Last week was the Mid-Autumn Festival, where Chinese folks eat mooncakes, light stuff on fire (see above: a floating lantern about to be released), and take an obligatory glance or two at the full moon.

One of the teachers at my school invited Charlie and I to her family’s gathering. This wasn’t the first time people here have invited us to gatherings meant for family-only. The generosity and openness we have encountered has been unparalleled.

Turtle-shaped mooncake from Penang

My roommate playing piano with our hosts’ kids and relatives

Red lotus mooncake that one of my tutees from another school. She heard that I was fruitlessly looking for mooncakes after the festival, and spent hours searching for this one. Thank you!

Untraditional jelly mooncakes

Unlit decorative lantern. A good one, according to the enthusiastic thumbs up.