A letter from Apr 07, 2026

Dear FutureMe, Happy Birthday!! I hope you're having a good day - and if not, I hope seeing this email and knowing past me wanted you to have a good day makes you feel a bit better. I hope you take some time for yourself today - whatever you're up to, wherever you are. I know you tend to struggle with feeling guilty for not really celebrating your birthday. So I hope you know, whatever you're doing today is the right thing. Have a celebratory nap, you've definitely earned it, Unc. So the big 25 huh? I don't think you can say you're in your mid 20s anymore babe. Ouch. You've reached Unc (Sunc) status. (Rebecca and I found the Sunc joke hilarious the other day, you laughed so hard you farted lmaoooo.) China wasn't quite working for us was it? I had issues settling down, with some pretty extreme culture shocks at first. And then also the fomo from watching everyone else do another year at university back in Durham. I missed my friends so much while away. It was really difficult to know that the life I'd built back home was continuing without me. I <3 my pookies. Since leaving work, I hope you appreciated the time to just chill out and take life a bit more slowly, given you had been switched on and working in a new environment since October. It will nearly have been a year since you left for China (25/09/25). One year on, I hope you don't regret the time spent here. At times, it was genuinely horrendous, and I hope you recognise how mentally strong you have to be to get through situations like that with relatively little support. Sure, perhaps this opportunity wasn't entirely what you hoped it would be, but you've come out tougher and met some kind people. They met you at a very Chinese time of your life as I'm sure you know. But on balance, it was definitely a privilege to pack up everything post-graduation and go work a (relatively) high paying job where you have minimal responsibilities. Even so. this doesn't negate just how badly your situation was handled by HR though. Jacob framed the programme in a very deliberate manner, purposefully not telling full truths about the nature of the work we'd be expected to do. We shouldn't have been solo-teaching for this wage. At times it felt like you had no life outside of work because you don't handle stress very well, do you? I hope you can grow to find a better outlet for work based stresses, and leave all your worries about work at work only - don't let them into your home. BUT, moving here to Jinan was such a ballsy decision to make. Most people regret not travelling and experiencing more - seeing more of the word. Only 20% of people will ever fly in a plane, you know? And that's kinda crazy. You've never been one to take the easy path. Hardship is probably one of the biggest catalysts for growth. Some distance from the UK made me realise that my friends (and family) are my biggest asset and are dearly important to me. The stress of working 40 hours a week made me realise how I ought to prioritise my mental (and physical health.... uh I guess) going forward. So I hope you're getting that PCOS treated. You better be back on the anti-depressants too. Also queen, it's time for that autism referral. So you moved home? How's that going? I hope dad isn't being too intrusive or annoying. I know he will be. And the job hunt? I hope you have something lined up. Or not. I know that whatever you are doing right now it will all work out. You should be more sure of yourself. All my love, Younger Sun (yunc) 16/03/26