这是嘟嘟在美国的第一个春节，以后至少9个春节估计都要在美国度过。大年初一那天我们曾经视频和通话，他告诉我们晚上是全校一起欢庆春节，在食堂一起体验中国为主的亚洲食物，他还要参加包饺子，我们让他多拍几张照片回来，第二天微信里果然发了几张照片，有人像的只有两张，其中一张还是模糊的，不过也算是说话算话了。看着他的笑脸和周遭的气氛，知道他很开心，并没有孤独想家，我们就很高兴啦。今晚去看学校网站，发现校刊Lion'sEyes专门发表了记录那天活动的文章，才知道在那些节日气氛的背后，有那么多老师和同学们一起忙碌、奉献，来自东南亚各国的孩子分享各国的春节食物，倍觉温暖，所以，转贴在这里，做个纪念，也希望可以让即将入学的孩子家长们消除顾虑。[img=PEA 的第一个春节]http://www.findingschool.net/attachments/user_file/user6243_file/20130322095553879.jpg[/img]March 19, 2013On February 10, the 1st day of the Lunar New Year was marked bycelebrations around the world. Here on the Exeter campus, the LunarNew Year dinner was a group effort with contributions not only fromthe Asian community, but also from many other parts of the Exetercampus.Thai student Patr Sukhum '14 notes that the holiday extendsbeyond China's borders. 'The holiday is very important in not onlyChinese culture, but in other Asian countries such as the SoutheastAsian nations [e.g., Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam].'This year's dinner repeated the successful dumpling station fromlast year. 'My favorite part about the celebration was makingdumplings,' says Dianyu 'Diana' Wang '14, who is from China andworked at the station. 'Through the dumplings, I was able to sharemy culture with others here at Exeter. It was as enjoyable eatingthe dumplings as serving them to others.'Parent Michelle Wang demonstrated how to fold the dumpling skinsand to crimp the edges, helping students create an authentictraditional treat in the dining hall. PEA's Modern Languagesinstructors Patty Pang-Leighton, Kayoko Tazawa and Min 'Jenny' Zhaoprepared the filling which was seasoned to perfection byPang-Leighton. Tazawa, adviser to Asian and Asian-Americanstudents, went to H Mart and purchased dumpling wraps. And DiningServices Manager Dan Ferland and his staff purchased and preppedthe rest of the ingredients for the dumplings, despite beingshort-staffed due to that weekend's blizzard.Vietnamese rice paper rolls made their 1st appearance this yearoffered by the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)Society. Vietnamese student Nghia 'Max' Le '15 helped out. 'What Ienjoyed the most was the process of wrapping the rolls. To acertain level, I relived my memories of making food for Lunar NewYear with my family. Even though it's not exactly what we make backhome, it was really fun wrapping. And the best part is, people wereenjoying it!'International Student Coordinator Christine Knapp described howthe rolls came together. 'The staff at Elm Street [Dining Hall]prepared the shrimp, chicken and vegetables for the wraps. Membersof ASEAN assembled hundreds of the tasty wraps, soaking thedelicate rice paper in water to soften it and filling thetranslucent sheets of rice with julienned vegetables and finelychopped meats.'Ultimately, to the Asian students who participated, this eventharkens back to similar events back home and the opportunity toshare their cultural traditions with friends and the Exetercommunity. Here's a sampling of their voices on the personalmeaning of this holiday:Mei-An Nolan '15 (member of ASEAN and on the Asian AdvisoryBoard): 'Being half-Chinese, the Lunar New Year is a big deal in myhouse. I found that I miss the celebration, and I miss my family.Though celebrating here can't replace celebrating with my family, Iloved it all the same. Students here at PEA often love to learnabout new cultures and traditions, which is why I think the LunarNew Year dinner is so great.'Yanjie 'Jack' Qiu '13: 'I really enjoy the [Lunar] New Yeardinner because it has the feeling of home. More importantly, it's awonderful experience for everyone to come together to celebrate theLunar New Year.'Yu Xi 'Misty' Goh '14 (member of ASEAN): 'Not only did I sharemy culture with others on campus, I also managed to learn moreabout the Vietnamese culture from other members of ASEAN. I hopethat next year ASEAN will be able to bring another part of ourSoutheast Asian culture to this event!'Kimberly Dawes '15: 'This event is really valuable for non-Asianstudents. It's a fun way to inform people... I really appreciatethe effort the dining hall puts into celebrating the holidays ofdifferent nationalities.'Yusuke Agata '15: 'Although I'm Japanese, [Lunar] New Year hasbeen an extremely interesting holiday for me. A wonderful thingabout Exeter is its diverse community. By organizing these events,students come to appreciate different cultures... All of us, bothinternational and domestic students, were able to learn aboutChinese culture while having a lot of fun.'