This article was originally published on July 12, 2010
How one simple photograph began a wonderful relationship
By Lynne & Dave Ells, 5-time travelers, Centennial, Colorado
Ordinarily, when we think about friendships made while traveling, we automatically think about bonding with our traveling companions: We exchange email addresses with these travelers, as well as our Trip Leaders. However, during our Imperial China, Tibet & the Yangtze River trip, my husband Dave (a self-proclaimed photography “nut”) and I realized that these friendships are not reserved to our traveling group, but can open doors to close relationships with the residents of the destinations we travel.
While my husband and I were exploring the Summer Palace in Beijing, we noticed two young, twin boys eating corn-on-the-cob at a nearby table. Dave snapped a few quick photos of the precious boys. As we turned to leave, an older gentleman sitting with the boys pressed a piece of paper with an email address into Dave’s hand. Understanding this note to be a request to email the photos we had taken, we both made mental notes to do so once we returned from our trip.
The original image of the twin boys captured by Dave at the Summer Palace in Beijing.
Once we got home from our adventure, Dave and I downloaded our thousands of photos from our trip to China. When we found the images of the twin boys, we sent one to the email address given to us by the older gentleman.
We weren’t quite sure what to expect after that, but we received a response from Ariel, the mother of the boys—whose names are Su Dayou and Su Jie—almost immediately. She thanked us for sharing the photo of her sons and asked us a little bit more about ourselves. Given the formality of the Chinese culture, one of the first things Ariel wanted to know was how to address Dave and me. And since then, we’ve been known as “Uncle Grandpa” and “Aunt Grandma.”
Ariel told us that she and her husband, Michael, planned to visit Yellowstone National Park that fall (just four months after we’d taken the twins’ picture in Beijing)—and wondered if we’d like to meet up with them. Although they did not bring along their sons, Dave and I met Ariel and Michael during their travels to the United States and spent more than three hours talking about China, America, and parenting.
Michael, Ariel, Lynne, and Dave at Yellowstone National Park.
We now correspond regularly with Ariel and Mike. After that initial email, Ariel has shared traditional Chinese medical practices with us to help us determine the best foods for our diets—information we’ve never received during visits to our own doctor! We’ve also received New Year’s greetings—for both our traditional, American New Year’s celebrations and for the Chinese New Year. They arrive with signatures from Ariel, Michael, and the boys—including personalized drawings (most recently, small fish). And of course, Ariel sends updated photos of the boys frequently so that we can keep up with their growth. As you can see, our communications have taken on a familial tone.
A more recent photo of Su Dayou and Su Jie—the reason Lynne, Dave, Ariel, and Michael’s friendship began in the first place.
And this is where we now stand. We have been invited back to China—and hope to return soon.
We continue to be amazed by the result of snapping off a couple of quick images in a faraway land in what felt like a quick pass through a site of historical significance. It was a wonderful, unexpected, and amazing experience, and one that we will not only continue, but hope to nurture through subsequent contacts between both of our families.
Do you have a special story about an unexpected cultural connection? Share it with me at harriet@oattravel.com.
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