Families Stuck Abroad: “We Miss Beijing so Much!”

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Famed doctor, poet, and essayist, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. said, “Where we love is home – home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.” So where is your home?

No matter how much I criticize the bad pollution and the crazy traffic in Beijing, I still consider Beijing as my second home. I still miss its diverse faces, authenticity and positive vibe. I miss its breezy cafes, but mostly I miss my lovely friends, coworkers, and my cozy home.

As one of the Beijingers who traveled overseas during CNY, and got stuck abroad due to the flight cancellations, I can’t help but feel there’s a cloud of uncertainty hanging over me about when I will be back home. Knowing that I am not alone in this, I interviewed two families who are also far from Beijing, to share their stories with us.

Linn Stokke and her family are originally from Norway, but have been living in Beijing for two years. Her husband works for a software company, while her kids Emily (8) and Oliver (11) attend Western Academy of Beijing (WAB). Their oldest daughter is studying at university in Oslo.

Where, why, and how long have you been stuck abroad?

We left Beijing for a ski vacation over CNY, our flight back to Beijing was scheduled on Feb 2. First we got information that WAB was closed for another two weeks after CNY. We were planning to follow E-learning from Beijing. Before we could return though, our airline stopped flying to Beijing from Norway. The company did not want us to go back to Beijing under the current conditions. We are now temporarily relocated to Bangkok, where my husband works out of the company’s Asian headquarters.

How do you feel? Why do you want to go back to Beijing?

Our biggest problem was that we left for the vacation with only winter clothes and ski gear from Beijing’s winter climate. We did not bring computers or any other school related resources for the kids. Being redirected to Bangkok, with 35 degrees Celsius, from Norway’s -5 degrees Celsius created a problem. We had no way to get the appropriate gear from Beijing. And getting summer climate gear in Norway in January soon turned into a challenge. We have borrowed some stuff, bought some and friends with kids have donated some. We love Beijing, we miss our friends, our house, our gym, and daily life.

What’s your plan now?

We are staying in Bangkok until school opens again, and restrictions are eased up. We are lucky to be able to stay in a company apartment and getting a lot of help and support here.

Do you have any suggestions for families facing the same problem?

Create routines as close to normal life as possible both for kids and adult. Don’t spread virus rumors on social media. And find your inner zen, there is nothing we can do about the situation, so embracing it is all we can do.

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Elis Frigini and her family came from Brazil to China in December, 2018. She’s a photographer, her husband is a pilot. They have a 14 year old son who loves video games and cars.

Where, why, and how long have you been stuck abroad?

On Jan 25, we left China to enjoy our CNY break in Berlin. Our initial plan was spend three days in the German capital and go after that to Prague, in Czech Republic. When we arrived in Prague, we were informed that our Air France flight to Beijing had been cancelled. Around Jan 28, the news about the Coronavirus crisis was spreading across newspapers around the world and countries began to react by imposing limitations on non-citizens from China and airlines started to cancel flights to Chinese cities.

As our son’s school temporarily suspended classes, we decided to stay another week in Europe. So we decided to know Budapest, Hungary, certain that we could soon return to our home in Beijing.  However, at the end of that week, we analyzed the situation of our friends who are in Beijing and advised by them. With classes still suspended, limited flights to Beijing and the quarantine requirement outside China for 14 days to immigrate to most countries, we decided to extend another week in Budapest. That’s how seven days are turning into 21 and counting.

How do you feel? Why do you want to go back to Beijing?

While on the one hand it is wonderful to have time to get to know new places and different cultures, on the other hand the uncertainty about our return has been a burden for us. As my husband traveled to Singapore for professional engagements, my son and I stayed in Budapest on our own. With the start of online classes, a solution adopted by the school to minimize students’ academic losses, my son is relying only on the computer of the Hotel’s business center, since all of his materials are in Beijing. He has spent daily hours working in a totally limited structure, quite different from the one he has at home, dealing with several limitations. This in itself generates a lot of wear, because it is one thing to work in the silence of the home or in the school environment, but it is quite another thing to study in the lobby of a busy hotel, next to an American bar.

Many of our friends went to Brazil, but we want to go back to China which is now our home. We miss Beijing so much!

What’s your plan now?

If the school maintains the Feb 17 date for classes to resume, we will go back home this week. If that doesn’t happen, we will have to analyze if it’s better to go home, stay in Europe for the fourth week, or go to the United States. I think – and hope – that with the correct protections it will be safe to come back to Beijing.

Do you have any suggestions for families facing the same problem?

Well, If you are abroad, take time to know new places and enjoy this time with family! But if you have to/want to come back home, have a true conversation with your friends that stayed in China about what the real situation is like. I think it is more reliable for you to listen to the people who are living through the situation, rather than relying on sensational headlines.

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Photos: Unsplash.com, Linn Stokke, Elis Frigini, giphy

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