dear lara
i'm having a fantastic time. this is easily the best best vacation l've ever had. i think china is the most interesting country in the world, and i'm definitely having more fun here than i wold be having at home in the usa!
the last two weeks have been amazing because it is the chinese new year. new year is a bigger and more important holiday here than at home. i didn't know that new year in china isn't the same time as ours. this might sound odd, but it isn't even on the same date every year. did you know that new year in china starts with the first new moon of the new year, and it ends on the day of the full moon fifteen days later? l was a bit confused by all this, but mrs. lee explained that the chinese calendar is based on the movements of the moon and the sun, so their new year must fit in with this.
anyway , i've had a great time. i helped mrs. lee clean up the house for new year. then, on new year' s eve, we put all the brooms, mops and dust cloths away because no cleaning is allowed on new year' s day. (you aren't even allowed to wash your hair!) that evening i had a wonderful dinner with the lee family. there were lost of relatives there as it's a special day for families to get together and remember their ancestors. mr. lee set off some firecrackers at midnight, and we had to have all the doors and the windows in the house open so that the old year could get out.
on new year's day there was more food! although it was the biggest meal i'd ever seen, we didn't eat any meat that day. i ate the most unusual foods i've ever eaten - things like lotus seed and black seaweed! all the foods are said to bring good luck. then we went out and stopped by lots of other houses to wish everyone a happy new year. all the houses lookmore beautiful at this time of year. lots of people decorate their rooms for new year, usually with red paint or wallpaper, and they put happy wishes written on pieces of red paperon walls and doors. the living rooms are full of vases of flowers , plates of oranges, and lots of candles.
the celebrations went on for two weeks, so i'm very tired and a bit fatter than i was when i last saw you!
i'll write again soon.
love,
coral