The DeSmet Family Worldwide: Xin Nian Quai le!

Happy Chinese New Year! The celebration has begun which means the kids are off of school, most of the local people have gone home to their families and most of the ex pats have gone on tropical vacations. It also means that my Ayi is gone for 2 weeks and I unfortunately will be the replacement Ayi for 2 weeks, picking up the cleaning cooking and laundry. Yay me!! (DON'T BE HATING ON ME RIGHT NOW) I can hear all of your eye rolling and fake pity that you are throwing my way! LOL
We unfortunately are not going on a trip anywhere. We decided to stay here with our dog, Tucker. After the condition he came home in from the last stay at the kennel, we decided he will not be going back. Since our Ayi is gone and cannot watch him we are doing a staycation and also watching everyone elses animals while they go and whoop it up! We have acquired a little terrier named Mei Mei, a beagle named Bindi, a cat named Ginger and a hamster. (I can't remember his name as I try to have as little to do with him as possible). We would take them on a walk and play at the park twice a day and have snuggle time at night so they wouldn't miss their families. Cesar Milan would have been proud. We looked like quite the pack walking through the neighborhood. The girls did a great job helping to take responsibility of all of these animals. We actually really enjoyed doing this together.
With Chinese New Year also come the fireworks. No joke.....I felt like we were living in a war zone for about a solid 2 weeks. Ella would actually sleep with ear plugs in and the dogs were going bananas (which meant that we were too). These people love their fireworks and will shoot them off all hours of the day and night. They are pretty impressive too!
On the night of Chinese New Year we spent it with our friends enjoying a traditional Mexican dinner (yes you read that right) and followed that up with a game of the Gong Show and some Biejo (nasty Chinese alcohol that smells like turpentine and felt like it going down my esophagus too)! Xin Nian Quai le!