Cynthia Gouw, actress and TV news anchor, made a visit to the Greater Philadelphia Cantonese Academy at Rosemont College on Saturday April 8 to talk about her life and career. I happen to have a friend (non-Bryn Mawr) who takes Cantonese classes there, and she informed me of the event. Curious to learn more about Gouw and the neighboring Rosemont, I rode my scooter out to listen and explore.
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Tag Archives: chinese
Mandarin Interpretation with SEAMAAC
Remember my post about SEAMAAC earlier on my blog? On Monday night, I received a surprise email from Andy Toy, whom I interviewed last time, looking for Mandarin translators for a meeting with store owners in South Philly. At first I was hesitant about whether my limited Chinese skills were sufficient to do the job, but before I knew it, my friend signed us both up.
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Weekend in NYC, Part 2: Chinese New Year with Family
My family on my mom’s side makes an effort to get together every year for Chinese New Year. This year was no exception. As the cousins in my generation aged into college, it was harder to get everyone together. But this year, I made the journey into NYC for the special family reunion. Even my cousins from Penn State who live in Harrisburg made the long drive to New York. My family is Cantonese Chinese American, but the traditional food is still an essential part to our family gatherings.
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Ringing in Lunar New Year in Chinatown
Saturday January 28 also happened to be the Lunar New Year. Of course, this is a big deal to me because I am Chinese American. Right after Wintry Mix ended, I bolted back to my room to change and literally ran to the R100 train station with two Mawrter friends. Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation was hosting a lion dance parade around Chinatown. Chinese tradition calls for firecrackers to scare away bad spirits and lion dances in front of business store fronts to welcome good fortune. The streets were quite crowded, but my friends and I were down for some late night adventures. 
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Announcing My Summer 2016 Plans!
I am pleased to announce that I will be spending this summer in Nanjing, Xian, and Hong Kong! I will travel to Nanjing and Xian as part of Haverford College’s Center for Peace and Global Justice (CPGC) partnership with Amity Foundation, a Chinese Christian NGO. The four of us student interns (3 from BMC, 1 from HC) will volunteer at community centers in Nanjing for the elderly and autistic children. We will then travel to rural Xian to assist in teaching English to middle school children. After the program, I plan on visiting family in Hong Kong. I am also very excited because this will be my first time in Asia.
My Chinese New Year 2016
Yesterday, February 8, was the Lunar New Year. Many Asian cultures celebrate this holiday, including the Chinese (春节chūn jié), Koreans (설날 Seollal), Vietnamese (Tết). My family celebrates by going out to eat for Chinese food, decorating the house a little with Chinese ornaments, and of course, red envelopes of money given to the children and unmarried. I was unable to join my family to celebrate with them this year, but I found ways to celebrate at Bryn Mawr.
Calligraphy by Maple Lee ’17