Is there anything I can write down on a sunny afternoon, sitting in the train on my way back from a morning’s work in Suzhou? Everything seems predictable, peaceful and calm. The people I meet along the way walk quietly, look relaxed at their phones, wait patiently in line for a ticket for the bus or train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s a long way home today, straight through Suzhou, using all public transportation available. Bus, first. Then subway. Then the train. After my arrival in Shanghai, I will take the subway home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two guys are sitting next to me. One is young, a tall stature, cheerful face. The other is a bit older, a bit on the skinny side. He also speaks more. His brown teeth and dusty smell betray a harmonious symbiosis with cigarettes. His taller neighbor shows no signs of such a close relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They know each other well and I expect them to be colleagues. The profession they practice is less easy to guess. Could be IT, trade, sales. Fintech. Everything is possible, really.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is nothing I can be certain of anyway. All I catch is the smoker’s question to his big friend: “So, where are you going now?” When they glance in my direction, they comment on my typing – which is in Dutch- and we laugh a bit. I decline the request to exchange contacts, everyone returns to their phones with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The return journey today, in the middle of the day, is the last one in the two weeks in which I have been able to brighten up Emme’s afternoons. I am jealous of our nanny Meixia’s work and hope we can end it with a party today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Written on May 10, 2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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