Celebrating Chinese New Year in Israel | Fili’s World

18 Feb, 2007 in Asia-Israel connections, Taiwan by Fili
Tags: Asia-Israel connections, Taiwan

Celebrating Chinese New Year in Israel

The Chinese New Years was surprisingly fun and I got to meet a lot of wonderful people and experience some new things.

First, there was the official Taiwanese new years celebration in the Taiwanese ambassador’s house. Coming with me from Jerusalem were the girl in charge of the Korean center in Jerusalem and a Taiwanese student at the Hebrew University who brought a Canadian from who lived in Taiwan for 2 years from a Jerusalem suburb. Arriving there, we met the honorable Mr. ambassador and his team and I realized that I wasn’t really dressed for the occasion (Israeli no shave long T-shirt style). It took a few minutes to realize that I actually know more people there than I thought I would, as I noticed Taiwanese Ruby and her boyfriend at the corner, as well as my Israeli Chinese language teacher from the university who was there with her Taiwanese husband and her gorgeous little kids, and another nice surprise of meeting the Israeli blogger in Chinese - Violet.

Chinese news year - Taiwanese embassador

(Thanks Ruby for that amazing photo)

The atmosphere was very warm and inviting with yummy food and Chinese presents. I got to sit down with Ruby and her boyfriend, talk with a few Taiwanese who were curious who I was, fail to make my Chinese teacher proud when talking to her husband, get a polite indifference to my questions about Taiwan-Israel business and academic connections, tell Violet about our little Israeli Asia addicts and eat a lot of Taiwanese style food. Naturally, I also got to do a lot of people watching and see all the Israeli-Taiwanese couples with their little kids. I really enjoyed it all - it was great fun.

Here’s what Ruby wrote about our little get-together :

Chinese : 這時候因為部落格而認識的朋友菲力出現！菲力曾來台灣學中文，女朋友也是台灣人，所以他對台灣很有親切感，本人有點像年輕的湯姆漢克喔！

Bad translation : That’s when Fili, a friend I know from the blog, got there! Fili went to study Chinese in Taiwan and his girlfriend is Taiwanese so he feels very close to Taiwan. I think he rather resembles the young Tom Hanks (fiLi - Tom Hanks, eh? :D finding out what 湯姆漢克 was, took me a very long time ).

Chinese : 我們三個人排隊拿東西吃，有很久沒見過的油飯還有豆干！真想偷豆干回去做炸醬麵吃捏！和菲力聊台灣的種種超開心的！相較高胖對於台灣很多東西都表示不可思議，菲力都以很寬容有趣的態度接受，相當的open-mind，對高胖來說真是機會教育啊！菲力非常喜歡台灣，我問他對台灣迷信的看法，他說跟台灣女朋友回女友家過年的時候，每餐都要回三樓拜過祖先執杯之後才能吃，我問：你覺得如何呢？他說很有趣。我看看高胖，傳給他『看到沒有，看到沒有！人家多大方！』的表情。菲力又說，他很喜歡台灣，希望能在台灣找個工作，我一聽，又回頭瞪高胖，對菲力說：『他去年有機會外派駐在台灣的工作，結果他放棄了！你可以試試投履歷到那間公司。』看看，人家還想找台灣的工作呢！可惡的高胖！永遠跟人唱反調，我狠狠又瞪了高胖，高胖只好苦笑。

Interesting notes :

A really old Taiwanese man everybody honored. Who was he and what was he doing in Israel?
Almost all the mixed-couples kids, some very Asian looking, spoke Hebrew and almost no Chinese.
The guys serving the food were from the Philippines working as florists.
Face concept, especially due to the nature of the event, was in high-gear.
GuanXi is important, and I have none.

-

The second event was in Mei’s apartment with all the Israelis who love Asia. Mei runs the Israeli Chinese language and culture forum in Tapuz and it was the first time for me to meet her. Mei indicated that the event usually holds a few of the forum’s close friends toasting for the newyears but this time there were more, some who heard about the event through me. Aside from Ruby and boyfriend and the people who came with me from Jerusalem, there was a lovely surprise when Young who I expected to be a Korean guy turned out to be a beautiful Korean girl who came with her boyfriend to say hello. There was also a very lively Chinese girl, a few guys who came there through a mutual Korean friend who couldn’t make it and the rest of the forum gang. I really enjoyed it all - it was great fun.

