This is my cousin after we ate the (life-changing) black pepper baos at #RaoheNightMarket in #Taipei. Her face reminds me of my grandma. Our entire extended family remained in China and Taiwan while my parents, two much older brothers and I pushed the little twig of our family tree into Los Angeles in the 80s. The feeling of isolation and loneliness is the foundation of my immigrant experience, especially since I was the most Americanized and youngest little leaf and could rarely relate to the rest of my family all while figuring out American culture without much guidance (I was told "listen to your teacher" and "get As"). I don't often post photos of my family. I post this because I've been sitting on a rich set of experiences, photos and video footage of my recent trip to China and Taiwan and I've yet to sort it all out. This trip was profound because it had been ten years since I visited. I have so many feelings. In the meantime, here is this photo. It is one of my favorite and happiest. Happy Friday.