The concept of family
I am one lucky person who has a bunch of relatives. My mum has six siblings, and my dad has three, and all of them married and reproduced, which has resulted in me acquiring uncountable numbers of relatives. Not to mention, newborn relatives with complex relationships to me (e.g. my mum's sister's daughter's daughter's child - is that my niece niece??) keep popping out one after another.
Unfortunately, I only meet my relatives at most once a year, because except for one cousin, all the others are in China. Financially, it would be too expensive to fly to them more than once a year, especially when my parents fly back too, and thus ave to pay for multiple flight tickets. I didn't fly back last summer because I had just come back from au pairing in Nottingham, and since I didn't get any university offers for medicine, my mum freaked out about my future, and forced me to stay at home in Sweden to start applying for UK unis.
The last few months, I've been thinking more and more about my relatives, I miss them so effing much: my grandparents, my aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, cousins' kids etc who I haven't met in almost two years. I am so going back this summer and staying the entire summer with them. Thinking about them made me reflect on the concept of family, especially the differences of the concepts between China and the Western World (forgive me for generalizing all the Western countries).
In China, the concept of family comprises not only your own parents and siblings, but your grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and all other relatives as well. You grow up with not only your parents, but with all these relatives around and close to you. It's very common that you go home to your grandparents' place for lunch and dinner everyday, where you meet other relatives gathered for lunch and dinner as well. This results in a very close-knit bunch of relatives, and there's no firm border between for instance your uncle's family and your family. Everyone is integrated in this unity.
I love this concept of family. You are put into a sea of people, and receive a lot of love and affection. It's also a great support network. If one member needs help, multiple helping hands are extended towards that member, whether it's monetary help or any other kind of help. In Chinese, the words family and home are the same character, signifying that your entire family, all the relatives, all the members is your home, your safe haven. It's the foundation of your life, the means of which you build your own life upon.
Unfortunately, with the devloping society, more and more families are split apart by city and country borders. This family concept is still present within most families, and I hope it stays for as long as possible. If I have a kids in the future (I hope not, but IF) I will definitely provide them with FAMILY and HOME Chinese style.
Unfortunately, I only meet my relatives at most once a year, because except for one cousin, all the others are in China. Financially, it would be too expensive to fly to them more than once a year, especially when my parents fly back too, and thus ave to pay for multiple flight tickets. I didn't fly back last summer because I had just come back from au pairing in Nottingham, and since I didn't get any university offers for medicine, my mum freaked out about my future, and forced me to stay at home in Sweden to start applying for UK unis.
The last few months, I've been thinking more and more about my relatives, I miss them so effing much: my grandparents, my aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, cousins' kids etc who I haven't met in almost two years. I am so going back this summer and staying the entire summer with them. Thinking about them made me reflect on the concept of family, especially the differences of the concepts between China and the Western World (forgive me for generalizing all the Western countries).
In China, the concept of family comprises not only your own parents and siblings, but your grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and all other relatives as well. You grow up with not only your parents, but with all these relatives around and close to you. It's very common that you go home to your grandparents' place for lunch and dinner everyday, where you meet other relatives gathered for lunch and dinner as well. This results in a very close-knit bunch of relatives, and there's no firm border between for instance your uncle's family and your family. Everyone is integrated in this unity.
I love this concept of family. You are put into a sea of people, and receive a lot of love and affection. It's also a great support network. If one member needs help, multiple helping hands are extended towards that member, whether it's monetary help or any other kind of help. In Chinese, the words family and home are the same character, signifying that your entire family, all the relatives, all the members is your home, your safe haven. It's the foundation of your life, the means of which you build your own life upon.
Unfortunately, with the devloping society, more and more families are split apart by city and country borders. This family concept is still present within most families, and I hope it stays for as long as possible. If I have a kids in the future (I hope not, but IF) I will definitely provide them with FAMILY and HOME Chinese style.
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