I'm on a 4 day weekend, that I didn't know I would be having, until it happened. The biggest downside to my job is the lack of communication between the Foreign Language department and myself. It's like they forget I exist, or assume I know everything the Chinese English teachers do. At first, I thought it was me. That they didn't like me. But Ned ran into Hana, a teacher from Finland who teaches Russian for the department, and nobody told her either. She went to class at 7:30 am Monday morning, only to find the building completely deserted. So it isn't me. It's them.
The reason why we had so many days off is because China celebrated a holiday in which people burn paper money for their deceased relatives. The money goes to heaven to their relatives, and their loved ones can buy everything they need in heaven with the money. It's like "heaven money." It's gold and comes in sheets, and people go to a corner on a road, make a circle and
burn the money inside the circle.
Why, on a corner?
well, would you ask your friend to meet you in the middle of a street?
No.
A corner is the easiest way for our relatives to find us.
I love how pragmatic the Chinese are, even in dealing with metaphysical endeavors.
Ned and I and our friend Sun Peng burned some money for our relatives on Saturday night too.
The next morning two of my jackets had fallen off their hooks onto the floor. They never fall off the hooks. Ned said he thought it was my spirits telling me they heard my prayers.
I hope so.
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