China , if two festivals come together , we often celebrate them together and have a bigger party so as to keep this good luck forever .
On my way back , I bought a bouquet of flowers and a thank you card for Claudia . She was totally astonished and moved when I gave her the gifts . With tears in eyes , she said this was the best birthday and Mother ’ s Day she had ever had . I found out that neither of her two children came back on that day ; they just sent thank you cards to their mother . As a mother , it was easy for me to understand Claudia ’ s feelings after receiving gifts from me , someone who has no biological relationship with her .
Blair enjoyed her time in Cambridge , England . Pictured here is the tranquil River Cam .
A similar situation occurred in UK which once again totally changed my view . When I studied in Cambridge this last year , I lived in a homestay near Malvern Road . My hosts were an elderly couple whose children already left home and lived in London now . The mother was a very nice person who was good at cooking . She cooked delicious meals for me every day and talked to me about her children when I was free . She also put many photos of her children on the walls and showed them to everyone who came to her house . Obviously , she is a lovely mother who loves her children very much .
That year , Mother ’ s Day fell on March 23rd in Britain , and thank you cards were exhibited in the stores as well as supermarkets . I thought that the holiday was celebrated in the same way as it is in China . We usually celebrate with our mother on that day and send a thoughtful gift to show our love . So I left the homestay very early on that day in order to give Claudia private space to celebrate the festival with her children , based on the experience in USA . Also , that day happened not only to be Mother ’ s Day but also Claudia ’ s birthday , which was just a lucky coincidence . In
I asked Claudia why her children did not come back home to celebrate with her . She told me that this is part of British culture , because children do not fully belong to their family after turning 18 . An adult could choose to celebrate festivals with whomever they want and do not need the permission of parents . I was totally astonished after hearing that . If I did not celebrate my mother ’ s birthday with her or send her a well-prepared gift , she would delete me from WeChat ! Even if she did not delete me , my family members would judge me for not coming , and I would feel guilty for what I have done .
Traveling and living in different countries has taught me various things . The most important thing is that I have learnt how to respect different cultures , customs and habits . Not to judge them , just to respect them . Culture is a reflection of a country . Everything has two or more sides , including culture . Learning to respect differences is the first step to embracing the world .
Blair is a mother of a three-year old boy . She is passionate about parent education and hopes to utilise her experience and knowledge to improve parent education in Mainland China .
JANUARY 2018 10