When the years slip away on us, so does the chance for exciting adventures and new experiences. Have you achieved your ambitions to get out there?
When I was 56, a friend and I set off to Teach English as a second language in China. The youngest of my 5 children at the time was 16. Armed with our TESOL diplomas and limited experience, but with the support and blessing of our families, we set off on our exciting mission.
It was the first time both of us had been overseas. We secured work in Shanghai and here we lived, worked and travelled for the next 12 months. I was thrown completely out of my comfort zone and found a whole new me I didn’t know existed. How daunted and petrified was I, standing in front of 50 non English speaking, noisy Chinese 8 year olds on my very first day of teaching. This feeling soon passed as they accepted me as their new “Nell”.. I was a star..
We made many Chinese friends who were so kind and helpful. Our accommodation was great and our Chinese hosts took wonderful care of us, taking us on sightseeing trips and even cooking us a traditional Aussie Christmas dinner to make us feel less homesick. We worked two semesters and in between we travelled around China. During Christmas break we visited tropical Hainan Island and places around Shanghai.
When our contract finished we took a big trip, visiting Beijing, Xi’an and the Three Gorge Cruise down the Yangtze river, visiting the huge dam in progress before coming home. I loved the teaching, the kids, the people and the country. Living with, and amongst the people, it gives a much clearer insight to the contrast between rich and poor and the hardships many face. The highlight of this trip was making lifelong Chinese friends and sharing their daily lives and customs. One of these girls has recently married and has sent me her lovely photos.
Then when I was 60 I backpacked through China with my then 25 year old daughter, for two months. It was way up there as a highlight in my life experiences, along with my year teaching. While staying in Shanghai we visited my old friends from before, who loved showing my daughter the sites and taking us on a “taste of Shanghai tour”.
We travelled from Shanghai To Kunming, Dali, Lijiang Tiger Leaping Gorge, Chengdu to see the Pandas, Xi’an and Beijing. We stayed in Hostels and booked on the fly from one hostel to the next, relying on recommendation from fellow travellers. The hostels I found very accommodating and helpful. All were geared for Western travellers, some more basic than others.
We travelled mostly by bus and train as this way we saw much more of the countryside. Took an overnight bus from Lijiang to Chengdu which was hair raising and extreme. The facilities being a hole in the floor with the door flying open unexpectedly. I don’t know how we didn’t topple over the side of the cliffs. Paces of interest we visited, some I had been to before, included the Stone Forest outside Kunming, the lake and temples in Dali, breathtaking Tiger Leaping Gorge, The Panda breeding program in Chengdu, Terracotta Warriors and a bike ride around the wall of the city in Xi’an and the Great Wall and the Forbidden City in Beijing.Countless wonderful happenings experienced in all of these fascinating places.
I have travelled before and since, but…I will never forget the fun, the amazing people we met and the excitement of this trip with my daughter. It was an adventure I will remember fondly forever, especially as she invited me into her world to share and enjoy. She has been an adventurous intrepid traveller for past 7 years and loving it.
Don’t just wonder…just do it.
What have you always wanted to do but never got round to?