Jordan

The bustling city of Shanghai, with its towering skyscrapers, has me firmly positioned for a business meeting. The grandeur of China's financial capital, however, seems a world away from the concerns that now consume my thoughts.

We finally concluded our meeting after what felt like forever. I check my watch and realise it's 8 a.m., which simply means it's 9 p.m. of the previous day over there. Time to call Patricia. We are 12 hours ahead of them, so I'm sure she's done for the day. We have been keeping in touch regularly, sharing updates about our respective days even when we are miles apart.

I dial Patricia's number, eager to hear her voice and tell her about my progress here in China, but to my surprise and growing unease, the call keeps going straight to voicemail. I redial it again, and once more, it is met with the impersonal voice recording.

Panic begins to gnaw at me as I call her several more times. Each attempt met with the same result and was eventually switched off. It is