Bringing in the Year of the Rabbit

Last night, we attended our local Chinese Association's New Year celebration.  It was a potluck in an old dance hall, and it was even more fun than last year's event (which took place at a high school and was catered).  I was apprehensive about how it would go, since Sarah has been boycotting naps again the last few days, but she was a perfect angel.  We are blessed that she has never caused a scene in public, despite her demonstrations of will at home (knock wood!).

Because I really want to get to know our fellow association members, I boldly suggested that people wear name tags at the event.  Before I knew it, I was taking tickets and welcoming people, with Don and Sarah providing moral support.  The idea wasn't embraced by everyone, and it didn't go exactly as I'd envisioned.  I foolishly thought people would write their names in Pinyin, the romanized version of Chinese that I can read, but many wrote them in Chinese characters, which was no help at all (for me, at least).  Can you say "naive"?

Each family had to bring two dishes, and the food was abundant and fantastic.  I wasn't about to try to cook anything Chinese (although I hope someday to have the courage to do so), so my bean salad sat bashfully among the homemade dumplings, noodles, ribs, spring rolls, and kung pao chicken.  My chocolate chip cookies disappeared, though!

This year's event included a white elephant exchange, which added some fun and mayhem.  When it was Sarah's turn to either open a gift or take one from someone else, a teenage boy eagerly offered her the wind-up Tigger toy that he'd been saddled with, and she agreed.  She played with it on the floor for the remainder of the swapping, and fortunately, no one dared (or desired) to take it from her.

The only downside was a much-reduced entertainment portion.  Last year, there was an elaborate stage show of all ages singing and dancing in the school auditorium.  This year, a young boy performed a dance routine to "Ghost Busters," another gave a violin solo, and a teenage girl did ballet to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," while many partiers continued to socialize.  The performers had heart, though.

After the distribution of the "hong bao" (red envelopes with dollar bills) to the kids under 12, the adults started singing Karaoke, and Sarah began dancing, even though no one else was.  She's really good at shaking her booty.  It was adorable, but unfortunately, it was also time to go.  Sarah has a knack for warming up just when it's time to leave.

I am thankful for this group of people and their warmth toward us.  Although the New Year celebration is nowhere near as large or elaborate as those you find in large cities, I value the intimacy and casualness of it.  Along with the smaller celebrations held throughout the year, it gives us a chance to get to know individuals in the Chinese community.  There are at least two kids Sarah's age whom we see each time, and I hope they will become friends as time goes on.  A number of the women have taken an interest in Sarah, and I hope she'll be able to establish relationships with them.  I want her to feel connected to her culture.  Don and I can't do that alone, but maybe these kind people can help.

(You'll notice in the photos that Sarah has developed a cheesy smile for the camera.)

Epilogue:  Sadly, Sarah had a rough night's sleep last night.  She was sobbing in her sleep three times.  I tried comforting her, but she continued with her eyes closed, making delicate gestures with her hands.  It was hard to watch.  I have no idea if it was related to the party itself (bringing back some unhappy memories?) or just to her being overtired.