Happy New Year! This Christmas Justin and I went back to the UK to visit my family and our friends. Justin had been to the US for Thanksgiving to see his family in November, and last year we were in Burma and Thailand for the holidays, so it was little old England’s turn to have us this year!
Being back in England for Christmas was brilliant! When we were last living there I was itching to be off living and travelling abroad again. But, after 18 months in Asia, visiting England was a breath of fresh air (quite literally considering my current location in Beijing). Although I didn’t experience any reverse culture shock or “this is weird” moments, at times I did feel like I was experiencing it almost as a non-European tourist! Everything seemed so quaint, English and pleasant!
Quaint, Old England
I marvelled at the gorgeous old houses, delighted at how small and narrow the roads and streets were, thanked the endless people who held doors open for me or offered to lift or carry my suitcase for me (We Brits really are so polite!) and generally loved seeing the country with fresh eyes! Going jogging in the countryside (and FRESH air!) near my house was perfect. I could actually breath while exercising outdoors!
We Got History And Clean Water
Seeing all the local landmarks and hearing about new historical discoveries ( did you know King Richard III’s body was found under a car park in my nearest city, Leicester?) was exciting. Oh and being able to drink the tap water, use the internet without a VPN and not having to check an air quality index app everyday was amazing! I also ate and shopped rather a lot and made sure I got to the cinema to see Hunger Games (The Chinese release was postponed as foreign films, of which there are few released, had apparently made enough money in China in 2014!).
Family and Friends
Of course, spending time with family and friends was a real treat. With a full house for Christmas we were kept busy and entertained with food, gifts and games! Christmas and Boxing day at home were awesome! While those days were big family days, I had lots of fun with dear friends in the days prior. It was lovely to catch up on everyone’s news and to know I still have some really great friends in the UK!
Baby, Baby
My nephew (last seen as a baby) is now a gorgeous toddler who can walk and talk! Several friends and a cousin also introduced me to their cute recent arrivals! As the babies are not yet old enough to understand the implications of internet privacy, I will refrain from posting photos of them- even though they were all super cute which, coming from me who is slightly scared of small babies, must mean they are pretty awesome kids!
England Vs China
I hardly remembered to take any photos at all! It’s a shame but I was just having too much fun catching up with everyone. China continues to be an exciting adventure but it can also be a right pain living here sometimes. Especially for someone who likes to be out spoken about human rights and enjoys going outdoors. A small part of me wants to move back to the UK after this trip. But then I remember that A) Those grey, damp days only seemed fun because China is so dry in winter. The rain is not fun when you actually live there and have to take a bus to work. B) There are other exciting adventures ahead this year!
I hope you all had wonderful holidays! What did you get up to?
Don’t forget to follow This Beijing Life- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Bloglovin‘ or follow/ subscribe through email on the side of the blog.