By the way: I organized my photos by location under my "links" tag in my blog, which in case you haven't been able to figure out is on the sidebar, is miakayserphoto.tumblr.com. Now you can see photos based on their location and get a glimpse of what I've written in the form of photographs <3
When I was coming home from our second school trip of the year, I began to write a post in the "Notes" app on my phone on the plane, but I obviously didn't get to finish. I'll continue from there.
A couple weeks after my last post, Jing, Lily, and I spent a night in Shanghai for independent travel. We booked our own plane tickets and hotel; it was very independent. Shanghai is not what I remembered it being like when I lived there 11 years ago. I mean, I WAS only five years old, but I don't remember it feeling like living in a New York City/San Francisco-fusion type of place. I hate to admit it, but the trip wasn't very "cultured". We had planned on getting a genuine Chinese dinner, but Sky High, an '05 classic, was on HBO, so we ordered room service. There's not much about the city that reminded me of China, besides the cab drivers. Honestly, the cab drivers all over this country are the same. They audibly and irritatedly sigh when there's traffic, and they get annoyed when you play your own music with your portable speaker. So rude, right? I digress.
There was many things about that trip that made it really memorable, despite it being only one night. I got to revisit one of the cities I lived in during my childhood, not to mention one of the most "happening" cities in the world. I had the best sushi I've ever had in my life, courtesy of Jing's dad's friend, who lives in the city. But I think the coolest part was the independent aspect of it. The three of us explored the city on our own, without the help nor guidance of adults. Not only did we make it out alive, we had an amazing time. The only complaint I had about it was that the entire trip costed nearly a total of $400, but I think it's my own fault that i spent $200 of that on a "genuine fake" Prada and a Louis Vuitton purse for my mom and myself. The process of buying these purses felt similar to that of a drug deal. Lily kept in contact with her tour guide from when she had visited Shanghai with her parents, and the tour guide referred us to a purse guy. He rode his scooter to our hotel, the Renaissance Yu Gardens, and rode next to our cab to his stash. The stash was located in the very back of a restaurant, in a shed. Originally he had wanted $510 dollars for one purse, but after 45 minutes or so, me and lily made a deal with him, buying a Chanel clutch and the two purses for $300 total. The purses are so cute, and they are pretty spot on, as they are factory rejects because of an erroneous stitch. I'm telling you, it was worth it. In summation, it was a great time, filled with lots of walking and window shopping and some actual shopping, but I don't think Shanghai beats Beijing. There's just something about Beijing's polluted, crowded, dusty, busy atmosphere that I find totally charming.
Jackson and I decided to end things. The distance was too much of a challenge for us, and we decided it was better if we continued on in our lives, focusing on our own futures rather than each other's. We are still good friends, and we will be for a long time.
I know in my previous blog posts I've discussed an interest in living here when I'm older, but right now I'm at the point where I DO NOT want to go home. I don't think I can properly enjoy life in the suburbs, in a place where I've never met anyone, after I've lived in one of the biggest cities in the world with nearly all the freedom to explore, meet new people, and take pictures (by the way, I have been taking pictures. I just need to find it in me to upload them so you people can stop demanding me to do so.) that I could ask for. I even asked my dad if he would let me stay another year, letting me attend one of the international schools. My super mean, rude, unfair dad said that no, all because he and the family wanted me to stay home for one more year before I leave for college. I hate my life! Just kidding, again. I'm looking forward to enter into western civilization once again, starting a new school once again, and making new friends, once again, but I'm not looking forward to reverse culture shock.
Not a ton happened after the two weeks of independent travel. At least I don't think a lot happened; it's been a couple months. There was one day where I riding the bus home from the gym and was scouted to be an actress by an old woman wearing a lot of makeup, but I so far haven't heard back from her. I'm counting on her for my big break. Other than that, third quarter ended peacefully and Chinese New Year break commenced on February 18th.
This year's spring break was fairly special, and a tad bit emotional if you must know. This is because I got to visit Taiwan, the country/Chinese province (no one knows) in which I was born seventeen years and 31 days ago. This visit was my birthday present, meaning it was first time in years that I've not been given any material possessions, and I think it was my best birthday present yet. I got to see tons of family members, many of which seemed to remember me quite quickly, despite the time that had passed. My now 14 year old cousin, Sheryl, shot up and is now a few inches taller than me, and I think I'm officially a foot taller than my Grandma, Apo. Seeing Apo was one of the most joyous feelings I've gotten in the several months I've been in Asia. Because she did live with us for a few years in the U.S. to take care of my brother, Luc, and I, it was only four years that I had last seen her, but it was four years too long. As cliche as it sounds, tears came to my eyes when I saw her. It's just such a surreal feeling to see the person who raised you after a few years of being apart. Nothing about her changed, maybe except for the fact that she traded her wire-rimmed glasses for a pair pink, plastic rimmed ones. She was just as mischievous as ever, constantly offering me wine and telling me to bring my diapers with me wherever I went, and her hearing aids still made piercing noises every couple of hours. We spent a few days in Miaoli, a small town in Taiwan where my Grandpa was from. The New Years festivities were modest. We went to a few different temples and had dinner with my grandparents, aunt and uncle, and Sheryl at my grandparents' house. We all watched America's Next Top Model with Taiwanese subtitles on the international channel, which wasn't even done out of courtesy for me. They just all love that show, which worked out, because so do I.
It's hard to explain the feeling of home that I received being in the island nation. It had been forever since I went back, but it felt like only a few days since I was last there. Some streets were even familiar to me. We went to Apo's cousin's house one night, and my great aunt gave me a cake because she remembered how much I used to like cake when I was little. I also saw my second cousin, who had stayed with us for a couple weeks in the U.S. during third grade, which was a pleasant surprise. She is now married, and I got to meet my new, adorable one and two year old cousins. On the final morning I was in Miaoli, before I left for Taipei, my aunt, Sheryl, and Apo and I were having breakfast at a restaurant where I met my mom's half sister, who I didn't know existed before this trip, and I noticed Apo lost in thought. "Apo, what's on your mind?" I asked. She smiled sadly, and said, "Oh, just thinking about how much I'm going to miss you and when you can visit next." It took everything in me not to burst into tears and hug her across the table. I'm not too sad, though. I know I'll see her, and Taiwan, again soon.
I arrived in Taipei via the slow train and was met with a colleague of my mom's from the school where she taught at until a little after I was born. She brought her 18 year old daughter who I used to play with back when we were five and seven years old. They showed me around the city I was born, and by the end of the day I was exhausted and retired to the apartment where I was staying for a couple nights. My mom's friend was out of town and offered me her place for two nights. The next day, I met up with my friend, Melody, a girl who goes to one of the international schools in Beijing, and we went to Ximending, a part of Taiwan that was alive with street performers, western and Taiwanese restaurants, and clothing stores. It was a really fun day, especially since I had hongbao money from my relatives to spend. I might mention that the Taiwanese dollar to USD is 30:1, so needless to say, everything was INCREDIBLY cheap. Melody and I had a spectacular lunch of pasta, paninis, milkshakes, and crepes for less than $25. The best part of the entire trip was that I got to wear shorts and flip flops for the first time in MONTHS, something that as a Child of California, I'd never previously had to experience.
I'll end the post here, so you can take a break. To be continued......
