the "other" china

one week in taiwan with my parents, brother and sister-in-law - my first trip back in 18 years. massive family reunions and good meal after good meal. gorgeous scenery and cities teeming with vibrant night markets. civility. ah, taiwan, how i do love thee - you have captured both my heart and my stomach.

lots of thoughts percolating in my mind, but for now, some of my favorite images from the trip.

 peter and lisa enjoying the best peanut shaved ice ever

 dad and his brother at one of their favorite childhood haunts

 the tings

 downtown hsinchu. my parents are adorable. :)

 my grandma. hope i look this good at 82!

 hong baos! (red envelopes) usually given to children. are we too old? nah....

lunch with my dad's side of the family

a million and one strands of thoughts and flickers of feelings are still flowing through me....i will try and process via blogging over the next few days. still playing host to my parents in shanghai this week, though, so will be busy with shopping, eating, and all that other good stuff.

i will say this: knowing where you come from is crucial to knowing who you are. it doesn't necessarily dictate who you are and who you will become, but your bloodlines, family history, nuances of culture...all that is genetically encoded and traditionally passed down to compose pieces of you provide deep insight to how you are who you are.

i have a whole new respect for and interest in tracing genealogies.

cups of coffee: 2

mood:  laaaaaaaaazy