A Mother-Daughter Travel Story About Culture, Contrast, and Coming Home

My daughter and I decided a long time ago: at least once a year it is compulsory to travel abroad to see how people in other parts of the world live.

Not through Instagram, YouTube or other people’s photos, but through your own eyes. To hear another speech, feel the vibe of the streets, taste the local food, observe people and simply expand your understanding of life.

This time our choice fell on South Korea. My daughter-in-law just adores this country and always talks about it with such enthusiasm that one day my daughter and I looked around and said, "That's it. Let's Fly."

And then it happened that you can’t call anything else than luck. A day before buying the tickets, our president made a resounding statement about Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. The news smelled of tension and possible war. People started to cancel trips en masse, and flight prices literally dropped.

True, just for one day. The very next morning they jumped up again, but we managed to catch this chance. With what pleasure we then sat at home and planned our trip.

During preparation, my daughter suggested: since we fly so far, we need to see other countries nearby. In my dreams, I've always had Japan, but while studying the routes, I came across information about the Guangzhou International Fair, where representatives from all over the world gather twice a year to showcase their technologies, products and achievements. It became so interesting for us that the plans changed instantly. Thus China appeared in our journey.

Back then we sincerely thought we were incredibly lucky: from Seoul to China only took about three hours of flight, and the return tickets cost us only $235 per person. After American prices, it almost seemed like a gift of fate.

South Korea greeted us with cool air, cleanliness and a sense of absolute order. I was surprised how thoughtful it was. Even after being in the country for the first time, you completely don't feel lost. At the airport, everything is clear and convenient: buses, trains, taxis, Uber, ticket machines and currency exchange - everything is literally at your fingertips.

People are very polite, they greet with a smile and a slight bow of their head. There is a certain rhythm in the city - modern, technological and at the same time surprisingly calm. Cozy cafes, developed infrastructure, high level of security, medicine and education were felt in literally everything. Our hotel was located right in the center of the city, close to the trains, buses and the famous night market, where life did not stop until the very morning.

First thing we went to the hairdresser. Young handsome guys did their job so professionally that we left completely delighted. There were a lot of tourists on the streets, but there were real queues in cosmetic stores. I especially struck the appearance of people. Everyone looked very well groomed, stylish and beautifully dressed.

Once we were taking a train to Gangnam district, and at one of the stops, two men, who appear to be in their seventies, entered the train.

My daughter immediately gave up on one of them. Then I got up too to concede to the second one, but immediately I heard: "Don't, I'm standing." I started to insist that he sit down, but he literally put me back in place with a slight movement. Young guys with the girls in front of them smiled sweetly at the situation.

After a few minutes, the man apologized, and when he learned that we were from America, he began to carefully remember English words. So we found out that he is 87 years old and his friend sitting next to him is 95. That's when we finally realized how amazing Koreans look in age.

After perfectly organized and modern Seoul, we flew to China, to Guangzhou, the fourth largest city in the country with a population of almost 19 million people. This is an ancient city with a history of over 2000 years and a completely different atmosphere.

Guangzhou turned out to be noisy, crowded and dirty in places, unlike South Korea at all. The people here seemed more straightforward and a little rude, yet friendly and open. On the streets and indoors, the smell of papiros was constantly felt. Chinese smoke a lot, talk loud, live fast and are constantly in a hurry.

Cuisine in China surprised us too. Here for breakfast, they eat what we are used to seeing for lunch or dinner - large plates of soup, noodles, meat and hot dishes. Huge cups of broth were literally everywhere. And tea, on the contrary, is drunk from small soups, turning this almost into a separate ritual.

We often saw schoolchildren in the same uniform, going home after school in large friendly companies, and toddlers playing in kindergartens. It was noticeable how much attention is paid to the upbringing, discipline and education of children in China.

In one of the cafes, we met two beautiful girls from Kazakhstan. They have been studying in Shanghai for two years and came to Guangzhou for the holidays because many things in other cities were closed. This is how we learned that the country celebrates Workers' Day and people are given five days off.

There were a lot of people on the streets - both day and night. Markets, night markets, noise, traffic and an endless stream of tourists created the feeling of a city that never sleeps.

There were not many policemen on the streets, but their sense of humor was clearly present. We saw a sign on one of the streets that said, "Fighting is not allowed!" If you lose you will go to the hospital. If you win, you will go to jail." We've laughed at this warning for a long time.

Particularly surprising was that in pharmacies you can freely buy almost any medicine without a prescription - from antibiotics to IV-preparations. After America, this looked very unusual.

On this trip, we saw two completely different countries: young South Korea and ancient, noisy China, with its thousands of years of culture. Each left her own emotions, impressions and memories.

And returning home, my daughter and I caught ourselves thinking that travel not only opens up the world, but also helps to appreciate even more the place where you live. And it was at that moment we understood especially clearly how lucky we were to live in America.

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