Happy New Year

Chinese New Year, just like every other holiday in the world, can’t be about anything else but family and food. During Chinese New Year’s celebration, people spend time with the whole family, eating traditional cuisines, and if budget and time allow, people sometimes go travel after the first three days of celebration at home. To summarize Chinese New Year simply: Eat, sleep, and repeat.

New Year is the day that all Chinese international students think of home, skype with family, and have meals with their friends.  Even after six years of being abroad, this holiday is still emotional to me. Just reading posts, seeing pictures from friends and receiving greetings and wishes from family takes my heart instantly back to the 5000-mile-away home.

Not like at home, I didn't say "happy new year" to everyone I meet, and I didn't get to go door to door to family and friends and deliver greetings. It is a day that has mixed feelings to me, that I sometimes prefer hiding my emotion. Because others wouldn’t understand, how special this day is to me, or to the sons and daughters that are away from home due to studies or work. New Year is just another year, nothing special. Life goes on.

Things don't become special until they are far away from you. Some peers back home would think that I am living a good life overseas partying every day; Some that don’t know America or Germany well asked me why I don’t have school break for New Year, or why I am not coming home. First time I was abroad my Grandma said to me on the phone, “You don’t have school break for (Chinese) New Year there? Are you coming home next year?”

Who doesn’t want to be home for Christmas, who doesn’t want to be home for Chinese New Year. A way of thinking, or a philosophy—Work hard today for a better life tomorrow— secretly influences every generation. A lot of Chinese people would sacrifice “the life in the moment,” because they believe their effort will pay off someday. Tomorrow is the thing that strives them. It is this belief “tomorrow will be better” that motivates them sitting in the library on the other side of the world, while their family are gathering together for a great start of a New Year. Looking at the calendar, it seems like I won't be home again for Chinese New Year 2016. 

This year I had a dinner with some Chinese peers in Germany. Maybe the food here doesn’t taste the same like home, maybe it is not the same spending New Year without your family. But a little red New Year’s package from host family touched me, simple words like “Happy New Year” from my American and German friends touched me, an invite to a dinner touched me. I sat among these Chinese students that I don't even know well, hearing our laughter, speaking my mother tongue, and thought of home… at that moment, my dish was spiced, it tasted like home.

Home—Miles apart, still in my heart. Stay hopeful—of the things ahead; Be grateful—of the people you have. I wish everyone a HAPPY New Year with good health, prosperity, and good luck!

Little FYI: Chinese New Year’s Day is the first day according to the Chinese lunar calendar. It falls between January 20^th and February 20^th of the Gregorian calendar every year.  This year is on the 19^th of February. It is the biggest holiday, not just in China, but also within all Chinese people’s heart. The official holiday lasts three days, however, as a kid I always celebrated it for more than five days because we have school break.