Bikes, Ducks, and the Moon

On September 30th we decided to rent bikes to explore the city! Beijing is covered with Hutong (bike paths) so it’s pretty easy to get around. We had so much fun riding around and seeing all the sites. It was also Moon Day, which is on the full moon, so there were parties everywhere and a huge flag ceremony outside the Forbidden City. It’s cool having a whole holiday just to celebrate the moon!

There were hundreds of photographers here trying to get a good picture of the moon.

For dinner we decided to try Beijing’s famous duck! It was pretty good! Although I’m a little disappointed that they gave us a plate of meat instead of the whole duck on a plate.

We met a couple while we were taking pictures and after talking to them for a while they gave us their moon cakes! We’ve looked at prices for moon cakes and these looked really nice so we knew they had to be expensive. No matter how hard we tried—they insisted we keep them. They were so nice! So we went back to our hostel and had a little moon party trying all the different kinds! Moon cakes are kind of interesting; some of them are good filled with nuts and fruit while others are weird filled with beans, meat or even a full egg (in the picture below you can see the whole yolk inside of it).

Moon Party

The first week in October is a national holiday in China for Moon Festival. Before all the kids went home to their families, the school put on a little party for the kindergarteners and invited us to it! They gave everyone fruit, snacks, and the traditional moon cake. We put on a small skit/song for the kids and a few of them got up and sang to us. Then we ate and played!

These two are twins. They’re adorable.

Even after class, the kids are obsessed with their sticker chart.

This guy below in the checkered shirt is one of my favorites (I know I probably shouldn’t have favorites…but oh well). His name is Gabe and he’s in my home group. Not only is he one of the sweetest boys ever, but he’s also very good and smart. He gives the best hugs and always wants to hold my hand or sit by me. He makes my day all the time!