Tai-Chung Birthday

I went back after the typhoon Soudelor to visit my grandparents because I wanted to make sure I pay my respects for Father’s day. My Aunt who I call Da Gu Gu is my dad’s sister. She was with my Uncle who is actually Caucasian. I say this because it took a very long time for my grandparents to address their marriage. She lived in Europe and the States where I have my cousin, Erica. Something that I regret is not staying well in touch with my aunts and uncle on my father’s side. I feel as if it is difficult to stay in touch with them even though they are in America. When we were young, I remember playing with my cousin a lot but as we grew older, we fell apart. We have a facebook conversation group where we say happy birthday or greetings to each other but I think it would be better if we all reunited sometime to really get to know each other. I felt that when I saw my aunt and uncle, it was kind of hard to relate to them. We hadn’t seen each other in a long time and I wasn’t sure what to talk to them about. After a couple hours though and eating dinner, conversation began to flow more easily. We also went to the buffet by my grandparent’s house that they love to go to. It was cute! I also went to visit my other grandparents to eat lunch with them. I feel bad as I don't get to see them as often as I should since I am always sleeping at my dad's side but they don't have the room so I only visit for lunch or dinner.

My grandma got me a cake and eggs for my birthday because you have to eat it on your birthday. Fun traditional stuff! My aunt also brought me to the market where she bought pineapple cake for me and a ton of crackers and desserts. She also got me green bean soup which is my absolute favourite! She loves it too which was nice to have something in common. Uncle and Da Gu Gu walked me to the train station as I headed back to Taipei since I took one day off work. It was really nice to see them and spend time with them even though it was a short amount of time. This actually just reminded me that I only see my papa’s side in Taiwan. When I first arrived to Taiwan, I went to Taichung by myself and my dad must have not trusted me because he sent grandpa and uncle R to pick me up. It was really funny because I actually didn’t recognize them and thought some random people were taking my suitcases from me. I realized after it was my grandpa and my uncle who was in town to visit as well.

Family is important. Family is key. No matter how far we are apart, they will always be my family.