Chinatown

My favorite part about walking around Chinatown yesterday was hearing my dad chat it up with the people we met on the street. Take, for example, the wrinkled old man selling lychee fruit on the corner... I just loved watching his face light up with a huge smile as my dad busted out his near-flawless, near-fluent Mandarin. (Ok, so I don't speak Mandarin and therefore can't really be a judge as to the fluency... but it sure sounded great to me!) I have such a rich family heritage, and I know that my family has played a huge part in giving me this passion I have for traveling, cultures, and languages. My dad was born and raised in Taiwan, his dad was raised in Ethiopia, and my great-grandparents on the other side of my family lived several years of their life in Africa. There must be something in my blood, because I'm already itching to head overseas again! This week of vacation is making me realize how very blessed I am to have such an amazing family. San Francisco was great - just one more day in Monterey, then headed back home to Socal (such a quick, whirlwind trip!)