Lost in my homeland

I left my home country of China twenty years ago.

Last year, I took my family and went back, for the second time, to see my parents. This experience of China was very unforgettable, as I found myself totally lost in my homeland!

According to Chinese law, I had to give up my Chinese citizenship when I become a Kiwi, Therefore I have a New Zealand passport. This meant that I had to spend a lot of time and money, to get our visas. However, we finally had all the necessary papers and so were able to go back to visit China.

During the flight, we talked about the letter we had received from my four year old daughter’s kindergarten, mentioning that some of little ones there had got head lice.

‘Erk! My kids will never get those dirty things!’ was the comment from my kiwi husband.

Unfortunately, when we arrived in Beijing for the first night, I found two of our children did have, those dirty Things!

‘ shhhhhh’, whispered my husband worriedly. ‘If the hotel find out they have head lice, we will be kicked out of here. Don’t let anyone know that’

the next day the whole family searched around the streets looking for a chemist’s shop to buy the special shampoo needed. The lady in the chemist shop told us that that head lice had disappeared in China years ago, so she couldn't help us.

‘Go to a doctor at the hospital’ was the only advice she could offer.

Turning to my husband I repeated what the lady had said, as he didn’t understand Chinese.

More frustrated then ever, he asked, ‘So where is the hospital?’

‘Well, I don't know,’ was my terse reply. After all my years away from China, I found I was totally lost in that busy, crowded noisy place.

The chemist lady draws a map for me. But I still couldn't figure out where it was and I wasn’t sure the Chinese doctors would have the right treatment.

It came to my mind If we were in New Zealand, I would just go to our local chemist’s and purchasethe special shampoo and comb, put my children into bath, washing and combing their hair to get rid of the disgusting head lice.

What an easy thing to do in New Zealand. But! Here wasn’t New Zealand; this was China. I feel helpless for I could speak and understand the language, but was now a total foreigner in this place, where I was born and grow up in.

Thankfully my friends found the treatment for me as I had finally gained the confidence to tell her what the problem was. She had a good laugh, and said Chinese kids hadn’t had this kind of problem for a long time. However, it is still understood by most people here, It wouldn’t become an embarrassment if I told my friends and my family.

What an experience!

It really did upset me though, to find I was totally lost in my own homeland, for I am Chinese; but…. I actually find I am a real New Zealand now.