#WhenThisIsOver I’ll Set Aside More Time for Family

By Timmy Hung-Ming Shen J’16

I didn’t expect this to happen. I flew back from Beijing, where I’m based, to Kaohsiung in early January to cast my vote in our presidential election. Then my employer in Beijing asked me not to return just yet, because of the virus outbreak.

My parents, both retired junior high school teachers, were so ecstatic that they wanted me to find a job in Taiwan and just stay with them forever. I did not follow their request.

It’s sad to say this, but I’d almost forgotten how to get along with them without getting into a quarrel. I have never had the chance to stay with them for more than a month in 10 years, and now we are working hard to figure out how to deal with one another. We’ve been doing well.

I don’t intend to nag about my parents, but this left me thinking that I shall set aside more time for my family, when this is over.

Timmy Shen, J’16, is a Beijing-based Taiwanese reporter at Caixin Global, a China-focused financial and business news outlet.