Yesterday's Tomorrow... and a note from Rick

Today is yesterday's tomorrow. Today is February 9th. Today is Saturday. Today is the first day of Chinese New Year festival, aka Spring Festival (this post offers more information concerning what the holiday is). In honor of said date, our neighbors in the apartment across from us are cooking up Chinese food galore and kindly sent us some meatball-looking substances that are rice balls covered in pork and fried until crisp. It's a sort of traditional courtesy, like if people sent their neighbors turkeys or stuffing for Thanksgiving in the States. Either that, or it's just a Chinese-to-foreigner sort of return, which is equally as likely. We've been given a fish for free once for Matthew "to play with". (We ended up giving it away to the neighbors, as we are 1) not fish fans, and 2) a little leery of seafood here, as Xi'an is near no open water.)

Firework-shooting in China, unlike in America, are open for anyone to try, a legal act that screams two words: LOUD, DANGEROUS, CRAZY. Oh, actually, that's three words. :\
Anywho, this is the reason why they shall come in an excess amount. As I type this, some are going off outside this very second. However, this year, we DID receive a text placing some limitations regarding the explosion of fireworks. Jenna translated it as saying to not set fireworks off near people, public facilities, in the street, etc. That may or may not control the fireworks. Just a little bit.

Our apartment building's front door has two new posters, one on each side, with thick cartoon snakes. Metro (a Chinese Costco without the free samples) is clothed in red, China's lucky color, and I'm sure the world is also a slight shade of red, if I ever decide to get out of this apartment. Our apartment doesn't really hint that it's Chinese New Year, but we'll probably get some [red] Chinese paper cut-outs on the windows and front door to suggest so. However, our apartment will not be bathed in red.

There's not much more to say for the moment, except maybe what we had for dinner last night and breakfast today, which is hardly worth mentioning (Indian food and baked potatoes, if you're that curious).

~Abby

AND NOW THE NOTE FROM RICK
Well, we had snow yesterday - a whole two inches. Then. I wake up this morning to see that our family and friends in Mass are getting up to three feet. Yeah, our "whole two inches" of snow is already gone.
We are gearing up for tonight, when, around 4 pm, the fireworks of all fireworks will start, to last until at least 3 am. I will be going out tonight to get some photos that shall be posted tomorrow.





~Rick