Three nights in a cave, something I thought I would never experience. The coming of the New Year is the most anticipated time of year in our country it is equated to Christmas for the West. One of the main differences is that over here we also run on the lunar calender which means that January 23 was the NEW YEAR! Every New Year children to adults travel to be home with their parents and family no matter how far the distance or the amount of time it takes. This year we were honored to be invited by some friends that we have become close with, to visit their home for this holiday. People here are always shocked when we tell them that we are not going home(Canada) for this holiday. They feel pity for us that we are so far from our families but also a sense of honor that we would stay here to experience what Spring Festival is all about. All our friends told us was that it is about a seven hour train ride and he’s home city was smaller than the one we live in…we didn’t realize what we were in for!
Waiting for the train was crazy! The energy of families returning home filled the station and we were no more than 3 inches from the next passenger. We waited for two hours until our train was boarding. By this time it was 11:20 p.m. and we were ready for bed. The gates flew open and there was a massive dash to be the first to board the train. After making it through we look for our two friends and their kids as they had made it through before us, we found ourselves weaving through the halls of the station until we get to our train. It was chaotic, as train whistles blew & people yelled. R.was worried that we wouldn’t make it (she is nervous around trains after a traumatic experience in Russia where her group of 40+ need to board a leaving train) But we are happy to report that no man was left behind! Upon boarding we realize our tickets were for standing and it set in that we will not be sleeping much. We felt like sardines and no matter where you go you we were always bumping someone or something. Our friend is a smooth talker and managed to get three seats for the six of us to rotate between this meant we would at least get a bit of sleep. After what felt like an eternity (7 hours), we arrive at our destination. Our friends were ecstatic and their children couldn’t wait to see grandpa and grandma. We steped off the train at 5:30 a.m. to discover that it has snowed there and we have to wait in the train station until day light because the roads were too dangerous to try and get to their home. This should have been our first clue but we were to tired and it was all lost in translation. Oh did we mention, they don’t speak english or much of the national language which we studied. THey speak their local dialect. YIPPPEE!!! Hand gestures and charades here we come!
The sun finally rose around 7:30 a.m. After a couple hours of sleeping on metal chairs we were ready to continue on. We all squish into a taxi and head out. 20 minutes into the journey we made a stop in a village that we thought was their home. It looked like a traditional village in our country and this is exactly what we were expecting. It looked very similar to where we currently live and because we could image what to expected there was a sense of peace upon us. What we didn’t realize is that this was just a necessary pit stop to pick up supplies that are not available where they live such as vegetables, tofu and fireworks. After this pit stop we found ourselves back into the taxi and on the go. We continue the drive and by now we found ourselves weaving through narrow-snow covered mountain roads not really sure where we are going, all sense of direction was lost. Half an hour went by and they announced we have arrived. We look out the window and all we see are mountains, though here the mountains and land are made of clay and not rock. We glanced around and then shared this look of confusion and questing. “How could we arrive? There are just mountains and caves?”
We grabed our bags out of the trunk, pay the taxi and he was gone. It was so quiet! No honking horns, the hustle and bustle of people, no sound of construction. Just pure silence. So silent that at times I thought I was de We began the hike up the steep path to their home. Upon arriving at the top of this path we were met by four cows, a bunch of chickens, a rooster, a couple dogs, and big pigs. We (A&R) are city folk and proud of it, so you can only imagine the looks that we exchanged with each other as we realized that for the next 4 days…. This was home. Not only did we get out of the city and go to the mountains we were going to LIVE IN the mountains. ”Live in the mountains?” You may ask… “what does that look like?” Well, their homes are large caves which are dug out from the side of the clay mountains. One room which holds the family bed, kitchen and all the potatoes and pumpkins you could imagine. His family was so hospitable and immediately showed us our bed and helped us settle in. We were so overwhelmed with the simplicity of their lives and how they live. One of the first things that looked different, besides that farm animals outside my bedroom window, were the beds. They sleep in “family beds” which are made of brick and stone, and underneath the bed is an enclosed fire to keep you warm while you sit and sleep on it. The beds are the hub of activity. This is where the family sits, eats, sleeps and visits all together. Everything happens on the bed. The second thing we noticed was the bathroom which was a hole in the ground outside behind the cows’ and pigs’ home! It made for some chilly trips, if you know what I mean! Dead of winter and just a hold in the ground… burrrrrrrbrrrr… Don’t get me wrong. We are use to “weird” bathrooms its just that this one was so exposed, to all the elements and to another family who periodically would pep over the hill for a look at how the foreigner goes….After preparing ourselves for what we would experience the next few days, we dove in full force. We had a fantastic time visiting with the family, trying to understand the local dialect, as they don’t speak the common language, and of course found ourselves eating lots of interesting food. We were blessed to experience a very tradition New Years celebration with the special food, setting off fireworks, and just being with family. There were friendships formed beyond the language barrier and a greater understanding of the life of the local people.
Four days went quickly and as we were leaving Grandpa asked us to stay for three mores days. Upon informing him we weren’t able to he invited us back again and made us promise to call him when we had arrived back to the city safe and sound. It was a hard visit as all the comforts of our life were stripped away. No cellphone reception, no internet, no coffee (BOOHOOO!) no running water, no many things… BUT what we gained was much more valuable. We saw the true heart of this holiday and how it is celebrated among the rural community. We were trusted enough to be brought home with a local family to celebrate the most important holiday which was a true honor. We were the 1st foreigners that this extended family had ever met. Our time with them went fast and just how we got there the same taxi came back to pick us up. After good byes and firecrackers were set off (to ward of evil spirits and protect us on our journey home) we found ourselves weaving through the same windy roads and mountains realizing that our territory was just expanded a bit more over this great nation. Through a weekend that we never thought we would experience but honored that our eyes could be opened to see more of makes us love this country so.
-A-
