A couple of days ago I spent the night at Yi-Lan, the land where my father grew up. From what he tells me he grew up on a farm with a not-so-fantastic primary and secondary education. After busting a gut, he managed to get himself a degree and a job which allowed him to move to the UK.
Visiting his homeland and the simplicity of the lifestyle forced me to understand just how barren and under-developed some places can be. Having been raised in London, the city where everyone needed to be somewhere 5 minutes ago, such a slow pace would seem like time stood still.
I accept the UK to be my home and probably will do for many decades to come, but a true flavour of where your roots lie has come as a bit of a (pleasant) surprise. I wonder what would have happened if I had been brought up in Taiwan? what education would I have received if any? where would I be and what friends would I have gained?
The answers to these questions shall never be known, and I am sure I will ask many more rhetorics, but at least I am fulfilling the purpose of this tour - to discover things closer to your heart than you ever thought.
No comments:
Post a Comment