Hello and Goodbye – Visiting Family Back Home In America
Sometimes it is more challenging to see someone and then quickly depart again than to not reunite after all.
Does that make sense?
Mike’s Blog 163
About a bit over a week into the USA trip. Beginning of the trip we “front loaded” time with my parents to make sure we did that right away (before the China business workshop and Colombia trip). That front part of the trip has come to a close, and in this video blog I prepare to say goodbye to mom and dad after a few days together.
Isn’t it hard to say hello, only to say goodbye so quickly afterwards.
As I mention quite a bit on my personal blog here is – the hardest part about being overseas, on the other side of the globe in China, is being away from family and friends. I wish I had more chances to travel in America to meet others as well, but doing the best I can.
Reuniting after two and a half years feels good, but at the same time, when will be the next time we unite again?
Trying to remember that life is a journey, a book. We have various chapters in this book of life. Maybe there is a chance I move back to America, but I am not predicting that to happen in the short term. So that makes it hard for the family.
And the really crazy part is my kids don’t speak much English. Think that was a shocker to the family, as Mile and Maggie were chatting in Chinese asking for water, to go to the bathroom, etc. I can imagine how foreign and strange that must be for Americans who don’t deal with multiple cultures.
It has been strange to see my sister in law speaking in Chinese to people forgetting she is in USA. And my kids talking Chinese to people on our travels and kind of getting some raised eye brows.
Guess I didn’t opt in for the normal life, not the normal career and life track that I may have had laid out for me in society. Felt that in black and white this first week in America. May be hard to ever come back to the way it used to be, so why even try?
Just various free flow of my brain as I wrap up this latest video blog.