Unexpected gifts arrived last week. After six years of working with Chinese EPC contractors we have spent most of this year bereft of Chinese culture and socialisation. This didn’t stop our most recent ex-contractor from making a special visit to drop off seasonal gifts that were rapidly distributed through the offices and corridors.
Based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar Mid-Autumn Festival, aka Moon Festival, is celebrated at the full moon between mid-September and mid-October, equivalent to Western harvest festival celebrating a (hopefully) successful harvest.
Last year we made four trips to Beijing for business, but on review the August trip, closest in season to now, was not particularly cultural as we were on a tight schedule. We did manage to find an Irish Pub to watch South Africa (my colleagues being South African) play Australia in The Rugby Championship (equivalent of the Six Nations, but south of the Equator and only four teams).
Meanwhile, in the DRC we have had the first showers (well, a round of drops and one short downpour), trees are budding new leaves, or simply doing a quick colour change, and frogs are invading our personal spaces (when they are not showing suicidal tendencies under our boots).
