Happy Chinese New Year's Eve! It is Spring Festival time and the mood is quite festive here. It's a little like Christmas, and it's nice to be around a Chinese family.
This afternoon Reborn and I braved the cold to go run some errands before everything closed for the New Year, which is tomorrow. Kelsey stayed home to rest her knee. I felt a lot colder than yesterday. Then Reborn and I decided to go ice-skating outside. Or actually I skated; Reborn watched. It was pretty fun, although my fingers just about froze. I could barely move them. And it wasn't the best idea to drag Reborn around in the cold. Now she has a high fever.
Although everyone didn't feel the greatest, we went to Reborn's grandparents' tiny apartment for a huge meal and to set off firecrackers at midnight. It was a special occasion, and I'm glad we got to spend it with such a great family.
There were 21 people in a room about the same size as our dining room in Topeka. It was hot and smoky and a bit uncomfortable. We sat all squished together around a wooden table on little wooden stools. Kesley and I were the guests of honor, so we go to sit by Reborn's grandparents.
The grandpa was quite an interesting guy. He had a really terrible hearing aid that was basically a microphone in one of his ears. He could barely hear, because he was in the "Old" Red Army in the 1940s. I'm not sure why the grandma is also practically deaf. They have five sons and one daughter. Reborn's dad is the oldest son.
At midnight we went outside to set off fireworks. It was a lot like the Fourth of July, except we were in Siberia and it was a lot crazier since everyone in the apartment complexes were also setting them off. It was a very memorable experience.
(Ice-skating in a freezer).
(Some of the many dishes at our New Year's Eve dinner).
(With the grandpa and his creative hearing aid).
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