Spring Festival Approaches

Thursday night we attended the People's Liberation Army Spring Festival Party to welcome the year of the Ox. January 26 is the Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year. Seating at the event is done by diplomatic rank and for the past 2 years we were seated in the last row of tables. This year, we were delighted to find we had moved up two rows and we were still seated with our close friends, the South Africans, with whom we traveled this fall.

Dinner was buffet and full of the usual delicacies. I limited myself to the vegetable dishes. Being a vegetarian has proven to be a very wise choice for someone moving to China. I must have known when I was 12 that I had better get prepared. I was happy to avoid the chicken feet.

At our table, in addition to the South Africans, were Vietnamese and Cambodians and a few PLA officers. One officer I met at the dinner spoke perfect English and we had a very interesting conversation. I asked him if he had ever been to America and he said, "no." He said he would very much like to visit, though because it is such a big country. I replied that China, is quite big but he said he meant that he meant America is vast in its diversity. He said that in China, if you talk to one person, you talk to every person because everyone has the same opinions and thoughts but that in America, everyone is different.

I seized upon the opportunity to affirm his thoughts and tell him how great America is, indeed. I told him that people in America come from every background and that anyone can do anything he or she wants to achieve there. America accepts everyone. I said that our youngest son was born in China but China will not give him a passport. In America, if you are born in America, you are an American, no matter what. He seemed to know most of what I told him but also seemed to enjoy talking about these things. It was clear to me that he had perfected his English, in part, by watching American television programs and movies, so I asked him what his favorite show to watch is. He said "Friends."