I'm back from my whirlwind adventure at the other side of the world! After 14 hours traveling there, 72 hours in the city, and 12 hours traveling back, I think I can firmly say the highlight of my trip was watching a documentary about puppies on the plane called, Too Cute. I'm just kidding...but seriously though, if you have a weakness for puppies you need to watch that.
We went to China on the Qing Ming holiday, also known as the Tomb Sweeping festival. It's a holiday where individuals go to their ancestors graves, clean or sweep the dirt that has collected, and memorialize the past. It was my first time observing this ritual, and after taking a Chinese Philosophy course last semester, I appreciated the ceremony even more. I visited my grandmother's tomb for the first time since she passed, and I was amazed at the beauty of such a simplistic ceremony. It made me realize the lack of regard we have in this country for our ancestors. Maybe it's the filial piety coming out, but we need to honor our ancestors more to fully understand our own upbringing. After my grandmother's tomb, we visited my Uncle's memorial site as well. Perhaps it wasn't the most joyful trip, but it was a necessary one nonetheless.
No comments:
Post a Comment