Family Connection
Especially, the travel gave the "family bond" or "family connection" for me. There are so many other definitions of travel for many other people such as self-discipline or knowing new people from different region in the world. However, after the time of divorce, my dad tried to dedicate time with me, and the form of dedicating the time with me was traveling around Southeast Asia. Here are stories that I shared with my dad.
After the time of divorce in 2003, my dad always planned bi-monthly trips to Southeast Asia. Between the year of 2003 and 2007, I could go Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan, and Brunei. At the time of travel, because I was so young to realize, I could not know why my dad tried to plan the trip and tried to spend the time with me. I thought it was banal, and I also thought most of my friends' families were traveling with them as well. Seeing monuments and sacred places with my dad throughout trips that I went was, I firstly thought, boring for me. It was so hot that I could not resist, and I was so angry at that time that my dad tried to push me into so many places to watch. I, initially, was so mad at my dad because I did not know the purpose of the trip, and I did not think that these trips were important to me.
On the other hand, at the time of studying in Philadelphia and missing my dad so much, I finally realized the meaning of trips with my dad. Of course, my dad tried to show me new cultures and environment, so that I can be more mature and more knowledgeable compared to many other friends that I have. However, it was not the most important reason that my dad tried to travel with me. The most important reason is very simple; he just wanted to have the time with me. My dad, who worked and still works from early morning to evening, did not have a sufficient time to spend with me. He was always busy his work, and I could not talk him very much at very first time of divorce because I did not have the opportunity to talk with my dad. However, when I began to talk with my dad throughout trips that I went with my dad, I later realized that it was the happiest time that I had throughout my life. Without any school works or other works that I have, I did not have to think anything besides just trip and my family. I could talk more and more with my dad, and I finally had the time to realize that my dad is "so lovely and nice dad." This is the reason why trips with my dad is the one of the happiest experiences I had with my dad.
Many others, as I mentioned, could think that the trips can be just a learning process of new cultures or a way of self-discipline. However, I always say that my trips with my dad were all about family bond. I could not forget even one moment in the trip right now. Even though the divorce with my mom made me sad, the trip with my dad made my life so much happier, and I will pledge to do this to my sons and daughters when I become a father of one family.
Back To Auto-Ethnography 2
Back To Home
After the time of divorce in 2003, my dad always planned bi-monthly trips to Southeast Asia. Between the year of 2003 and 2007, I could go Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan, and Brunei. At the time of travel, because I was so young to realize, I could not know why my dad tried to plan the trip and tried to spend the time with me. I thought it was banal, and I also thought most of my friends' families were traveling with them as well. Seeing monuments and sacred places with my dad throughout trips that I went was, I firstly thought, boring for me. It was so hot that I could not resist, and I was so angry at that time that my dad tried to push me into so many places to watch. I, initially, was so mad at my dad because I did not know the purpose of the trip, and I did not think that these trips were important to me.
On the other hand, at the time of studying in Philadelphia and missing my dad so much, I finally realized the meaning of trips with my dad. Of course, my dad tried to show me new cultures and environment, so that I can be more mature and more knowledgeable compared to many other friends that I have. However, it was not the most important reason that my dad tried to travel with me. The most important reason is very simple; he just wanted to have the time with me. My dad, who worked and still works from early morning to evening, did not have a sufficient time to spend with me. He was always busy his work, and I could not talk him very much at very first time of divorce because I did not have the opportunity to talk with my dad. However, when I began to talk with my dad throughout trips that I went with my dad, I later realized that it was the happiest time that I had throughout my life. Without any school works or other works that I have, I did not have to think anything besides just trip and my family. I could talk more and more with my dad, and I finally had the time to realize that my dad is "so lovely and nice dad." This is the reason why trips with my dad is the one of the happiest experiences I had with my dad.
Many others, as I mentioned, could think that the trips can be just a learning process of new cultures or a way of self-discipline. However, I always say that my trips with my dad were all about family bond. I could not forget even one moment in the trip right now. Even though the divorce with my mom made me sad, the trip with my dad made my life so much happier, and I will pledge to do this to my sons and daughters when I become a father of one family.
Back To Auto-Ethnography 2
Back To Home