Just outside
(Outside home: Suzhou, China)
This gives a better impression of the China I come home to and the place I actually spend a fair proportion of the time when I’m there. I may have mentioned that the area in which we live is a mere four years old and looks every inch the palatial ex-pat high rise. I find the environment a little sterile, but I am a northern English girl who has spent the last six years in a slightly worn Glasgow tenement (which until recently had carpet in the kitchen – something I do not recommend).
Ying and I live in the buildings to the left of the image, in fact, the boy and (presumably) his grandfather are actually stood very near the entrance to our block. The arrangement of the garden is dynamic and modern, as you can see, and I am a big fan of all the pleasant greenery around. It is particularly precious as some parts of Suzhou are just blackened grey with little green to be found. As for the moulded concrete Tiki bandstand… well, how can I put this, my opinion is less favourable! It is difficult enough to adjust to a new life in a strange country without it being compounded by the bizarre introduction of an African themed garden. I feel more like I’m living in a traffic filled, coaster-less theme park than suburban China.
On the upside, I was thrilled to discover many tiny fish in the shallow ponds and there are hundreds of butterflies flitting from leaf to flower in the summer. The gardens attract the younger children in the night time, carefully and vigilantly supervised by hawk eyed parents and often trussed up in safety gear for a burst of wobbly roller skating. On the whole, it’s not a bad view, since it could very well be a busy road or a factory, like many others. I still don’t understand the exotic concrete seats though…
You are so lucky, this is a beautiful habitat to relax in. Water, greenery and totempoles are essential to peaceful living! x