat that here, but it’s safe to say that my old blog post is pretty inaccurate. Six months in, the honeymoon phase still hasn’t ended for us. We are always discovering something new and fascinating. We miss the energy and comfort of Taipei whenever we’re traveling. The language barrier is still a challenge but living here only motivates us to continue improving.

Maybe one day, Taipei will lose its shine and we’ll grow to be nonchalant about it. But for now, Taipei is our home, our new normal. And I already know that when we leave this place, I will miss it immensely.

Ramblings

Lunar New Year in Taiwan

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Even though our winter break was packed with activities, we made sure to schedule time in Taipei during Lunar New Year. We were curious how the locals celebrated this important holiday.

Turns out, it’s pretty tame. 😆 But it’s also because LNY is a family-oriented holiday, and since we have no relatives here, we didn’t get to partake in many festivities. Still, we have been enjoying the lovely decorations around the city, and of course we visited Dihua Street to buy LNY snacks and goodies.

A lot of Taiwanese locals warned us that Taipei becomes totally vacant during LNY. It was noticeably quieter, but the places that remained open were very busy. I guess those of us who stayed in Taipei were all looking for somewhere to go!

On the first day of LNY, we went around the neighborhood to watch lion dances. The most popular one was at Grand Hyatt. But it was so crowded that we could only see the lion when it was up on stilts. Luckily, we saw another lion dance not too far away and this time, we had a front row view.

The next few days were surprisingly normal, and the majority of stores and restaurants opened back up. The only real disruption was the garbage service. Normally, garbage trucks come around everyday except Wednesdays and Sundays, but during the first week of LNY, the schedule was erratic. Whenever we heard the garbage truck music play, Baba and I rushed downstairs because we just never knew when the next garbage day would be!

About a week after LNY, the Lantern Festival 元宵節 began. The Lantern Festival is not hugely celebrated in SF, so this was an eye-opening experience. The festival celebrates the end of LNY and welcomes the coming of spring. People enjoy fireworks, lanterns, and eating glutinous rice balls (湯圓) during this time. The national Lantern Festival celebration was held in Tainan this year, but Taipei also had its own festival in Ximen.

The lanterns were gorgeous! Some of them were actually created by students in a lantern-making contest too. The whole Ximen area was sprinkled with lanterns everywhere; it was fun spotting them while we roamed around.

The year of the dragon – especially when it meets leap year – is considered very auspicious in Chinese culture. We wish everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous new year!