回家
I just saw my parents off on the airport shuttle. They're flying from Seattle to Vancouver; from Vancouver to Hong Kong; from Hong Kong to Nanjing. There they'll meet my mom's dad and brother, who've already flown in from Taipei, and a relative from the mainland who's called an uncle according to the Chinese system of relational terms but whose actual position in the family tree is hazy to me. They'll be visiting Nanjing, Shanghai, Suzhou, and Yangzhou for the next three weeks.
This will be the first time my mom has been to mainland China, the homeland of her parents. It's the first time my grandpa has been back since he and my grandma fled for Taiwan. My grandma never did make it back. As family things go, this is...monumental. I didn't know how to tell my mom, "I'm really really excited for you", without it sounding hokey, but I said it anyway. Of course there was lots of stressing out on her part up to the last minute, and no doubt she and my dad will both be stressed out trying to catch up upon their return, but I'm just so glad and relieved that she and my grandpa have this chance now, especially since this might very well be his last chance to return home, and I know that was weighing on my mom's mind.
The downside is, my parents won't be here for my 21st birthday. The upside is, my parents won't be here for my 21st birthday! Wooo! Party at my house!!!1
This will be the first time my mom has been to mainland China, the homeland of her parents. It's the first time my grandpa has been back since he and my grandma fled for Taiwan. My grandma never did make it back. As family things go, this is...monumental. I didn't know how to tell my mom, "I'm really really excited for you", without it sounding hokey, but I said it anyway. Of course there was lots of stressing out on her part up to the last minute, and no doubt she and my dad will both be stressed out trying to catch up upon their return, but I'm just so glad and relieved that she and my grandpa have this chance now, especially since this might very well be his last chance to return home, and I know that was weighing on my mom's mind.
The downside is, my parents won't be here for my 21st birthday. The upside is, my parents won't be here for my 21st birthday! Wooo! Party at my house!!!1