Sweet Sorrow

Well, Jason and I dropped Penny off at the airport this morning; she's going home to Taiwan. I'm happy to have my closet back, but I'm very sad that she is leaving. These past 8 months have really flown by. It seems like a week ago that I picked her UP from the airport to stay with us. At least I will see her in a few days when we all go to Taiwan for my wedding.

It is just such a bummer that most of my relatives live on the other side of the world. I mean, I'd much rather have it this way, where I get to go back to Taiwan every so often or someone comes here to visit, rather than before when I was growing up and I didn't go to Taiwan and didn't know my relatives. I never really knew what it felt like to go to huge family gatherings with a bunch of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins running around until I was 22 and went to Taiwan for the first time since I left 5 months after being born.

It was so amazing; after I graduated from KU, I got to go to Taiwan just in time for Chinese New Year, probably the biggest holiday in Taiwan, and spend 4 months there. It was actually a little overwhelming. I was in a country where I couldn't read the signs and could barely speak and understand the language and I was surrounded by a bunch of near strangers. I had never even met any of my cousins except for 1, and had only met my aunts, uncles and Grandpa once or twice. But yet, I felt a connection with all of these people; we were truly linked by the bonds of family despite our unfamiliarity.

Those 4 months were truly a life-changing experience. I got to experience many aspects and views of Taiwan. When I first arrived, I stayed with my aunt and uncle and got to experience local family life when I wasn't being a tourist. Then when school started, my main reason for being in Taiwan, I moved into my own place and got to experience life as a student. My cousins and I would even go back "home" to my aunt and uncle's house on most weekends, as I sometimes did when I went to college in the U.S.

Returning to the U.S. was bitter sweet. While I was in Taiwan experiencing the joys of family and my heritage and culture, I missed my friends and life at home in the U.S. And while I was happy to return home, I missed my relatives and the friends I made at school in Taiwan. I'm sure that is how Penny is feeling right now as she sits on the plane.

Fortunately, she has the extended family to go home to. And fortunately for me, I married into an awesome family here! Its going to be CRAZY (in a good way) when my in-laws meet my family in Taiwan next week! There's going to be a huge language barrier, but I have a feeling its going to be ok.