Shanghai’s old hospital

I decided to enter this art deco building at 505 Dong Changzhi Lu, as it seemed totally deserted when I entered. Inside I discovered it to be be an old seamen’s hospital, built by colonialists in 1934. As I explored more inwards — and just as I sent a photo to my friend — I started to hear dog barks, both from the entrance as well as from the back of the building — echoing through the corridors. “At least she knows where to find me if I’m eaten alive by dogs”, I thought to myself. I turned a corner and saw a dog blocking the path, barking my way. Yet then I saw a person move passed a distant doorway, and it turned out to be the guy who brought water to the dogs. I followed him outside as he chased the dogs away, my heart still racing. Only then did I finish my message to my friend to tell how stunning a place this is.

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Travel plugs

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Twenty-three years

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In June we moved back to the Netherlands, six suitcases across 8000 kilometres, and after a brief spell at my parents’ place, we moved into our own home. This second move also involved putting down carpet, curtains, buying appliances and furniture — so that our new garage quickly filled with cardboard boxes and other packaging […]
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Searching for meadows

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Degrees of wealth

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In eight years of living in China, taxi drivers or older colleagues loved to ask, “Which is better, the Netherlands or China?”, hoping for a single insightful answer that would explain everything. And now, back as a resident in the Netherlands, people ask the mirrored version: do I miss living in China? Neither question is […]
July 11, 2026