A Glimpse of the Extra-Ordinary

In my once-familiar school environment, which I had come to see as mundane, I encountered a figure whose experiences and outlook on life were anything but ordinary. Through his reflections on seemingly routine moments, his aspirations and profound insights emerged with an extraordinary clarity, revealing a depth that transcended the ordinary.

“I have been working at this school for a little less than a year—just over 11 months. I started on April 11th last year,” he recounted with impressive precision. “I work as a porter. If there are events or activities, we move the tables and chairs into place,” he explained at a slow, unhurried pace. “We’re a bit busier these days with your exams going on, so we’re working slightly longer hours for these two weeks. Usually, I work from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM, but during exams, we work until 9:00 PM.”

“Things that impress me…” he chuckled as he pondered the question. “I meet a lot of foreign faces while working here. We don’t encounter many foreigners in our daily lives—lots and lots of foreigners,” he repeated. “That’s the coolest thing I’ve encountered since I started working here.”

“This school truly has an amazing environment; there’s a lot of greenery. The campus is beautifully decorated. When I first arrived, I sometimes got lost trying to find my way around,” he chuckled again.

“You students are great—very polite and easy-going. If I’m carrying something and meet students in the hallway, you always make way for me.” “It’s true,” he confirmed repeatedly.

When I asked what he likes to do after work, he thought for a moment: “I enjoy strolling around the streets, exercising a bit, and enjoying the city at night. Sometimes, I see people dancing in the squares, which I think is nice. Unfortunately, I’m not much of a dancer myself, but watching others have a great time brings me joy.”

His sense of optimism and relaxation piqued my curiosity about his past. “I was born in Shanghai and have lived here my entire life—well, not really. I worked in Jiangsu for a couple of years when I was in my 20s. Then I went to Vietnam to work as a manager for a foreign enterprise. That was back in 2006; I assume you weren’t even born then.”

“I used to work in an electronics factory, which is completely unrelated to what I’m doing now.” “I’m quite accustomed to it (the tiresome workload),” he shrugged. “We usually aren’t busy; it’s just these few days of exams that require us to work a bit more.”

Amazed by his past, I asked why he took the job in the first place.

Yang Shifu in his working outfit

“I retired a few years ago and felt bored and unaccustomed to spending all day at home. I used to start working around 8 in the morning every day. Suddenly retiring and having nothing to do felt strange…I took this job to keep myself occupied.”

“Most people our age don’t work for money; we just want to keep ourselves busy.” These ordinary daily tasks provided him with a tremendous sense of accomplishment and meaningfulness. While our younger generation strives for material fulfillment, keeping themselves busy to create better living standards, his generation seems to have a much more usual mindset, seeking for spiritual fulfillment instead of coping with physical necessities.

“My whole family lives here. My children are quite busy—both work as government officials. They live a few kilometers away, and we have a meal together every week or so. I think living separately is better than living together and seeing each other every day; it avoids a lot of conflicts. Now, when we do meet, we’re delighted because we don’t see each other as often. Somehow, I feel much closer to my children this way.”

“We don’t work for money,” he reiterated. “We usually have more retirement income than what we earn here.”

“One of my colleagues always asks me, ‘Why don’t you sign up for community college?’ I’ve always wanted to check it out and learn something new. One of my friends from when I was young now studies the Erhu (a Chinese instrument) at the community college for seniors. That sounds fun, although I’m not particularly musical.”

As our conversation came to an end, his warmth and optimism lingered. “I might go and learn something else,” he said, contemplating future possibilities, “that should keep me occupied and fulfilled.”

His perspective on life—finding joy in community, cherishing moments with family, and embracing new experiences—reminds us that the extraordinary often resides in our everyday choices and connections. Through his unique story, we caught a glimpse of how life is viewed through the lens of older generations. His thoughts about tasks after retirement, valuing connections with family, and yearning for personal freedom and new experiences possess extraordinary depth and power. In a world that often rushes by, his story serves as a gentle reminder to pause, appreciate the little things, and recognize the beauty in our shared humanity.