F E B U A R Y / 1 7 / 2 0 2 6
To celebrate Chinese New Year this year, my mother and I went to China to visit my father's side of the family. Typically, we visit China during summer break; however, this year was an exception. The last time I went to China and celebrated the Lunar New Year was when I was just a child.
On the first day of our trip, we went to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom while reminiscing about my childhood memories and eating foods I used to have as a kid during New Year, all to fuel my nostalgia. I ate several tanghulus, a traditional Chinese dessert most commonly served during festivals.
Food aside, the scenery was beautiful. I was honestly underwhelmed at first, expecting to see entire trees filled with cherry blossoms, only to find branches with tiny buds beginning to bloom. Thank goodness there was good food to compensate for the experience, but the tranquil environment still managed to put my mind at ease. Unfortunately, we had to leave early because I am very sensitive to chilly weather. It was still a memorable experience, and I will forever miss eating tanghulu in the motherland.
F E B U A R Y / 1 8 / 2 0 2 6
The next day, I went to explore the city of Hongzhou with my cousin and managed to loose sight of her... With no way of contacting her because phones that were manufactured in the US are useless in China, I opted to just getting a taxi home.
I still brought back lovely souveniors and had a great time! I even got to see a beautiful, white cat roaming around the city! A bunch of people attempted to lure it towards their direction, but it remained apathetic. Honestly, the cat was the highlight of my day and helped me forget earlier's predicament. I'll consider it an auspicious sighting because I've never seen a cat with such pristine and clean white fur, with the most vibrant blue-colored beads of eyes. Anyways, the city was great too, however it's nothing I've never seen before. It was at this point of the trip that I couldn't want to return home (I get homesick fairly easily), but right after visiting Shanghai first! Traveling in cold weather is not for the weak, especially if you get overstimulated just as easily as I did! I'm still pissed at my cousin lol.
F E B U A R Y / 1 9 / 2 0 2 6
Visiting Shanghai again was what I anticipated the most during my trip, aside from spending time with my grandparents and relatives. I've always been a city-girl despite being raised in the countryside for the majority of my life.
Places like Shanghai and New York instill me with an indescripable sense of liberation, that I can only experience at night and under citylights. Shanghai especially feels like I'm entering a futuristic world because of the skyscrapers covered in lights, and from a far distance they form images to make the still building come to life. Of course, such an overwhelming sensation can only last for so long as soon as I get tired of walking in the cold. I ended up getting sick for the remaining time I had left in China which is just my luck. So my fun had to end here even though we were leaving in 2 days!
