Trip to Xinxiang is on... and off... and on again!

Already before my December 2012 trip to China Jinlin suggested that I could visit her in Henan in February 2013. Her term in the university ends before the Chinese New Year and she returns to home for the holiday. Chinese New Year, which is based on the ancient Chinese moon-calendar, is celebrated this year from 10th February to 12th February. Originally Jinlin made the suggestion to replace my December trip with this one, because she was not going to have much free time in December. As you know, I went in December anyway and it was good, but since I still had some vacation days remaining after that trip, I continued the discussion about returning around the chinese new year. On 2012-12-12:

Robert:  How much holiday will you have in February next year? 你下年二月有几 天 空 ? (Nǐ  Xià  Nián  Èr  Yuè  Yǒu  Jǐ  Tiān  Kòng  ?)

Jinlin: I do not know yet. I will calculate.  ( 我 现在 还 不 知道 我 会 计算 )

Robert:  Okay. I want to know what time I can come to Zhengzhou. ( Shì de  .  Wǒ  Yào  Zhī dào  Wǒ  Shén me  Shí hou  Kě yǐ  Lái  Zhèng zhōu )

Well, days passed and our chats were rare and short. I tried to get the planning moving again on 2012-12-17:

Robert: Do you now know what time I could arrive to Zhengzhou? I need to buy ticket to the airplane. ( Nǐ  Xiàn zài  Zhī dào  Wǒ  Shén me  Shí jiān  Kě yǐ  Lái  Zhèng zhōu  Ma  ? Wǒ  Yào  Mǎi  Fēi jī  Piào )

Jinlin: Oh, I do not yet know. ( 哦 不 我 现在 还 不 知道 )

Robert: Okay. You should tell me soon. ( Hǎo ba  .  Nǐ  Bù jiǔ  Kě yǐ  Gào su  Wǒ )

Next days had more occasional chats but nothing about the enigmatic February visit. Next attempt during our nice and long Christmas chat on 2012-12-22:

Robert: You could tell me what time I can come to Zhengzhou. I need to buy airplane ticket now ( Nǐ  Kě yǐ  Gào su  Wǒ  Shén me  Shí hou  Wǒ  Néng  Lái  Zhèng zhōu )

Jinlin: You can come after the Chinese New Year ( 你 可以 在 春节 以后 )

Robert: Okay. Can I come 1st of February?

Jinlin: No, you can't. In the Chinese New Year there is tradition of all family coming together. Before that the whole country is very busy. I will need to determine if I will be the new year this year in Anhui or Henan ( 不 可以 ，在 春节 的 习俗 ，中国 的 春节 都 会 和 家人 一起. 在 哪 之前 我们 都会 很 忙碌) 

Robert: Okay. But you should soon tell me when I can come.

I was growing worried and impatient. I like to plan things in good time. And regardless of my planning preferences I know that airplane tickets for such trip might not be available for very short notice. The planning was proceeding in much the same way as the planning for my December-trip did: not much at all. So after few more days of no discussion on the travel I was getting more direct 2012-12-26:

Jinlin: I have been buying flight ticket to return home ( 我的 前 买 了 回家 的 飞机 票 )

Robert: You must tell me when I can come to visit you after Chinese new year. I have asked many times and you have not given me answer. I am not happy with that. Please tell me when and where I can come and how long I can stay with you.  I must buy a ticket very soon in order to come to China in February.

No reply to this from Jinlin for many days. In fact no replies to any of my small-talk messages in the following days. Then she told me of her serious stress and insomnia. In the following days I was trying to be very kind and soft in my further inquiries about possible travel times. On 2012-12-31:

Robert: Can I come after 10th February to Zhengzhou? :-)

Jinlin: You can come after the Chinese New Year

Robert: Isn't the Chinese New year on 10th February? And it ends on 12th February? So could I come then on 13th February? How many days could we then be together? When should I return home? I am sorry to bother you with these questions. But in order to buy flight tickets I must know exact date to arrive and leave.

Jinlin: You can come after the Chinese New Year. You must leave after three days. That is quite short time. I also worry about you because there are so many people travelling here at Chinese New Year.

Robert: I also think three days is very short time. Perhaps I don't come then. Perhaps I should only later come to Shanghai. I want to be able to stay in China at least one week when I come because the distance is so long.

Well, what a shame. It does not make sense to travel to China for three days regardless of how much I want. Too long distance and hassle for too few days. What a pitiful end to such long attempts and plans to travel there around the new years time. I was quite upset.


Then on 2013-01-03 we had a very nice and happy video-chat after a very long break in those. During that she told that she will return home on 21th January. For few days I was pondering about that and my Chinese friend suggestion of being more assertive in and planning my trips. So on 2013-01-08 I asked her the obvious questions:

Robert: You wrote that you return home 21.1. Why do you say I can only come after Chinese new year? Chinese new year is 10.2. Why can't I come to Xinxiang 21.1? You are staying home for many weeks. Why do you say I can only come to see you for three days?

Jinlin:  I will be at home 21th January. You can arrive 24th January. You should return to Finland after one week because there will be so many people around in China the Chinese New Year. Hotels will not have space and travel will be difficult. ( 我 是 1 月 21 号 到 家 ， 你 可以 再 1 月 24 号 到达 中国.  一个 星期 回 芬兰 因为 在 中国 的 新 年 到处 都 是 人. 没有 多余 的 酒店. 出行 很 不 方便 ) 

Robert:  I am not afraid of trouble or having many people. But I do understand it can be difficult to get flight tickets and hotel now because it is already late. Next time when we are planning my travel to China we must do it long before the travel. I will check from the internet if flight and hotel are possible now.

What a nice rescue in the "eleventh hour"! :-) I don't know why in the end it was okay for her that I come already before the Chinese New Year. I don't care: I have now bought flight ticket for Thursday 24th January, reserved hotel from Xinxiang, submitted Visa-application to the embassy, packed some nice gifts to my suitcase and waiting to see my lovely girlfriend very soon.