words and photos by Elena Chen

It’s the year of the Pig, my zodiac birth year, and I’ve been listening to the sound of firecrackers cracking for the last 48 hours. For some 12 of those 48 hours there were also fireworks, a nice touch. We aren’t a particularly ritualistic family and we don’t really stick to traditions --- we are all either agnostic/atheist --- but if there’s something we value then it’s simply spending time together. This year, we sat in front of the TV watching the annual Chinese New Year broadcast peeling tangerines and experiencing a cocktail of slight invigoration and annoyance at the sound of yet another lit firework imploding just 5 meters from our flat. We actually missed the countdown because the broadcast signal to our TV is 4 minutes late, a fact my mom decided to let me in on, after it had already turned 00:00, using hand gestures because she was on the phone. Independent family time.

It was a great time. Last year, we decided to schedule in family time a little earlier, during Christmas, in Tokyo and Hong Kong. I took some pictures along the way. Fumbling awkwardly and anxiously, I worried about my presence as a tourist but also reminded myself that if there were things I wanted to remember, it would be these memories. It’s a new year (Lunarly), and I encourage you all to go to some new places to spend some family time, and take some pictures.