My suitcase is too small to take back so many Yunnan stories

“On my tour of Yunnan, I saw the Erhai Lake and the Cangshan Mountain, and I tasted aromatic Pu’er tea. Now I’m going home. I can’t take back those enchanting views, but I will always cherish my love of Yunnan,” said Mr. Supradjo affectionately when he was leaving Yunnan to return home in Indonesia earlier this year.

In the autumn of 2014, when Mr. Supradjo came to Yunnan University of Nationalities from Indonesia to teach the Indonesian language, I had just returned from my studies in Indonesia and was luckily assigned to take care of his living needs. I first met him at the airport, and he was smiling a big smile at me------a smile more like a blooming gardenia flower than the mild autumn of Kunming. Then, Mr. Supradjo greeted me in his awkward Kunming dialect, giving me a genial feeling. He must have learnt those phrases from Chinese students who are Kunmingers studying in Indonesia, I thought.

In his late fifties, Mr. Supradjo still has a young heart. He is a keen student and loves Yunnan music and ethnic culture. He backpacked to the Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake where he listened to folk songs and even learnt to play the cucurbit flute. Wherever he went, he was always warmly received as a friend from afar, because everyone could feel his love of Yunnan. Thousands of miles from home, Mr. Supradjo was not immune to homesickness, but the hospitality of Yunnan people gave him great comfort.

In my eyes, Mr. Supradjo always made his classes lively. He taught Indonesian literature in a unique way, and he let students tell him the fascinating Yunnan stories surrounding Ashima and the Five Golden Flowers (respective legends of Yi and Bai people, two ethnic minorities of Yunnan Province). He also picked up some Chinese in the process. In his spare time, Mr. Supradjo would invite students to visit the attractions in Kunming, such as the Green Lake, the Dianchi Lake and the Western Hills. In the winter of 2014, Mr. Supradjo saw his first snow in Yunnan. He excitedly recorded the beautiful snowscape in pictures and text and sent them to his families in Indonesia so that they could share with him another side of Yunnan’s beauty.

Not long ago, Mr. Supradjo’s teaching term came to an end. When packing, he left most of his daily articles to make more room in his suitcase for stories of Yunnan translated by his students. He also took ethnic costumes he had collected when travelling and the cucurbit flute he loved so much. He told me that the suitcase was too small to fit so many Yunnan stories, revealing his deep emotional attachment to Yunnan.

My suitcase is too small to take back so many Yunnan stories

On my tour of Yunnan, I saw the Erhai Lake and the Cangshan Mountain, and I tasted aromatic Puer tea. Now Im going home. I cant take back those enchanting views, but I will always cherish my love of Yunnan, said Mr. Supradjo affectionately when he was leaving Yunnan to return home in Indonesia earlier this year. In the autumn of 2014, when Mr. Supradjo came to Yunnan University of Nationalities from Indonesia to teach the Indonesian language, I had just returned from my studies in Indonesia and was luckily assigned to take care of his living needs. I first met him at the airport, and he was smiling a big smile at me------a smile more like a blooming gardenia flower than the mild autumn of Kunming. Then, Mr. Supradjo greeted me in his awkward Kunming dialect, giving me a genial feeling. He must have learnt those phrases from Chinese students who are Kunmingers studying in Indonesia, I thought. In his late fifties, Mr. Supradjo still has a young heart. He is a keen student and loves Yunnan music and ethnic culture. He backpacked to the Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake where he listened to folk songs and even learnt to play the cucurbit flute. Wherever he went, he was always warmly received as a friend from afar, because everyone could feel his love of Yunnan. Thousands of miles from home, Mr. Supradjo was not immune to homesickness, but the hospitality of Yunnan people gave him great comfort. In my eyes, Mr. Supradjo always made his classes lively. He taught Indonesian literature in a unique way, and he let students tell him the fascinating Yunnan stories surrounding Ashima and the Five Golden Flowers (respective legends of Yi and Bai people, two ethnic minorities of Yunnan Province). He also picked up some Chinese in the process. In his spare time, Mr. Supradjo would invite students to visit the attractions in Kunming, such as the Green Lake, the Dianchi Lake and the Western Hills. In the winter of 2014, Mr. Supradjo saw his first snow in Yunnan. He excitedly recorded the beautiful snowscape in pictures and text and sent them to his families in Indonesia so that they could share with him another side of Yunnans beauty. Not long ago, Mr. Supradjos teaching term came to an end. When packing, he left most of his daily articles to make more room in his suitcase for stories of Yunnan translated by his students. He also took ethnic costumes he had collected when travelling and the cucurbit flute he loved so much. He told me that the suitcase was too small to fit so many Yunnan stories, revealing his deep emotional attachment to Yunnan.