When was the last time you did something that truly scares you? Mine was last year: I jumped off a plane over the scenic Great Ocean Road, just two hours from Melbourne, Australia.
I wish I could say that I am this daredevil who lives life untethered and gets off on the adrenaline. I am not, but every year, I made it a point to do at least one thing that terrifies me.
Unlike many of my three million fellow Chinese-Indonesians in the country, I grew up in a family that was pretty removed from the Chinese culture. I never celebrated Cheng Beng or Cap Go Meh, nor did I know when to eat bakcang or kue keranjang. One that I especially yearned for growing up was to celebrate the Lunar New Year the true Chinese way.
So, when my Personal Development Fund from work was due this year, I used it to fly to Taipei, Taiwan just in time for the Lunar New Year.
I expected lots of festivity, with dim sum a-plenty and firecrackers going off every few meters. Instead I found…
Like in many love affairs, I never intended to actually fall in love with you. It was something that just happened. At first, it was mere good fun: exhilarating, intoxicating, addictive. We had no expectations, except for that we were not meant to last. We greeted each other, set no boundaries, and unreservedly explored the depth of the other.
Details were blurry, but I remember every emotion that surged through me. I was happy. Contemplative. Independent. Confident. Self-conscious. Carefree. I was alive.
I loved who I was when I was with you. And with our love affair, so began mine with life.
IntotheMarsh 