Year 2012 is the Chinese Year of Dragon which is very important.
Many people are looking forward to the Dragon Year because in the dragon is quite special and very much revered in Chinese astrology and the dragon holds special significance for the Chinese people. In addition, the dragon is a powerful almighty king because it was made up of different parts of animals such as a tiger, fish, snake and an eagle. Chinese people believe the dragon is a symbol of power, superiority and rule.
MIM students (MIMers) were excited with the year of Dragon as well. We had the Chinese New Year Party on Saturday, January 28, 2012. All MIMers woke up in the morning to cook foods and bring to the party. For example, Thai students cooked Thai food called ‘Ka Nom Pung Na Moo” which were breads that put sesame pork on top and Thai milk tea with bubble which was the most popular beverage. In the party, we are enjoying with the variety of foods and beverages. There were Thai foods, Chinese foods, Japanese foods, and desserts. Also, there were many performances in that day.
Dr. Allen and Prof. Liu dilivered speech to MIMers
To begin with, Dr. Allen, the Director of MIM delivered a speech to MIMers in Chinese Language. Then, Professor Liu Meiru explained the Chinese culture and history of Chinese New Year to MIMers, the Chinese student (Nan Miao) and Taiwanese students (Jeffrey Huang) told their experiences about Chinese New Year in hometown, China and Taiwan respectively. The first performance was the lion dance which very fascinated and wonderful. Then, the students from Japanese Class sang the Japanese songs with guitar solo which is very impressive.
Performances from Japanese Class
After that, Thai students sang the Thai New Year Song which was composed by The King Bhumibol of Thailand. This song is very meaningful and melodious. The last performance was from the students from Chinese class. We sang 11 Chinese New Year songs with happy mind and smile on face. Then students from intermediate class played the puppet show with Chinese folk tale. All shows are very excellent and impressive.
Students from Chinese Class sang the Chinese New Year Song
What’s more, all MIMers and guests will get the raffle ticket for drawing lots. There were 25 presents from the Confucius Institute of Portland State University. In 25 presents consisted of 5 red envelopes which had lucky money inside (Hong Bao). I was lucky because I had a chance to pick the presents. Although I didn’t get the money, I get the Chinese souvenir. It is the little masks of Chinese opera which is beautiful and invaluable. Besides, I got the present from Nan Miao because I can answer her question. The present called “” which means I will be lucky as a whole year. It is a nice present with meaningful and precious.
Everyone was so happy and enjoyed the Chinese New Year party. It is not only happiness that all MIMers can touch, receive and join, but also the cooperation that all MIMers share and support to each others. The MIMers’ friendship and unity are endless and will be in our mind forever.
Jaraswan Jarasjaruwan or Pear is a full-time MIM student. She got a Bachelor’s of Science from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. After she graduated, she worked as an educational consultant in Thailand for 2 years. Pear chose to study international business at Portland State University because she is interested in the business field and also the reputation of the university. Currently, Pear is studying Chinese as a third language. Also, she will choose Finance as her specialization in the Master of International Management program.
