Entering the car I took a glance at my cousin, noticing features that brought back memories of my youth, and said nothing.
The trip to the city of Taixing (泰兴) was shorter than I ever remembered. We left the Airport at 8:30pm in my cousin’s Chevrolet and arrived two hours later. My cousin Zhu Yafeng (朱亚峰) said we took less time than his usual trip, one which he takes about once every week for his job as a salesperson. I later learnt that he’s supplying parts for the construction of freighters, an industry on which he capitalized and made enough money to buy the car and a small condo east of the metropolitan Shanghai. To think that 10 years ago he was still just a store clerk in QuXia (曲霞), my hometown, is quite pleasingly astonishing.
Along the way I mostly spoke to my SaoZi (嫂子), cousin-in-law in plain English, about topics spanning from nutrition to education. She later fell asleep, and so did I.
It was a cool night and a bit foggy. The smell of burnt wood and maybe even engine oil lingers in the air. The freshly paved highway provided us with a smooth ride home. The road signs had a pale green complexion, just like in the US. If it wasn’t for the Chinese characters I could have easily been fooled into believing that I was still in Maryland. How things have evolved!
I seldom speak directly to any of my family in China. Occasionally my parents would pass over the phone and I would briefly express greetings and provide an update on my studies and life in general. A kind of formalism if you must ask me. Our conversations were quasi-robotic and it bothered me every time.
My parents were already waiting at my 三姑姑’s（SanGuGu) place and what awaited me was my favorite delicacy, 炒螺丝 (stir fry escargot)!
I had some food, beer and went straight to bed at 11:30pm. I haven’t gone to bed before midnight for quite some time now. But this time, I was genuinely tired. Later, I woke up feeling energized. I grabbed the cell phone almost robotically: it was only 4:30am. Dreaded jetlag! I need to work on this a bit more! Fortunately, the way my neurons are connected is such that I am able to sleep either when I’m bored OR when I am laid down. I quickly fell asleep again. At 6:30am, I got dressed. Not too bad since it’s four hours ahead of my usual schedule.
The first day was a day of exploration for me. With my camera I tried to take note of the many scenes that captured my attention.
Early Morning in Taixing 1
Early Morning in Taixing 2
Boy on the back of a scooter
Uncle Tao Jiapeng driving us to QuXia
Bridge crossing in the suburbs
QuXia roadway
Town elders
Sundried beans
