Welcome to the Year of the Rat!
Happy New Year! I'm scurrying through the day, which I guess is appropriate for the year of the rat.
My daughter's school (in Chinatown) was nearly deserted today. The fraction of kids in attendance were all dressed in red. I felt a little guilty sending her to school today, but I had to work. And update my blog. And sit home waiting for the galleys for Women in Hats.
But rats are supposed to be industrious and smart, so I'll try to take those as my watchwods for the new year. Work, work, work. Write, write, write. Right?
Meanwhile, Annie explained to me that we're not supposed to wear black or white on the new year, because those are the colors for death. But it's okay for me to wear my black jacket because I'm not Chinese, so I won't die. Good to know.
Her homework last night included a lesson about Chinese New Year that the teacher had downloaded from theinternet. It described all the fun and interesting things that Chinese people do to celebrate the New Year, and encouraged the kids that it's "fun to learn about other cultures."
Really? Is it? Does the fact that 96% of the school's students are actually Chinese and already live with those traditions matter here? Isn't it weird for this white woman to teach them their traditions? Or is it just me?
