Joyful Footprints

HIStory

I took the 4 pages A4 lined paper filled with single-spaced handwritten notes from my dad’s slightly shaken hands. I looked into his deep set eyes on his pale face and promised him that I will make time to translate his biography from Burmese to English language. Upon hearing my promise, my dad’s eyes slightly lighted up.

This is a man, who was rushed to the hospital a few days after the Thanksgiving holiday due to his irregular heartbeats and laboured breathing. Based on the doctors’ advice, we were already making burial arrangements. Regardless, we prayed that he will live through to see the new year. Then we prayed that he will live through to celebrate his next birthday. Miraculously, my dad is still with us to this day.

After he returned home from the hospital and after he can sit up for longer than an hour, I spent most of my time sitting next to my dad, and going over each paragraph to comprehend what he has written, partly in Burmese and partly in Chinese words, especially on the given names, to understand the flow of the story and the timeline he mentioned. I was amazed at my dad, who at 96, and who does not know how to google search, to have written a biographical story about his dad, my grandfather, and his ancestors and referenced the timeline to some of the important Chinese history. I explained to my dad that I will need more time to do research on the Chinese history, and best, if I can retrace the footsteps of his ancestors in China and my grandfather, who immigrated to Burma from China in the early 1900, accompanied by his two older brothers.

Seeing that my dad would sit up patiently and answered each of my question with alacrity and his voice got stronger with each session, my siblings and I realised that talking about this subject could be the key to improve his mental and physical wellbeing. From then on my main task became sitting next to my dad and just getting him to reminisce his childhood and family life in general. My dad gave me advice on which city to first visit in China and where I may possibly find traces of my ancestors’ roots. My dad is fully qualified to give travel advice; he was making solo trips to China and parts of Asia well into his early 80s.

I have been restless and slightly depressed since I took my retirement, wondering what my next life chapter will be like. Now that I know what my next project is and the journey that will take me to retrace the footsteps of my ancestors, my excitement starts to grow.

“A Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with a Single Step.” – LAO TZU