Journal: Holiday at Home

I recently arrived back home in Perth, Western Australia. Yesterday's maximum temperature was 36°C, and when I went out for a walk yesterday morning the sun was so bright and the sky so blue that it seemed almost like a dream. I strolled around, marvelling at this idyllic suburb where everybody's front yard is filled with flowers and trees and birdcalls. Seeing familiar flora and forna, just common things like gumtrees and magpies, renewed my affection for this land with its uniquely Australian character.

My plane arrived the afternoon before, and for dinner that night we had a barbecue on the back porch. An authentic Australian barbecue! Steak, sausage, tomato, onion. Potato salad, chickpea salad, garden salad, beetroot.

Today I met a friend in the city, and we had lunch at an Italian restaurant. I must have seen a dozen different nationalities, from all over the world, just on the way there.

I notice many differences between here and China. But the feeling of being back, and talking to friends and family, is like I've never left. The year has certainly gone quickly.

Immersed in my native language, I find that there's so much more to speech than just the literal meaning. After hearing a few words, I am already forming an opinion about the speaker's personality, their mood, their intentions. Of course I do this to some extent in China (whether I'm hearing chinese or english) but not with the same ease and certainty. And even some facial expressions seem more familiar to me. When I saw an Aussie who was queuing for a Qantas flight at Hong Kong airport wrinkle her nose in a particular way, I could almost feel her emotion.

One of the things waiting for me when I got home was a copy of Salt, a literary journal which I subscribed to a while ago. I meant to just open it and glance at the contents, but I couldn't help sitting down for a while to read some of the poems. It seems like a long time since I read english that was grammatically correct, let alone poetic. Thirsting for more high art before I head back to the developing world, I also have a ticket for a dance performance next week. And friends have recommended the film Lost in Translation.

But tomorrow, a simpler pleasure: swimming at a beach that has sand!

Yes, this visit home is going to be a luxurious holiday for me, before I fly back to China on a one-way ticket. This time I feel a little more regret about leaving Australia than I did last year. Being back makes me realise that I really do like this country: the land, the people, the culture. So I think that one day I'll be back to stay, but at the moment I don't know exactly when.

Hi Todd, I have been commenting on Dezza's website for a while. I'm back home in Oz after my second year in China. Zhengzhou 2001-2002. Home 6 months. Dalian 2003. This time I feel so very privileged to belong in O\z that it may take a lot to get me to leave agian. I really really feel at home in so many ways here. Enjoy your next trip but don't forget what living in Oz is really like. I'm a teacher. Have taught 30 years in Oz. Some of the naughtier kids, a desire for new experiences, being buried in paperwork were some of the things that resulted in me being in China. Ohyes, and a hubbie who wanted to go and I didn't want him there alone with all those young, slim, beautiful girls!!! haha

Betty [] 08.02.2004 , 07:33

Hi Todd, Just had a bit of a look at your site - saw the link from Leylop. I have been looking & commenting at her site for a while, I like her photos of everyday life and her unconventional thinking. I live in Perth too and have been to China a couple of times. My interest in China comes from my wife (who grew up in Beijing) whom I met doing an MBA at Curtin Uni. My three year old daughter is perfectly fluent in Mandarin but I am very rusty. I know many words but a conversation is still difficult. When I came back to Perth from my last 5 week trip to China the first thing that struck me was the Blue Sky (like a jewel) and clean roadside verges. I like China 'though and would like to work there at some stage. Hope you enjoy your break Todd, have a swim at Cottesloe and have a beer at the OBH! Cheers James

james [] [homepage] 09.02.2004 , 19:08

Jocelyn has written about her feelings upon returning from China to the USA in her China Journal: here.

Todd 07.04.2005 , 18:42

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