Zen, part Two

When we last left our hero, he was brimming with optimism—the hope of a pleasant vacation to recharge the proverbial batteries and reboot the proverbial operating system on the horizon. (Is it obvious I recently had to take my computer to the Apple Store?) Alas, this happy ending was not in the cards…

That’s right. After writing about how low I had fallen during the fall, and writing about how optimistic I was going into the winter, I found myself crestfallen, perhaps lower and more downtrodden than ever before.

Why?

Well, I thought you’d never ask.

Qingming

What’s the point of having a holiday if you have to make it up on the weekend?

I have received this question literally every time I explain how universities in China handle holiday schedules. For example, 4 April this year was the date for Qingming Jie, or the Tomb Sweeping festival. With the holiday on Wednesday, I was informed by my school that we would have Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off. (Before you get too excited, remember the question above.) Even though the holiday was for three days, Monday and Tuesday’s classes were to be made up on the Saturday and Sunday preceding the holiday.

So what’s the point of having a holiday if you have to make it up on the weekend? 不知道. I don't know. I bitterly asked myself that question as I taught Saturday and again on Sunday, but the bitterness quickly faded after class on Sunday, because I had plans to travel regardless.

A Spring Festival Story

In my previous post, I explained, “a student has invited me to celebrate the Chinese New Year (known as Spring Festival) with her and her family. This is an opportunity I’m really excited to have. I really want to experience the holiday first-hand, as Chinese people celebrate, instead of from a voyeuristic perspective as a traveller or tourist.”

What follows is what I wrote following Spring Festival. Enjoy!