Happy new year everyone!!
I'm back from Shijiazhuang and safely back online, not having to suffer from the withdrawal symptoms of an internet addict anymore. But guess what, turns out that going to Shijiazhuang was just the right thing for me to do in order to get over that critial culture shock stage. The cultural immersion therapy of being with Chinese people for five days non-stop (well ok, I had my own bedroom) actually got me over the irritation with the culture super quickly - most probably because these particular people are just so extremely nice. Hey, who could object to being really treated like the guest of honour for a few days? I got so many smiles, presents, thank yous, good wishes and interested questions, not to forget the food, food, food that was being pushed down my throat just about all the time. Although that might be the wrong expression, or at least I should clarify that the person mainly doing the pushing was me, though with constant encouragement from the others. "Chinese people feel like they are being bad hosts, if the guests do not eat the food. The more you eat, the happier they will be, as they can say that their food surely is very good as the guest is eating so much." And this is definitely one of the Chinese wisdoms that I have learned to know thoroughly.

So what did we do for the festival? Mostly we just spent time with the family, both from the mother's and the father's side. We had quite a few meals in restaurants with various relatives and friends, as well as ate over at the grandparents' house and an uncle's house. And of course, made dumplings ourselves, on new year's day morning (22nd Jan). Mmm. I think I've kinda got the process of it now... might even give it a try one of these days, make them at home from scratch.

The one thing that makes me feel little uneasy is the amount of money they spent on me. I got so many presents, including traditional Chinese clothes (and these things really aren't cheap...), and was taken around to all these places and dinners, all expenses paid. Even when we went shopping and tried on some trousers that I liked, the mum went ahead and bought them for me. I'm wondering how I'll be able to pay back. And not just for the presents, I mean, but most of all for being so amazingly nice to me all the time. And even though they don't know it, for getting me over that nasty culture shock and back to enjoying being in China ;)

On new year's eve after coming back from dinner, we just sat around and watched the CCTV (China Central Television) New Year's show, which was a whole lot of Chinese music, dance and comedy. By this time, I was already back in the mood for all things Chinese, and actually enjoyed watching it. By midnight, the noise over the city got deafening, firecrackers *everywhere*. And not just pissy little ones, like we have in Finland for new year's, these are really like bombs, I can't understand how anyone can be anywhere near them without going completely deaf. If I though that the noise on the solar new year outside the bar in Suzhou was something, this was like a hundred times that and *everywhere*, not just in one place like that night. And of course fireworks, too, all over the city, in absolutely every direction. I've never seen anything like it, amazing.

But now, it's good to be back in Baoding. The city is quiet now, actually, most shops are still closed and people are still with their families. But of course when I say quiet, I don't mean that the streets are totally empty, more like "a busy day in a Finnish town" kind of quiet. And coming back makes me realise again how much I *do* like this place, I felt really happy walking through the streets a couple of hours ago, dodging between the street vendors and laughing at little kids staring at the 'laowai'. And instead of getting irritated by people talking about me, I actually got back to enjoying talking back to them when they don't expect it. Not that my Chinese is that good, but it's enough to fool people by saying a couple of things in passing. Like at the supermarket today when two older men saw me and started talking about the 'American', saying a lot of things, I have no clue as to what, but by ending it by saying 'but she of course doesn't understand what we say', I got a few sniggers from walking past and smiling at them and saying that I did understand what they had just said (ah, those little white lies). You should have seen their faces. Though I'd like to know what they actually *did* say...

Ok, maybe more later but this is it for now. I'm going to start getting used to my couch potato life again, I'm well stocked with coffee and peanuts and DVDs, so it shouldn't be too hard. But, I'll still add a few pictures to the photoalbum tonight, so check it out.