How does it feel not being home for Christmas? Most Montriosians probably have not experienced that; however, for Chinese international students, not being home for Chinese New Year is equivalent to not being home for Christmas. Fortunately, Chinese New Year this year happened to occur during our February vacation. Thus, our Chinese international students self-organized a Chinese New Year celebration and went “home” with their Montrose spirit to Chinatown festivities in Boston.
The 20th of February happened to be one of the coldest days of the month, and we were stuck in transit delays because the T was jammed with snow and ice. Travel delays set us a couple of hours back, but we adjusted our plans quickly.
We arrived at South Station and went for “Dim Sum” at the restaurant Hei La Moon. “Dim Sum” is a type of brunch that originates in the Canton area of China. Served in a steam basket or small plate, Dim Sum is famous for the variety of choices offered. The individual portions of food are carried on small plates served from small carts; people have the choice to pick the dishes they want. “The food there is really authentic,” said by Shubo Yan’15. The group consensus was that “rice roll with shrimp” and “xiao long bao” are highly recommended.
After lunch, we walked around and went to an Asian Market to buy some cooking material and snacks. For dinner, we went to a restaurant called “New Shanghai,” which is famous for the spicy food that originated in Shanghai. After, we got “Bubble Tea.”
“I felt emotional when I saw Chinese writing,” commented Slyvia Shi’20. Although the cold made for small crowds in Chinatown that day, we still felt the sense of New Year celebrations from the traditional foods, red decorations and traditional music everywhere.