Although I can go outside more because COVID-19 isn't as serious, I still stay at home for most of the time. As a result, I tend to get more bored easily so I go to the office room and look through books that my mom bought in Taiwan but never read. Some of these are travel books in Taiwan that range from eateries to sight seeing. When I looked at the pictures in the tour book and read some of the Chinese words, I started to miss the simple things in Taiwan.
A lot of the simple things that I missed in Taiwan was the food. When I read about 便當(bian dang), 燒餅(shao bing), 豆花 (tofu pudding), 仙草 (grass jelly) and many more foods, memories started to flood back. I am pretty upset I took things for granted in Taiwan because at that time I thought that I would visit Taiwan a year or two after I moved to California. I think the food has some childhood memory that I wouldn't find here. I remember waking up on a Sunday morning, walking to the local breakfast store that sold soy milk and shao bing. There were few people on the street and it was quiet. I don't know why that is in my memory. Maybe it is because you don't find that often in city life. I remember when I went to the dessert shop once every other week as a treat after we ate at a dumpling restaurant. The setup in the shop was simple but the food was amazing. This was the moment when my family would spend quality time together and what made me happy at that time was quite simple. It wasn't test scores or awards. What made me happy was a yummy dessert.
What makes me think a lot about food is that I regret not exploring the night markets in Taiwan. My mom thought they weren't healthy and it wasn't clean to eat there. Even if that is kind of true, I think cultural immersion cannot be done without trying the local cuisine. When I lived in Taipei, I lived not faraway from the Shilin Night Market but I didn't even go there. Now, when I read the food book I am kind of mad at myself for not taking advantage of the places I could go in Taipei.
This now brings me to the regret that is related to the previous paragraph. Despite living in Taipei for 2 years, I barely left my neighborhood. I spent most of the time in my apartment or walking around the neighborhood to go to school or for other errands. I didn't even consider the fact that 2 years is a very short time. I acknowledged that I would move back to the states but I didn't realize that there was the possibility I wouldn't go back to Taiwan until 5 or more years later. Look at me now. It is 2020 and I left in 2016 so it has been 4 years since I left Taiwan and I never went back. Instead of exploring the city's tourist attractions like the botanical garden or museum, I wasted my time on the computer. There wasn't a good excuse for me to not explore my surroundings. First of all, I was a kilometer away from the MRT station and my mom was pretty chill with a 13 year old using public transport because Taipei was quite safe. Also, I did not have a lot of homework or tests.
What is the point of telling you all this? Realize that the time you spend in a place or with others like your family is limited. It is easy to take things for granted because it seems to be a daily part of our lives, but it won't be once you move out of your house and go to a new place. The moment when you notice that it is important to make the best use of your limited time will be the too late.
This disappointing feeling I had after looking at the tour books my mom bought is a reminder that if I am going to leave the Bay Area for college (which I will know in 2021), I should try to explore as many places in this area before I fly out of San Francisco. So far I have explored some parts of Berkeley but not San Francisco. I haven't been to the Asian Art Museum or Legion of Honor, which are pretty nice places to go. My parents every so often bring up going to visit the Russian River or small towns in Napa. My areas that I haven't explored aren't limited to the cities. I am open to nature reserves in the Bay Area.
A lot of the simple things that I missed in Taiwan was the food. When I read about 便當(bian dang), 燒餅(shao bing), 豆花 (tofu pudding), 仙草 (grass jelly) and many more foods, memories started to flood back. I am pretty upset I took things for granted in Taiwan because at that time I thought that I would visit Taiwan a year or two after I moved to California. I think the food has some childhood memory that I wouldn't find here. I remember waking up on a Sunday morning, walking to the local breakfast store that sold soy milk and shao bing. There were few people on the street and it was quiet. I don't know why that is in my memory. Maybe it is because you don't find that often in city life. I remember when I went to the dessert shop once every other week as a treat after we ate at a dumpling restaurant. The setup in the shop was simple but the food was amazing. This was the moment when my family would spend quality time together and what made me happy at that time was quite simple. It wasn't test scores or awards. What made me happy was a yummy dessert.
What makes me think a lot about food is that I regret not exploring the night markets in Taiwan. My mom thought they weren't healthy and it wasn't clean to eat there. Even if that is kind of true, I think cultural immersion cannot be done without trying the local cuisine. When I lived in Taipei, I lived not faraway from the Shilin Night Market but I didn't even go there. Now, when I read the food book I am kind of mad at myself for not taking advantage of the places I could go in Taipei.
This now brings me to the regret that is related to the previous paragraph. Despite living in Taipei for 2 years, I barely left my neighborhood. I spent most of the time in my apartment or walking around the neighborhood to go to school or for other errands. I didn't even consider the fact that 2 years is a very short time. I acknowledged that I would move back to the states but I didn't realize that there was the possibility I wouldn't go back to Taiwan until 5 or more years later. Look at me now. It is 2020 and I left in 2016 so it has been 4 years since I left Taiwan and I never went back. Instead of exploring the city's tourist attractions like the botanical garden or museum, I wasted my time on the computer. There wasn't a good excuse for me to not explore my surroundings. First of all, I was a kilometer away from the MRT station and my mom was pretty chill with a 13 year old using public transport because Taipei was quite safe. Also, I did not have a lot of homework or tests.
What is the point of telling you all this? Realize that the time you spend in a place or with others like your family is limited. It is easy to take things for granted because it seems to be a daily part of our lives, but it won't be once you move out of your house and go to a new place. The moment when you notice that it is important to make the best use of your limited time will be the too late.
This disappointing feeling I had after looking at the tour books my mom bought is a reminder that if I am going to leave the Bay Area for college (which I will know in 2021), I should try to explore as many places in this area before I fly out of San Francisco. So far I have explored some parts of Berkeley but not San Francisco. I haven't been to the Asian Art Museum or Legion of Honor, which are pretty nice places to go. My parents every so often bring up going to visit the Russian River or small towns in Napa. My areas that I haven't explored aren't limited to the cities. I am open to nature reserves in the Bay Area.
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