I think we’re a special bunch - us Asia oriented folks, we are. We got our own little magical world we’re fascinated about. I guess that being able to meet others who are passionate about what you are is always interesting. What’s even better is meeting with Asians who are living here in Israel and share their experiences and life stories, get to see things through their perspective.

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13 Responses so far | Have Your Say!

Mei11 | February 18th, 2007 at 9:00 pm #

Yes, it was fun meeting everyone and I´m very happy all of you could make it to our party! See you all on the next event…
UncleMatt | February 19th, 2007 at 5:40 pm #

Hey, i never got to mention that eventually I did get to go to the PRC Embassy event at the ambassador’s residence in Herzliya Pituach and even got a photo of self with Mr. ambassador himself. I’d write all about but I have no time. I’ll just say the food was no more than OK, but the Tsingtao beer compensated for this a bit.
fiLi | February 19th, 2007 at 6:22 pm #

Oh, very nice. I’d love to hear about it and see photos. If you like, you can write a post in English, and I’ll post it here on the blog.
UncleMatt | February 19th, 2007 at 11:38 pm #

Hey i just read what 雨水 actually wrote. This must have been an awkward situation
Jonathan | February 20th, 2007 at 5:11 am #

It sounds like a wonderful family-style occasion. It’s a very unique thing - ordinary people being invited like this to the private homes of Ambassadors. I guess its a result of the very small size of the Chinese community in Israel. There is NO chance of anything like that happening in Sydney! Apparently the City of Sydney’s Chinese New Year Festival is the largest outside Asia with over half a million people attending events.
fiLi | February 20th, 2007 at 9:49 am #

?!
What was?
fiLi | February 20th, 2007 at 9:50 am #

Hey! we’re not ordinary people!
My Taiwanese friends in Israel » fiLi’s world | February 26th, 2007 at 2:22 pm #

[...] While visiting the Taiwanese Chinese new years party a week ago with a Taiwanese student friend from the Hebrew University - Wen, I finally had the chance to meet Ruby who I know through her Taiwanese blogging about Israel and Violet who’s an Israeli-Taiwanese girl studying Mandarin Chinese through blogging in Chinese about her life in Israel. Later on that week, Violet’s mother Wendy - a Taiwanese living here in Israel - invited Ruby, Ruby’s Israeli boyfriend, Wen and myself to have a Taiwanese style lunch at her apartment. I was naturally ecstatic. [...]
Claire | April 19th, 2007 at 8:30 am #

Ni Hao Shalom… just stumbled on your blog while looking for a Chinese ( mandarin) tutor in Israel ( Sharon area). ..anyone can help? the teacher we had stopped teaching for a while

Any help appreciated. Thank you. Claire
fiLi | April 19th, 2007 at 9:43 am #

You’re welcome to come join our little community at Chinese Garden till you get a teacher.

There are a few private schools for teaching Chinese in your area, like Lichi, Japan Knowledge, Saphot and
Chinalink.

Private teachers sometimes advertise in the China business forum for the ministry of commerce.
The Israel Taiwan Friendship Organization : The Taiwan office in Tel-Aviv blog | fiLi’s world | September 1st, 2007 at 12:27 pm #

[...] Mr. Su Yuping, of the Taiwan office in Tel-Aviv-Israel that have kindly granted me the Taiwan scholarship, supported by Ruby, opened a Mandarin blog called “The Israel Taiwan Friendship Organization” following the Taiwanese activities in Israel. [...]
David Safier | October 22nd, 2007 at 2:09 pm #

Does anyone have info here on where I could get a tutor to teach me chinese in Jerusalem? Thanks
fiLi | October 23rd, 2007 at 1:00 am #

Yep, my talented Chinese friend will be happy to help you out. Try Liora at 052-6808206. She’s in Jerusalem. Let me know how it worked out.

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