What a crazy week and some! I've been so busy through these 10 days of vacation that I didn't get a chance to post anything on my blog. So here're my thoughts and feelings from coming back home after being away for close to 3 years.

Arriving at home was a little strange at first. Just being away for such a long time and then having a rush of familiarity. My parents haven't changed the house too much - a few improvements and fixes here and there. Other than that, it felt very much... like home. Things like instinctively running up the stairs in the same steps and cadence, and the feeling of gliding my hand across the wooden handrail, made me quickly feel like I had never left.

The buildings around Greater Vancouver have changed plenty. In my 10 days, I went by Yaletown, Kits, SFU, Lake City, New Westminister, and Metrotown. The way the landscape has changed in some areas (Yaletown and New West in particular) is outright scary. So many crazy condos have gone up, and tons of townhouses too. My friend's mom told me that a 50-year old unrenovated house down her street near Kits highschool sold for $1.1M. Not liking that.

Aside from that, Vancouver feels mostly the same. There seem to be a whole lot of Chinese immigrants. When I left Vancouver, I used to hear Mandarin only from Taiwanese people, or from the Chinese people in my Masters class. Now, 4 out of 5 people I hear speaking Mandarin have a China Chinese accent. This, from a Taiwanese point of view, is kind of annoying. We just don't like their accents, and I much less like the way they conduct themselves. I also feel like I hear much more Spanish-speaking folks around Vancouver. Not sure if it's just a heightened awareness or if there are that many more Latin Americans.

But of course the best part of my trip was seeing my parents and friends, who as always, are great. In some groups, it's like nothing has changed at all. In other groups, it's as if nothing's the same. It's truly fantastic to come home to see your most cherished friends. But even with 10 days, it's not enough to touch bases with everyone. It was extra special this visit because it was after such a long time. I'm pretty sure there won't be another 3 year lapse from here on in.

Overall a superb trip. See you guys next time!