Shanghai, China

March 25th, 2017 - Shanghai is always bustling with people. What I remember most vividly is the food there: you'll find the strangest dishes on the sidewalks of the city, from fried octopus on a stick to sautéed chicken gizzards to stinky tofu.

Only my Mom, Dad, and I live in Canada. The rest of my family is back in Shanghai: my cousins, my uncles and aunts, my grandmothers. My grandfather passed away when I was 5 years old, but I still vividly remember his smile and me sitting on his shoulders while we watched TV together. I go back every 3 or 4 years to see my relatives because of the price of the plane tickets.

I wish I could go back more often... there is a song in Chinese called '三年', or 'Three Years'. It is about how a pair of lovers only get to see each other every 3 years, and how this is never enough to maintain a fulfilling relationship. I feel the same way about my family. We are torn between two different countries separated by the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. Once I make more money, I aspire to see my relatives more often, become financially independent, and take more of the burden of finances off of my parents.