How Old Were You When…

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Jingkids intern Jenny Andrea shares her childhood in milestones.

Age 8

Traveling without a parent or guardian for the first time was nerve-wracking, to say the least. Although the flight was only three hours, my twin sister and I did not dare leave each other’s side for a split second. We were traveling to visit our grandma – who lives in a distant city – for about a month. Our mom couldn’t accompany us and our dad was in Beijing at the time. Two 8-year-olds sitting alone on a plane with terrified facial expressions was the last thing you’d expect. In the end, we made it through the flight by each other’s side and found ways to kill time by playing word games and storytelling.

Age 9

Attending a school here in Beijing for the first time was equal parts terrifying and exciting. I remember it like it was yesterday. 9-year-old me saw the experience of stepping into a new school as the beginning of a new adventure. The adrenaline rush of encountering new students and teachers, the excitement of wearing a suit for the first time, and the feeling of perhaps, having to deal with a strict principal were all daunting but thrilling prospects. 4th grade was packed with the most diverse group of 9 and 10-year-olds I had ever seen in my life. The teachers were strict but extremely delightful and continuously went the extra mile to make my sister and I feel like we belonged. Overall, everyone turned out to be really friendly and inviting.

Age 12

Hanging out with my friends, outside of school, without having my dad drive me around or boss me about curfew was a lot more challenging than it sounded, initially. But at the time, I was 12 and thought I could do anything. Boy, was I wrong.

The pressure of finding a way home to make it in time for dinner weighed heavily on my mind. Thankfully, I was not alone. Although my sister and I struggled to stop a taxi, the real battle was communicating our address to the taxi driver in Chinese. Any expat’s worst nightmare. It took us a few minutes of arguing and disagreement to finally be able to pronounce it right. And in no time, we were on our way home in fresh, comfortable seats and a well-functioning air conditioner.

“Take that, Dad!” I remember thinking the entire way home.

Age 13

Living away from my parents for the first time had its good and bad sides. You’d expect me to return home way past my usual curfew and hang outside more. Well, that part is true. That’s what I did for some time while my parents were both in Cameroon for an entire month, attending my grandmother’s funeral. However, I quickly found that the more time I spent outside, the more money I spent on unnecessary and expensive things. After realizing this, I decided to dedicate more time to watching TV shows and movies indoors. One TV show in particular that kept 13-year old me busy for an entire month was The Vampire Diaries, which was eight seasons long. My sister and I were not entirely on our own. We had babysitters that were staying with us the whole time and they decided to have a movie marathon every night. Obviously, both my sister and I loved the idea. We watched all types of movies from the Wrong Turn series to White Chicks, a classic. In this case, I definitely think the good times spent without our parents at home outweighed the bad.

Age 14

At 14, I was given the biggest responsibility of my life: cooking dinner for a family of four. My parents took my sister to the dentist for an entire afternoon and expected to return home to a dinner table fully set with a three-course meal. Well, maybe not a three-course meal but certainly something to eat at the end of the day. I was 14 at the time and had spent almost an entire month helping my mom out in the kitchen because she’s hands-down, the best cook I know. I remember scanning our kitchen pantry and choosing the easiest option: pasta and tomato sauce. Initially, I thought it would be a piece of cake. Unfortunately, it did not turn out to be as easy as I had imagined. Cutting the vegetables for the sauce was perhaps the hardest part. Although I had done it before, this time was different, because my mom wasn’t there to correct me nor scold me for any little mistake I made. Eventually, I was able to make a pretty decent sauce, and with no injuries to boot!

This article appeared in the jingkids 2021 July-August issue

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