Hello, happy new year! Even though it's already March haha. But yes, this is my first blog entry for 2023. There's so much I want to write about, but allow me first to share about my one month and a half trip to Texas to visit my sister. This was a much needed break for me, and it's one that I'd like to remember for years to come.
It was cold when we arrived in mid-November-- I had the preconceived notion that it would be warm in Texas all year round considering they're located nearer the equator... but it's the United States which experiences the four seasons in full so of course it's still going to be cold. I definitely found myself having to adjust to the temperature by layering my clothes and trying to go out as much as I can through errands and helping with the grocery shopping (need to keep my body moving!). I also experienced jetlag for around 5 days. I would wake up at lunch time which is a far cry from my usual early morning routine.
Embracing the cold and adjusting my body clock were definitely things I had to ease into. I had to let go of my routines back home for a while and spend weeks without any. The thought of having no structure in my days scared me a little, but then isn't that the purpose of a vacation? To wake up and think of things we want to do and it doesn't matter if it's going to be a busy day or not? Perhaps I had forgotten how to take one. It's been 2 years after all since I last hopped on a plane, yet this trip had me taking 3 flights within 48 hours.
This trip was unlike the ones I'm used to, which would typically consist of jam packed itineraries with little time for resting. This time around it was more of experiencing how it's really like to live in the country with a proper house, exploring the neighborhood park and trails, dining in local restaurants, and going out for groceries in the many different supermarkets. We got to experience how my sister does things, how she's really doing in work and life, and we even got to see her favorite places. More than anything, the top priority was to spend time as a complete family.
We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving, my 27th birthday, Christmas, and New Year together. It was during these holidays that I realized it has been a long while and my sister and I have grown in many different ways. Some things remain the same though; I still come to her for life advice and we still have the same funny inside jokes and banters from when we were younger. It's definitely great to be older and experience new things together, and one of which I enjoyed would be shopping.
I'm not a big shopper and I'm not particular with brands, so I didn't enjoy my first visit to the US back when I was still a teenager. I do remember enjoying the usual touristy must do's such as the trips to Disneyland, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, San Diego Zoo, but not the many visits to the outlet stores. Now as a working professional though, I have the capacity to go shopping (responsibly) as I please. I now understand why people who take vacations to the US love to go shopping-- it's really because of the access to a wide variety of brands that are readily available. I can say that I appreciate shopping a lot more, for as long as one can consciously afford it. As a single woman in her late twenties, I'd say it's a nice reward and it's fulfilling to afford some of the finer things in life once in a while. ;-)
If you follow my Instagram, you may have seen the many ootd stories I would share. It's funny because my sister and I used to fight about clothes, but now there seems to be an abundance. She has also challenged me to be more creative with the pieces I wear which led me to sharpening my sense of style once again. I find that in dressing up, I always think about the color palette and comfort. Perhaps for this year I will be a bit bolder and wear some prints here and there. There's just something so satisfying about having a well-thought outfit for the day.
Much like these new things I've come to enjoy, I also spent a lot of time reflecting on what travel and taking a vacation means to me. Resting definitely came to mind because the physical mind and body can only take so much. I remember my team leader telling me something along the lines of: it still hits different when you know you're taking time off and the rest of the world is still working. It rings true. It's also a time for stepping back, for truly celebrating the wins and seeing how far we've come as an individual.
Making new memories with loved ones is also my favorite thing when on vacation. I realize the last photos I took with my sister was back in 2018. I also realize the last time we spent my birthday and holidays together as a family was more or less 10 years ago. It's crazy whenever I think about it, but it made me even more grateful. There was a lot of growing up between those years which led us to where we are now, which is definitely a feat. I'm truly glad I'm able to do the things I love with my sister such as going to cafes, museums and parks.
There's also the opportunity to learn new things. We learn about ourselves, about the people we're with, the places we go to, and we take it all in with a child-like wonder. We're exposed to new experiences and it's in these moments we remember that we don't know everything and there's so much more to learn about the world around us.
My feelings before I took this trip was a mix of tired, nostalgic, and excited. Now that I'm back I felt like the trip took me out of my bubble and I know I'll be able to get back into my routines with renewed energy. I'll be writing about some of our time together here and there, whenever the mood for writing and reminiscing strikes.
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Thank you for your time today, it's like a little catch up of sorts. :-) talk to you again soon!
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