A Walk Down Memory Lane - 2017 to 2021

I’m dealing with a sore throat that hurts right now, and I thought making collages would be a good idea to take my mind off the pain. I was looking through my album and stumbled upon some old pics from my time living abroad in Hanoi and Taipei (and even a random one from 2017 Japan!). They brought back some memorable moments from that time period, and I wish I had more of my old pics available. Some of them were lost due to device or account transfers and I’m hoping to be able to recover at least some of those lost pics one day. Hope you enjoy the ones I have kept. They mark very important moments and growth periods in my life!

Living room in Hanoi flat 2020.

This is the flat in Hanoi where I stayed from December 2020 to September 21, 2021. It was my last home abroad before I moved back to the USA, and where I had a life-changing experience that brought me closer to God.

My decorative desk in Hanoi 2020.

The love of houseplants lived on, and I started transplanting pothos to grow new ones from stems. I had transplanted pothos all over my home :-)

Indoor garden outside of my front door Hanoi 2020.

This shelf took forever to put together. I had one inside and one just outside of my front door.

Ghibli vibes Hanoi 2019.

Kitchen plants Hanoi 2019.

Plant showcase Hanoi 2019.

Hot and humid Hanoi nights.

Tokyo November 2018

I got to see the fall colors on this trip — and had good tea!

Sushi conveyor belt.

Tokyo, November 2018.

Tired from a long flight. Yet so excited to explore Tokyo!

Narita Airport, Tokyo, April 2017.

Hanoi flat 2019.

Watching a Chinese drama…guess which one?

Hanoi flat 2019.

Glowing Taipei 101 tower.

May 2019, Taipei, Taiwan.

Skyline of Taipei.

May 2019.

Drinking beer to celebrate the view of Taipei 101 tower.

May 2019.

From top left down, then top right down: a peek at my kitchen garden in Hanoi 2019 (loving that Ghibli vibe!), at a tea shop in Tokyo November 2018, another angle of my kitchen in Hanoi circa 2019, the showcase shelves featuring my beloved plants in the same flat — Hanoi 2019, view from my bed in the same flat (guess which drama I was watching?), me upon arrival at Narita International Airport, Tokyo in April 2017. It had been a long flight there from Da Nang, Vietnam, and I was tired yet so happy to be able to visit Japan.

Another angle of my Hanoi kitchen 2019, at a bar with a killer view of Taipei 101 tower — drinking to that! — May 2019, view of Taipei 101 from the same bar, Hanoi’s crazy motorbike traffic around 2019, skyline view of Taipei May 2019, my balcony plants from the same flat in Hanoi 2019. I became obsessed with houseplants shortly after I moved into that flat, and got a bunch of plants that became my green pets. Spent way too much time researching plants and how to take care of them, but it was a worthwhile experience and their beauty brought me much joy.