Skip to content
  • Epic Quest
  • Contact Me!
  • About Me
Instagram YouTube Facebook
Menu

Writer. Traveler. Tea Drinker.

Writer. Traveler. Tea Drinker. Doing all three in China
Instagram YouTube Facebook
  • Epic Quest
  • Contact Me!
  • About Me
Hit enter to search or esc to close
Home  >  China • Traveling  >  Going “Home”
Posted inChina Traveling

Going “Home”

Posted By Becky Ances Posted on April 29, 2015
Please install Travelera Share Buttons plugin

After six years in China (and 12 holidays in which to travel) I finally filled up my passport. Even the last two “endorsement” pages is filled with visas, stamps and residence permits. Before the school can re-hire me I have to get more pages added.  (Fun fact: Americans will no longer be able to add pages to their passports by the end of 2015. So if you need pages, add them quick. Starting 2016 you’ll have to get a new passport entirely when your pages run out.)

So I have to go to the embassy to do it. I could go to Hong Kong, as that embassy is closest. But is it the most fun? No. Shanghai would be the most fun for me. And with friday being a national holiday, and with me having to cancel class anyway for the embassy, turns out I ended up with a 6-day holiday. So I’m going to Shanghai baby!

Over they years, several of my students have ended up in Shanghai. Last winter holiday I hung out with Wendy, one of the students in my first class in China and Oak, one of my “babies.” They are years apart, but got along really well.

And I’m excited. Soooooo excited. And I realized something funny. To me, going to Shanghai feels like “going home.” Even more so then America at this point.

Shanghai is a city that I am intimately familiar with over years of visiting. When I was in Lin’an I went at least 10-12 times a year. I stay at the same place (my favorite hostel), I go to the same places, and most importantly, I see my friends.

I never lived in Shanghai and yet it is the place I have the most friends. Not quite sure how that happened, but I’m not complaining. And these friends have known me for years. I’ve known one friend, Hannah, almost the whole time I’ve been in China. We met at the end of my first year and have seen each other regularly since then. There is also my bestie, Ben, an American, who I’ve been close with for almost 3 years.

And that’s meaningful to me. The longer I’ve been in China, the more I and other expats move, the more I find comfort in people who have known me a long time. I love that Hannah knew me when I was with my ex, knew me when we broke up and saw me as I changed. She’s also met all the important people in my life (I ended up bringing my closest friends to Shanghai with me). I love that Ben has seen me through all my dating drama’s and I’ve met all his favorite co-workers who have since become friends of mine.

Hannah with my friend Anmol in 2012. Not only is Hannah really fun she is also super hot. Every guy friend I have brought to meet her falls in love with her immediately. 😉

One of my favorite things of traveling is going to new places and meeting new people. The baggage of your past doesn’t have to go with you if you don’t pack it. But as China becomes my home, my real home, I also like people who know me. I like our shared history and our shared past. I get tired when I’m around the same people year after year. But I don’t have to worry about that in China, so I like the few rare people I have known for a long time.

Ben and I the first night we met and became “besties.”
Ben and I last winter (three years after we met) still hanging out and having fun.
Ben and I last winter (three years after we met) still hanging out and having fun. Haven’t aged a day, right?

And the city has a special place in my heart. Since I’ve never lived there, I never had any disappointments. It’s like my playground of good food, good shopping and the best time with amazing fun people. It’s a place I never lived and yet, when I go back, I feel like I’m going home.

Tags: ben bestie friends Hannah home Shanghai
Previous Article Writing and Teaching Update (or, What I do When I’m not Eating or Playing Sports)
Next Article Thought on Aging (with a Babyface)

Related Posts

What School is Like in China Right Now (Fall 2020)

We are a month into the fall 2020 semester, so I thought I’d give a little update on what the teaching situation is like. Masks? Alternate day in-class attendance? Social distancing on campus and a mix of classroom and online learning? Well….no. None of that. If you were beamed to

Read More about What School is Like in China Right Now (Fall 2020)
Please install Travelera Share Buttons plugin

I Won “Favorite Teacher!”

College has started and students have come back to school after being gone for 6 months, so I wasn’t surprised when a few students contacted me to ask if I was still on campus. But I was surprised when they said they wanted to see me and give me flowers.

Read More about I Won “Favorite Teacher!”
Please install Travelera Share Buttons plugin

1 Comment

  1. Eileen黃愛玲
    May 3, 2015 at 7:35 am

    Yeah, Shanghai is pretty cool. I’ve been living here for two years. Unexpected, but not complaining. 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Recent Posts

  • What School is Like in China Right Now (Fall 2020)
  • I Won “Favorite Teacher!”
  • I Entered a Puzzle Competition! (You can make fun of me all you want.)
  • What is the Situation in China Like Now?
  • Painting a Chinese Dragon

Archives

Categories

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Recent Posts

  • What School is Like in China Right Now (Fall 2020) Becky Ances October 9, 2020
  • I Won “Favorite Teacher!” Becky Ances September 21, 2020
  • I Entered a Puzzle Competition! (You can make fun of me all you want.) Becky Ances September 10, 2020
  • Popular
  • Recent
  • The Swiss Family Robinson are a Bunch of Jerks December 11, 2009
  • Making it Official: My Chinese Boyfriend December 7, 2012
  • Good Chinese Wife Review and a Chance to Win a Free Book!! July 27, 2014
  • 10 Signs You've Lived in China a Long Time March 29, 2014
  • What School is Like in China Right Now (Fall 2020) October 9, 2020
  • I Won “Favorite Teacher!” September 21, 2020
  • I Entered a Puzzle Competition! (You can make fun of me all you want.) September 10, 2020
  • What is the Situation in China Like Now? July 30, 2020

Subscribe Now to Our Newsletter, It’s Free!

Get the best content delivered straight into your inbox!

Facebook Twitter Google+

About

I’m an American who has been living in China for more than a decade! This is my blog where I muse about all things China. Please also check out my YouTube channel “Badminton Becky” and my other badminton blog at www.badmintonbecky.com

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • What School is Like in China Right Now (Fall 2020) October 9, 2020
  • I Won “Favorite Teacher!” September 21, 2020
  • I Entered a Puzzle Competition! (You can make fun of me all you want.) September 10, 2020
© Copyright 2017. Theme by BloomPixel.