We are now one month into the Year of the Dragon – not Michael Cimino’s film of the same name, but the Chinese zodiacal calendar. (If you’re thinking this story is a little late, let me just say I still have one Christmas present to deliver, so you can see how I extend my holiday seasons!)

While big celebrations with fireworks and parades to begin the Year of the Dragon were going on all over the world where there are large Chinese populations, there also was a small cross-cultural celebration right here in Durango. And in a fun twist, most of the cooking was done by Americans for young men from China.

John Condie and Wanda Ellingson hosted Tong Wang, Cheng-Lin Yu, Po-Hung “Antony” Kuo and Kip and Laura Stransky at their home to celebrate the auspicious occasion. Red banners and traditional New Year wishes adorned the couple’s home.

(They learned a lot about Chinese customs while spending two years in Shanghai from 1984 to 1986, where Condie, a biology professor at Fort Lewis College, was a visiting professor at Jiao Tong University. Ellingson taught English to Han Chinese and Xinjiang students as well as the Communist Party faculty at the same university. I bet there’s enough material there for a book.)

Anyway, Wang, from Jinan, China, and Kuo, from Hsinchu, Taiwan, were both exchange students at Durango High School and are now students at FLC. They came via the Program of Academic Exchange program, stayed with the Stranskys, and liked Durango so much they stayed for college. Longtime readers may recall I have written about Kuo and his performances on the erhu, a Chinese stringed instrument, in previous columns.

Yu, from Taoyoun, Taiwan, is in Durango through the Rotary Exchange Program, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Durango, and is currently studying at DHS.

The meal was quite a feast. It began with a toast with Mao Tai, the ceremonial sorghum liqueur of China. Cold dishes were served first, including roasted peanuts with garlic, tea-smoked eggs with sesame salt and Sichuan pickles.

Dumplings, representing togetherness, were the next course, with a clear soup with water chestnuts and scallions coming afterward.

Hot dishes were cooked individually and served one at a time, with each dish holding symbolic meaning for the holiday. It’s kind of like eating Hoppin’ John, black-eyed peas and rice, for prosperity in the New Year here, but far more extensive.

Shrimp with tea leaves represent happiness and good fortune. Tofu treasure boxes bring wealth and happiness, and spicy shredded pork in bean-thread nests will provide strength. Spicy green beans will lead to a long life, and rice symbolizes the link between heaven and earth.

Long jin, also known as dragon tea, was, of course, the perfect accompaniment to the meal.

At the end of the repast, the young men presented the traditional red bean cake, which is steamed. Oranges and tangerines, which bring good fortune and luck, also are customary and closed out the banquet. Whew – that’s some serious cooking, a lot of eating, and some serious shopping for obscure ingredients.

The Stranskys have generously opened their home to eight exchange students in eight years, and it has been a wonderful adventure of learning about foreign countries and building real, enduring friendships.

The Chinese calendar years begins somewhere around the middle of January to the middle of February on Western calendars, so if you were born starting in that time period in 1928-29, 1940-41, 1952-53, 1964-65, 1976-77, 1988-89 or 2000-01, you, too, can claim the dragon as your symbol. The dragon is the only mythical animal in the Chinese zodiac.

According to Chinese astrology, people born in the Year of the Dragon are driven, unafraid of challenges and willing to take risks. An important value in their lives is to help others. Both Condie and Ellingson were born in the Year of the Dragon – “several cycles ago,” as she puts it – and the latter is certainly true for both of them.

They spent two years in Nicaragua in the Peace Corps and give often and frequently to our community. Condie is very involved in world hunger issues and Ellingson is the president of our local Salvation Army.

It may be late, but here’s a heartfelt wish for all to have a Happy Year of the Dragon.

If you’re more into Western astrology, here’s wishing these Aquarians a happy birthday – Gene Bradley, Sam Stites, Paul Broderick, Barbara Chilcoat, Mary Husemoller, Jeff Munger, Trudy Parsons, Grady McGrath, Devin Lewis, Michelle James, Jake Washburn, Jenn Lopez and Trevor Harms.

Many happy returns of the day to Fred Kroeger, who turns 94 on Friday.

Neighbors is often full of synchronicity, somebody coming up in a story, and then right afterward celebrating a birthday. Today, it’s an organization, or rather group of organizations, that’s a repeat.

I often write about our local Rotary Clubs, because I’m not only the daughter and granddaughter of Rotarians, I’m a charter member of Durango Daybreak Rotary Club. I’m an honorary member right now, as working afternoons and nights doesn’t coordinate well with a group that meets at 6:45 a.m.

That’s a long way of saying I absolutely agree with Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self” and am a big fan of the way La Plata County’s four Rotary Clubs make a real difference for our community.

If you’ve been wondering whether it might Rotary, here’s a great chance to learn about the organization in general and our four local clubs in particular.

They are hosting a joint membership meeting from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Strater Hotel. It’s not competitive thing – no “pick us, pick us” – just a chance to meet a lot of nice people and figure out which club might suit your schedule and interests.

In addition to Daybreak, which meets Wednesdays at the Durango Community Recreation Center, the other clubs are the Rotary Club of Durango (the oldest club), which meets Tuesday nights at 5:30 p.m. at the Strater Hotel; High Noon Rotary Club, which meets at 11:45 a.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel; and the Pine River Valley Centennial Rotary Club, which meets at 11:59 a.m. at the Lavenia McCoy Public Library in Bayfield.

I write about good causes all the time and often wish I could just pick up my checkbook and write a check that will be a game-changer for an organization. That’s why I’m so impressed by Marc and Jane Katz.

He’s a founder and former CEO of Mercury Payment Systems, one of Durango’s largest employers and a company that has experienced major growth during the last 10 years. In the last couple of years, the Katzes have made major donations to several local organizations, including Animas High School, and now they have made one more.

In January, they gave $30,000 to the Stillwater Foundation to support its school and after-school music programs. A big chunk of the money will go to provide scholarships for students who otherwise could not afford to participate.

Stillwater currently serves 110 students in its music program and offers music lessons in a variety of genre and band settings as well as individual lessons. Its resident musicians also provide music programs at Mountain Middle, Columbine Christian, Liberty and Durango Montessori Elementary schools.

To see people who love this town donating to organizations that make a real difference to our kids warms my heart.

Thanks to Stillwater Foundation founder Terri Gasaway for telling me about the donation.

Happy anniversary greetings go out to Sam and Kathy Burns.