Fragmented Childhood Memories

6:00am: got up
7:00am: left home
7:35am: breakfast
8:30am: Jet boat took off
11:30am: arrived Jiang Men, China

It all seemed to become a regular routine to me. My last visit to Jiang Men, China was not long ago. Nonetheless, It’s really good to see all my relatives and their extended families. Especially when seeing my grand-uncle still kicking in his 70’s, it made me want to treasure each and every moment while i was there.

My cousins have married and have a couple of kids for at least 8 years already. Frankly, I do not recall their kids’ names. I just do not have chance to get to know them.

Whenever I go back to Jiang Men, it brings me back all my fragmented childhood memories. I used to spend my weekend in a farming village during my summer holiday from school. The brick house I stayed at was not air-conditioned. During the day, there was nothing but to play with my cousins with just about anything. There weren’t any toys or TV games. It was very primitive.

Though it all seems to be a time tunnel for me, I was the only one who walked through it. Sharing to others do not mean a thing to them. They hear the my stories, my pasts, and more importantly they cannot ever remember all the details. My fragmented childhood memories are like rolls of living film. It keeps re-running over and over again. They’re still warm and colorful to me even so many years have passed.

No wonders when historians wish to record a piece of living history or biography, the candidates can remember the most detailed piece of information for a historian. Of course that requires lots of research.

My passed-away grandma from Jiang Men had visited Hong Kong once, spent a week at my home. She taught me how to use chopsticks properly. It’s a piece of memory that I would not ever forget in my life as I use chopsticks daily. I practically see her in my heart everyday.

We visited our grandma and other relatives at the cemetery. We, Chinese do this once a year really has a reason for it. We have our public holiday called “Qingming Festival”. A reminder for everyone to pay a visit and show respect to our family ancestors.