Year of the Cock

Saturday was the beginning of the Lunar New Year, though most people started celebrating on Friday. It was also the first time since moving to China that I was out of the country during the Chinese New Year. I went to Tel Aviv just before it started and will come back long after everyone has gone back to their jobs and daily routines. The holiday is not officially over until the Lantern Festival on February 11, but most people only get two or three days off. Since it was over the weekend, a lot of people already had those days off anyway. If you have a cushy government or corporate job, maybe you get Monday and Tuesday off.

I have two roommates. One of them has one of those cushy office jobs. He usually gets around six days off. This year, those days off are the week after it all starts. That is always better if you want to travel.

My other roommate teaches English to spoiled rich children. That job has a lot of drawbacks, but one huge benefit is that spoiled rich children never go to school during major holidays. Her vacation started on New Year's Eve and ends long after the rest of us are back at work.

I'm working through the whole thing. I rarely have the New Year off, but this year I took some time to go to Tel Aviv. Chinese New Year does not mean much in Israel. Their next big holiday is Purim, in March. I would love to see that, but unfortunately, it is not going to happen this year.

If you live in China and have a week off during the New Year, leaving the country is not a bad idea. Big cities are usually pretty crowded, but they get ridiculous during major holidays. Chinese New Year is the biggest of the lot. Lily and Kevin were going to go to Japan, but then they checked the weather. I still think that's funny. They are both from Canada, but shied away from Japan because it is winter. So they went to Bangkok instead. 30°C and 0% chance of rain looked better than a few degrees above freezing and daily showers.

That means our apartment will be empty until they get back. But if you are a thief, don't get any ideas. Our neighbor keeps an eye on things. She pays attention whether we want her to or not. Unless she is a thief. Then we just might be screwed.