The Stores Were Closed

When Yangyi and I met last Tuesday, the funniest moment was when he informed me about his trip over Thanksgiving. He seemed very excited before going and he said he had a good time, but let’s face it – Thanksgiving Break is not a good tourist time. The beaches were cold and museums and stores were closed with little activity. The part of this conversation that made me giggle was when he asked if I knew a lot of places are closed on Thursday. I said, “As in, Thanksgiving Thursday?” He nodded. I suppressed laughter and said, “Yes, Thanksgiving is one of two days a year that most places are closed.” He said they had trouble finding a restaurant or any place with food open on Thursday for him and his friends to eat breakfast or lunch or dinner. Before I got too filled with pity, he said they ate at their hotel – The Hilton. Trust me, sounds like they were well taken care of.

They stayed at three different hotels during their stay in Houston, Galveston, and San Antonio, and apparently each was very nice accommodations. He showed me pictures of the view from his hotel and I thought it was beautiful. He, I think, was less impressed, but that’s ok. I think he’s used to nicer places, so it was good that he found them. He said that the Hilton had good food. I asked him if he ate Thanksgiving type food, and he said that maybe a little turkey, but no. But they were content and enjoyed themselves.

I don’t think the beach must have been much to look at because he called it “ugly” (I know, it must have been difficult for me to figure that one out). We talked about the fact that it was almost December and the beach is usually more made for the summer time. I don’t feel like our gulf beaches are made for staring at so much as being in and having fun with.

This week he came with a Chinese name prepared for me. While I have great difficulty pronouncing the first name (or for Americans, the last name), I do like it. He put thought into it, clearly. My Chinese last name (the American first name) means “cute little girl,” and my Chinese first name is “snow.” He said when people hear this name they think of a cute little girl playing in the snow. He told me that people don’t name their children this name because it is too beautiful. I think he was just trying to flatter me, but it was still very sweet. When I later told a friend of mine what the two names meant he asked if it was because I was as pale as Snow White. I became uneasy for a moment and then realized that Yangyi had said that to be pale in the Chinese culture was to be beautiful, so either interpretation of my new Chinese name I am just fine with!

While it embarrasses me a little to have such a name to live up with, I think it has in a way helped me better understand the Chinese culture. With names that mean something, like almost all Chinese names do, parents name their children with a certain ideal in mind. Now as I have been named, I feel I must live up to it. I can now understand the pressure Yangyi had said he feels to not disappoint his parents, well a small portion of it anyway. I have always felt that way with my parents, but it is a permanent reminder of their expectations every time someone addresses you. It is like a motivational gift given from parent to child. I never thought of name like that, but it makes sense now that I've experienced a small dose.