The warmth and the spice

I have spent almost half of the last year, when I took a gap year, a well-needed break from my uni studies, living as an aupair in Chengdu, where I ended up in the early spring as a result of getting in contact with Masons.

Having many different locations and accommodations in my mind before connecting with them, I have never thought about spending my gap year in China, it just simply was not on my radar. Still, thankfully, I seized a great opportunity!

It is owed to the great care and support I have received from the agency and the other au pairs with whom I have made great friendships while we studied Mandarin together in classes that are conveniently located in the closest proximity to the office that the agency holds, that I have had one of the best experiences I could hope for, as I found a new home away from home - a safe and reliable community is the reason I still hold many beautiful memories of my time there. An understatement would be to say that I got help with the necessity of arranging my travel and arrival beforehand, regarding my visa and flight tickets, as the support persisted throughout my whole stay, be it problems with the VPN or getting some medicine and visiting a doctor.

I have returned to pay a visit to the host family, friends from the agency, and the city around the time of the Chinese New Year celebration, and I was greeted with such a lovely welcome and hospitality. The experience shaped me in ways I did not expect, and the people I can now consider very dear. As of now, I do not know when my next travel will be, but I am already looking forward to the summer, as my host family is planning a trip to Europe, and then we will meet again, and they will be able to see what I mean when I say I miss the Sichuan spice, 麻婆豆腐 and 汤圆.