Hostel life 1

Hostel life has its own charm, and I know my readers who live in hostels must be aware of the unique experiences it brings.

However, there are many drawbacks to living away from your family and home, especially when you're in a different country. The hardest part is not being able to be with your loved ones during moments of joy or sorrow.

As many of you might know, I lived in China for five years, and today, I want to share one of the most heartbreaking moments we experienced there.

It was a Sunday, and I was sleeping until the afternoon, but my roommate was an early bird. She was studying on her bed while having her afternoon tea, while I was still asleep.

Suddenly, she received a call from her family. Within seconds, she shouted, "WHAT?"

I instantly opened my eyes, feeling a wave of fear and anxiety. I turned to see my roommate struggling to breathe, visibly shaken.

I rushed to her bed and asked, "What happened?" But she just kept taking deep breaths, repeating, "NO, NO, THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE."

Worried, I took the phone from her hand and spoke. It was her cousin sister, who was crying on the other end. I asked her, "What happened, sister?"

Through her sobs, she replied, "Xiao Li, please take care of her... Aunty is no longer with us."

I was in complete shock upon hearing this. I quickly ended the call after reassuring her cousin that I would take care of my roommate.

I hugged my roommate tightly, but she continued crying uncontrollably. I immediately called our other friends, and they all rushed to our room. Together, we tried to console her.

Her mother had been chronically ill. We tried to book a ticket for her to fly home, but the earliest available flight was two days later. Unfortunately, her family couldn't wait that long, as the funeral needed to be held urgently.

After some discussions, it was decided that she wouldn't travel back to her home country. Instead, that same evening, she watched her mother’s final rites through a video call before the funeral. I cannot even begin to describe how difficult that day was for us and how we struggled to comfort her.

Another one of our classmates went through a similar experience—his mother passed away, and he couldn't go back home either.

One of my other friends lost her little brother, but her family didn’t tell her immediately to spare her the pain while she was abroad. She only found out about his death when she returned home for vacation. Before that, whenever she asked to talk to her brother, her family would make excuses, saying, "He's sleeping," "He's playing outside," or "He's at a relative's house." It was heartbreaking for her to realize that she never got the chance to say goodbye.

My best friend's father also passed away while she was in China. It took her two days to travel back home, but by the time she arrived, her father had already been buried. She said that the two days spent at airports and on planes were the longest and most painful moments of her life.

Living far away from family, especially in another country, is truly difficult.

When I was writing about AR and Soni struggling to contact their daughter and calling her roommate instead, it reminded me of my own hostel life. That’s why I wanted to share this experience with you all.

I’d love to hear your stories and experiences of living in a hostel.

Stay tuned for more updates and chitchat!

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