China I am home

It feels good to be back and so it should when one returns from a trip. I was excited again about the small things about living here, in this city, Kaifaqu (the Big Sneeze), that I had long stopped noticing. Example 1: the nice smell of the candles in our apartment and how warm it is compared to outside. Example 2: The China haze; thicker than any haze I have ever seen that hides and isolates you from what else is out there... confining yet comforting. Example 3: The park behind our apartment and all that occurs there. My place of refuge. This picture of the park I took today, standing across my road, on the way to the store (that was closed for the Chinese New Year week... oops).

Discarded leftovers from an enormous party with over 1 300 000 000 invitees. I celebrated Chinese New Year in good company, wandering in Londons Chinatown and I thought I missed it all back here. The city looks as if it has been sprinkled with a red paper confetti; firecracker leftovers wind blown into every small crack, crevas and corner in the country and all the ghosts scared away. It is obvious I missed the big weekend but echoes of the celebration continue as the remaining (or reserve) firecrackers are lit. From morning until night. Bringing in the morning at six and allowing for bed first at 11. One line explodes and ends, triggering the car alarms, fading shortly after and then the other explosions in the distance can be heard again, followed by their associated car alarms. And then it starts again in the next complex and I tell my friend I'll call her back when it's over because I can't hear her but I end up going into the bathroom instead as I would have waited until 11.... I just read in the news that two years ago, the Chinese government lifted a 12 year ban on fircrackers. Hence the incredible number. Everyone wants to play! There are fireworks too. Constantly too. Out my back window tonight I watched some as I put on a little Enya, then I sat down and read a chapter of my book, got up again and the fireworks were still going there. Hardly believable.