China at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival

This summer we returned to the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival where China and Kenya were featured. These days, as the boys grow more aware of skin color, ethnicity, language, and culture, I try to expose them to Chinese culture where I can.

It was a hot day and neither BB nor DD really wanted to go into the small stalls to look at papercuttings or other crafts.  Instead we meandered our way into the large tent to watch some great acrobatic and kung-fu performances.  The shows were really high quality, and included weapons, so we were all captivated.  The line for the marketplace (the Folk Life Festival gift shop) was too long so we ducked into the American History Museum for a leisurely lunch before making our way back to the car.  We can never miss a few spins around on the old carousel, nor can we miss a visit to our favorite fountain and ice cream from the nearby cart.

It was another one of those days that just effortlessly came together.