Priority - uncles and aunts go out of their way to drop what they do and see us / take us around. Non-trivial time investment (esp given my parents arrived for a whole week before we arrived). No sense of complaint/nuisance, if anything it was the opposite (sense of desire)
High frequency of communication (call/text) + care - between siblings<>siblings and parents<>siblings. They notice changes in health and look out for each other
Sacrifice - 大uncle can't travel the world because he has chosen to stay close to grandparents. This sacrifice has unlocked a degree of freedom for mom + 小uncle in their exploration of the world (which they both acknowledge if not explicitly)
Expectations - hard to see this behavior and imagine similar expectations from my own parents (seems unrealistic ... but romantic/a version of an ideal ... given different culture/situation)
Mobility & Health
Big decrease in mobility for all grandparents since last trip 2y ago. Didn't appreciate how much mobility flows through to health / socials (hard to go up stairs into apartment = reduces desire to go outside; hard to go out for walks = see friends less frequently)
Continuous Learning
University for seniors exist once you retire. Tons of programming ranging from sports to arts to sciences.
My 大aunt is retired but has a packed schedule. She keeps growing her interests (e.g. singing, dancing, running)
Arts & Crafts
A lot of art talent in the family (奶奶, 大uncle)
A lot of craft talent in the family (老老 sewing, 小uncle making his own swim trunks)
A lot of craft in the city (shoe repair > buy)
Grandpa
Learning more about his background helps me understand why he is the way he is
Grew up during the Chinese Civil War (CCP vs. KMT). Saw 2 KMT planes fly overhead and bomb the "grass" bridge behind their house + shoot bullets all over the bridge. The planes mistook the wooden beams for troops, grandpa ducked under a tree root
Grandpa grew up in a town south of Beijing (Hengshui?)
Grandpa spent most of his career in HR (inspection department) - unflinchingly held people accountable for bad behavior even if they were senior/liked/delivered results