Chinese New Year

By:

Published:

Countries

Demographics

Regions


Hello again!

So this past weekend was Chinese New Year, which meant that the only thing to do was head down to the Chinatown here in Bangkok and immerse myself in the celebrations! After a short taxi ride away, we were there โ€“ and we were just in time! The night was beginning. There were probably one hundred street vendors selling food, clothes, trinkets, Chinese New Year memorabilia โ€“ just about anything that you could possibly imagine. As we walked down the seemingly endless street, I couldnโ€™t help but be amazed at the grandeur of the celebration. We walked by stage after stage of performers singing, dancing, sword-swallowing, fire-breathing, and more. It was just an insane display of physical ability that I couldnโ€™t help but be captivated by what I was watching.

But the highlight of the night had to have been watching the dragon parade move up and down the street! So the dragon parade is pretty much what you picture it being โ€“ a group of people carrying a large dragon model that occasionally shoots out impressive fireworks from its back. Itโ€™s something that you have seen in pictures and movies and history textbooks, but it was just amazing watching it unfold in person!

Overall, the night was fantastic! I got to enjoy the fireworks, enjoy the shows, enjoy the company, and (most importantly) enjoy the food!

My next update will be after my Laos trip next week, so stay tuned for that!

Until then, take care!

Best,

Jae

Jae Yu

<i>Hello in your host country language</i>: เธชเธงเธฑเธชเธ”เธต (Sawatdee kaap) <i>University</i>: University of California Santa Barbara <i>Expected graduation year</i>: 2019 <i>Destination</i>: Bangkok, Thailand <i>Program Provider</i>: UC Education Abroad Program <i>Major / minor</i>: Political Science <i>Demographic background</i>: Asian-American <i>Future career aspirations</i>: Film director and producer <i>Top 3 goals for study abroad</i>: shoot a documentary; speak conversational Thai, try every Thai dish