City expats share staycation plans
Print Edition
With this year鈥檚 Spring Festival on the doorstep, expats in the city are sharing their staycation plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some foreigners have turned to invites from local friends.
Sophia Alfred, a freshman at NYU Shanghai from Washington DC, will go to her roommate鈥檚 house for the New Year dinner.
Even though many celebrations had been canceled due to the pandemic, she is excited about the upcoming festival.
鈥淭his is my first New Year in China,鈥 Alfred said. 鈥淚 used to go to parades and celebrate the festival in Chinatown before I came here for study.鈥
Alfred recently uploaded a music video cover of smash hit 鈥7 rings鈥 by American singer Ariana Grande on Bilibili.
She has a passion for dancing, and also has a performance at the school for the New Year. She also enjoys many school activities such as learning Chinese cooking.
Frenchman Thibaut Raeis and his Chinese wife Serena Fei who live in Shanghai are planning a party at home on danianye, or Chinese New Year鈥檚 Eve. 鈥淲e鈥檝e invited four friends from France and Italy to our place as they could not fly back home this year due to the coronavirus,鈥 said Fei.
The couple are no strangers to throwing parties, as they also had a good time cooking with their friends for Christmas.
Fei said she is looking forward to teaching everyone how to make dumplings with her parents. Champagne, tiramisu and traditional Chinese rice pudding will also be on offer.
As for New Year wishes, the couple said they really hope to rejoice with their family in France, who they haven鈥檛 seen since they married last year.
鈥淲e really miss our French family members, especially our little cousin Lou born recently,鈥 said Fei.
Fei revealed that the family planned to travel to Sanya, Hainan Province for the holiday. 鈥淲e will be particularly careful with the local virus prevention and control rules.鈥
The Year of the Ox will bring new hope to many, as Ana-Maria Radu, a Romanian architect who has just finished her job in Shanghai, is delighted to be starting a new journey in a new city, Beijing.
Radu, who was offered the Beijing job last month, admitted that the job-hunting process was tough as she had to settle all the visa procedures amid tough virus control measures.
鈥淚t was quite an adventure before the holidays, but it worked out just fine,鈥 she said.
鈥淎lthough I love Shanghai, Beijing is amazing as well. I鈥檓 quite afraid of going somewhere due to the pandemic, but I will try to discover more of it in terms of the culture.鈥
Margie Chiang, an educator from US currently working in Shanghai, said she was looking forward to 鈥済etting off the grid,鈥 as she planned to go to a local resort for three days.
She hadn鈥檛 thought much about her New Year wish, apart from helping more children with their mental growth.
Chiang provides consultation and support for students applying for universities abroad.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about the kids. I would like to skill myself just to have a better impact on kids. Plus, I will also pursue my dream of being a good teacher.鈥
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