alethiosaur: Pictures from Taiwan, miscellaneous feelings edition. It’s not that my small fami
alethiosaur:Pictures from Taiwan, miscellaneous feelings edition.It’s not that my small family was ever anything but what I needed and exactly perfect. It’s not that. It’s more so that this trip gave me more opportunities than I’ve ever had to say “uncle” and “aunt” and “cousin,” and “grandfather.” Like, hey – I never get to say, “we are having dinner with my uncle.” Or, “my cousin Emily is a luthier.”“I think I’m a lot like Pusheen,” said Emily. “Me, too!” I reply. Who knew? My grandfather has good days and he has bad days. It’s been hard to see him this way. The last time I saw my grandfather, he was gardening, doing tai chi at dawn, and watching endless games of baseball. Looking at our family pictures, my uncle comments on how much my mom looks like my grandmother. Later that day, my mom has a realization. “I think that your grandfather thinks that I’m your grandmother,” she says, “and that you, are me. That’s why he won’t let go of my hand, and why he grins whenever he sees you.” That’s hard to hear, but damn. We should be around more for the hard stuff.I’ve never been close with my family in Taiwan. There’s the distance and the language barrier. I never thought I was missing out on very much. But, of course, I was. Mostly, I’ve been surprised by how comforting it is to belong.Having family is a big one, but it’s also being able to reach the straps on the train and seeing Asian faces on billboards. When have I ever seen an advertisement for moisturizer featuring an Asian man? Or a sneaker ad with an Asian woman? Shopping for blush is easier when all the shades are designed to flatter my skin tone, and inexplicably comes in dinosaur or cake shaped packaging.Each day, some quirk or unusual preference of mine would be exposed as the default standard in Taipei. All beverages are served with a straw at my preferred temperature (slightly warm). When your hair is shampooed at the salon, they put a visor on your forehead so you don’t have to make eye contact with the person washing your hair. You’re also tucked into the chair with a fluffy blanket so you don’t get cold (I’m always cold). Dogs are allowed almost everywhere and our photographer was not at all surprised that we wanted to include baby bunny in some of our family pictures. It’s nice.Don’t get me wrong – Taipei was disorienting and unfamiliar. I got lost a lot and often stood in the wrong place on the train. I had no idea how to answer the most basic questions about whether I had a loyalty card or wanted a bag for my purchase. I missed out on eating lots of things because the menu was in Chinese. I accidentally got a perm instead of a conditioning treatment because I wasn’t good at explaining things. And, you know. Why wouldn’t you get a perm! Everyone is getting a perm!Still, still. It was all so much fun. -- source link
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