From my little update in July, you may have guessed that I was out travelling.
I had finally managed to travel to China to see friends and family there. For context, the last time I had been in China was during my research stay in 2014. The last time I had seen family members from my dad’s side was in 2013 (well, I saw a cousin for one day in 2015). The last time I had seen family members from my mum’s side was in 2009. The last time I had travelled to my city of birth was in 2004. So, between 9-19 years.
A trip that has been a long-time coming, in other words.
In a way, the main purpose of the trip was simply to spend time with the family. In the intervening years, we have lost a grandparent from each side of the family.
Growing up in the 90s, it wasn’t as easy (unless you were super rich?) to stay in touch with family members who live a three-leg journey away. Now that we have technology available, I would like to maintain family connections as best as I can. I think it also helps that I now pay for things out of my own pocket. Expensive, but freeing to know that I’m not a financial burden on anybody.
“How was the trip then?! ” You ask? It was good. It was tiring, I learned a lot of new things, I got several bits of China-related admin done, and I sweltered in the heat. But it was good. I often felt that there were habits and customs that I wasn’t very used to anymore (the lack of queueing being one of them), but when in Rome…
I learned that:
– WeChat is the technical giant of the day – you can do almost everything you need to do/order/pay for during a short trip on it.
– The bullet trains are still as good as I remembered them. Air-conned, a smooth ride, and with a lack of luggage space.
– The price of goods is unpredictable. Day-to-day life can be really cheap or really expensive. (This sounds obvious, but it was the case in unexpected ways.)
– The traditional familial relations in China make it easy to re-connect with relatives. (think along the lines of “if you’re blood relatives, then you’re family no matter what” )
– Dementia seen up-close for the first time is intimidating.
…and more besides.
There were too many new impressions, and I will probably update, but for now, have some pictures.
The Real World for Young People 