Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! (Zhong Qiu Jie Kuai Le!)

The past few weeks, Jilin, as well as the rest of the country has been inundated with delicious treats called "Moon Cakes," in preparation of today. In the lunar calender, today is the 15th day of the 8th month which coincides with the Full Moon! Oddly enough, it also has coincided with the weather turning quite chilly. *tear* There have been a plethora of moon cake stands all over the city and we're posing with, I presume, a traditional family strolling down the streets of Jilin with some moon cakes.Families gather tonight and share a meal together, taking in the glorious full moon. They munch on moon cakes. I think most are pretty good, but there are some that warrant being thrown in the trash.

We've been invited to Jenny's apartment for a pot-luck dinner to celebrate the day. We've done a pretty good job of cooking up an international menu. Matt whipped up some garlic mashed potatoes, Kevin made some Mediterranean Salad, and I made some Thai vegetable curry.

Today in class, my students taught me a famous Mid-Autumn Festival Poem by Li Bai that everyone memorizes.

静夜思

床前明月光，
疑是地上霜。
举头望明月，
低头思故乡。
by 李白

While I am not a certified translator, I'll give it a shot:

Thoughts in a Silent Night
Bright moon light falls in front of my bed,
frosting the ground beneath my feet.
I tilt my head towards the bright moon,
then I lower my head and think of my homeland.

*tear* (place your finger near your eye and imitate a tear drop falling) Many of you know that I do this as a comedic action, so don't worry about me!

But seriously, all of you are in my thoughts and I hope that you have a fabulous Mid-Autumn Festival Day.