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“STREWTH I’M GLAD THAT’S OVER”.
I said, as I collapsed onto the couch.
“Daddy!!! Can we GO AGAIN PLEEEEASE”.
Something yelled in my ear.
No-forking-way I thought, as I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead in stress.
You see boys and girls, MrsFrugalSamurai and I (and the rugrats) just came back from a trip to the motherland.
And what a trip it was – if you’ve never gone travelling with kids…
DON’T.
For a couple of weeks there was proper blood, sweat and tears – the whole shebang, sometimes (oftentimes) all within the one day.
This was the first trip back to the motherland for 5 or 6 years, ever since MrsFrugalSamurai and I first got married.
For someone who has gone back religiously since the age of 8 (I have heaps of relos there still) – this trip really opened my eyes.
So excuse the hiatus in writing whilst I was gone, because honestly I. HAVE. NOT. HAD. ANY. TIME.
But as I drag myself out of this sleep-deprived, sanity-deprived, out-of-whack body clock shape – I naturally gravitate towards this blog.
To update you, dear reader, of all the comings and goings of what I learnt in the last fortnight or so.
Without further ado… here’s the list:
Don’t Travel With Kids
Or rather, make sure you get all your travelling done before kids.
We didn’t really have a choice as my grandma (the last surviving elder) was well into her 90s. So the primary purpose of this trip was for her great-grandkids to come and see her in person.
Family is everything in our household – which meant that we had to lug up 6 storeys of stairs in a Soviet-era apartment block every single day if only to have a family dinner.
I can’t complain too much of course, however if I had a choice, I would not be bringing a 1 yo and 3yo with me halfway around the world to see “sights”.
I think MiniFrugalSamurai said it best when I tried to show him the majesty of Tiananmen Square – “Daddy, my stegosaurus is not working”.
And the plane rides…“shudders”.
There is a special place in Heaven waiting for those parents who have survived plane rides with children.
I think the best advice I can give if you must travel with kids, is to have no expectations, don’t expect to see that attraction, don’t expect to enjoy that restaurant, don’t expect to come back to your hotel room happy, leave that word back home.
China’s Demographic Timebomb Is Real
Speaking of kids, China really has a kid problem, or rather, a lack of kids problem.
You know that cognitive bias when you notice something more when you yourself is aware of it more? Like when you have 2 mad, screaming, let-me-run-and-touch-it-all-you-stupid-man toddlers and you try to see if there are other toddlers around?
Well, everywhere we went (and we went to a LOT of places), one thing stood out in particular, there was barely any child under the age of 5 on the streets.
In fact, because MrsFrugalSamurai and I were pushing along 2 prams – we were often stopped and asked about our children, how old they were, what they are like, who is holding what dinosaur.
Indeed at some attractions, MiniFrugalSamurai and BabyFrugalSamurai usually attracted more attention than the attraction itself.
Many a time, a member of the older generation would come up to me and give me a big thumbs up sign for having fathered two kids.
I felt quite proud of myself.
Just doing my duty sir (gives a crisp salute).
Although it is somewhat worrying for the country, when most people are above the age of 50 and retired.
*This is because there is not enough younger people supporting the older people, increasing government costs and decreasing economic productivity. Increased longevity and decreased birth rates is a sign of this demographic “timebomb”.
The Economy Is Very Sluggish
In the past, whenever I have gone back – I had always felt this electric buzz in the air, with people coming and going and bustling in a dickens of a hurry everywhere. Money is to be made and I want to make it yesterday DAMN IT.
Not this time.
No, this time I really felt that everything was at a much slower pace.
From the attitude of the waiters at restaurants “Sir, you don’t need to order that much food”.
To the Uber (DiDi) drivers in their cars “After you guys, I’m heading home for a nap”.
To even the staff at many of the attractions “Yes, the park closes in 10 minutes, but I’m closing this ride a bit earlier”.
I think there is some truth to the reports about a slowdown in the Chinese economy, despite what the local media may say – certainly from my limited observations, people generally want to enjoy life more, take a step back to smell the roses and (young people especially) not work as hard.
There appears to be a general despondency in the Chinese working youth.
A personal anecdote was a discussion I had with one of my cousins, who used to subscribe to the 996 working system, was insanely successful in her career and who had started a family since I last saw her – her whole attitude and outlook on life and work had changed (perhaps it was having children) but nay, she advised that all her colleagues felt the same (she is the only one in her age group on her floor of 50 staff who has kids).
The main reasons she attributes to the cost of living, lack of career opportunities, depressed economic environment and ever since COVID (China had some shocking lockdown laws), an attitude to enjoy life more.
Not so dissimilar to the West I spose.
General Cleanliness
One sector of the economy who are thriving it seems, are the cleaners.
In the old days, I remember I used to always look down each time I stepped onto the street, if only to avoid the spit and rubbish and discarded cigarette butts.
Oh the spit and discarded cigarette butts were still there, albeit much less.
But honestly, there was minimal if any other rubbish lying around.
This is because each council hires armies of cleaners to clean the streets, parks, public toilets and other amenities.
The same is true in shopping centres and at tourist attractions.
Even MiniFrugalSamurai, himself a connoisseur of toilets was impressed.
“Daddy, these toilets are so clean, can we use them again?”
High praise indeed.
A lot of it is also attributable to public awareness and an uplift in attitude to cleanliness, a few times we saw people picking up other strangers’ rubbish to put them in the bin – inconceivable but a couple of years ago!
Change. It’s Everywhere
Finally, I have to say that China as a whole, has changed enormously.
Everything is new(er) and/or newly renovated.
From the old homes and streets to the apps on your mobile phone.
So few elements of the “old” China remain that for the very first time, I felt a foreigner, an outsider entering the country.
It’s become a true cashless society with some innovations which we Aussies would love – how about being able to have your food already cooked before you arrive at the restaurant? Or knowing exactly how many seconds are left at a traffic stop red light?
I barely recognize my old home, my old streets and furthermore, my old country.
And that’s why this trip was so important – to introduce our kids to their culture, to their ancestral home.
We’ll go back again of course.
But give me a break first please.
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