Chinese New Year

Thus are the first three days of the Chinese New Year ended, and with them gone the harsh reality of school life beckons again. But before we return to that, I will reflect on the days gone by.

CNY has always been, for as long as I can remember, a time of awkwardness while visiting relatives, especially on my father's side. I've always been closer to my cousins on my mother's side. Somehow, the inverse seems true this year. It's odd when I consider the previous situation, because I spent a great deal of my childhood in my paternal grandmother's house. I should be closer to my cousins there, but I wasn't. I put it down to the language barrier, and perhaps also religious differences. I can recall a time when I was close to them, but then as I grew older I drifted away. My inability to speak Chinese, whereas they were fluent in both that and Hokkien, influenced my relationship with my cousins greatly. CNY became a time of polite gestures and greetings, but not much talk.

Now we are older. My two oldest cousins have stable girlfriends. One is due to marry by the year's end. My oldest female cousin just got a makeover. For the first time in my life I saw her with makeup. Another sign of changing times. Somehow this year over steamboat and other things I managed to reconnect with my cousins. We talked and laughed and joked. They are quite a fun bunch actually. The male lineage has always been strong in the Lian clan. My late grandmother gave birth to six sons, not a single daughter. Today most of her grandchildren are male. I suppose that helps in forging bonds. Our age gaps aren't that wide either.

The situation on my mother's side is different this year. It started a few years ago. Somehow I drifted away from my younger cousins, with whom I was once very chummy. Age difference probably. Then my older cousin entered the army, and his course in life is very different from mine. Suddenly CNY there has become another round of polite gestures and greetings.

That being said, this CNY has been fairly enjoyable so far. It's always been a time of mirth and merrymaking, and I've lost myself in food over the past few days. It was good, while it lasted.

Now school will begin anew. I pray for strength and perserverance. Things are really getting on my nerves. Day by day, I pray for patience and Christ-centredness.