You know how in the news during holiday seasons reporters broadcast about more and more people going on trips abroad instead of visiting their families? Well that would be me – or to be more precise, my dad. My dad jumps at the slightest opportunity to travel to places; so naturally, this year’s long Lunar New Year holiday was the perfect chance for him to organize a family trip with my mom, my sister and me.
So voila, I got to spend Lunar New Year’s in Taiwan with my family. Now, before you start envying me for spending the holidays in a warm climate, relaxing while eating pineapples and mangos, there is one thing you should know about my dad: he never rests while traveling. He is eager to go to just about anywhere mentioned in guidebooks and take pictures to record every second of the trip. As an exhibition of the intensity of our trip, I have blisters on my feet and pain in my back.
Although accompanied with some physical pain and sufferings, with such hardcore traveling, my family and I saw a lot of wonderful things, tasted good food and piled up great memories. One moment was especially memorable and is engraved in all of our hearts: writing wishes on a lamp and flying it away in Shifen. This symbolic act became more popular among Korean tourists after its broadcast in a hit TV show Flower H4, a program where four famous old actors travel to foreign countries.
Before, when I saw people flying away lamps on TV, I was not particularly impressed. However, when I stood at the platform with my family, each of us holding the corner of our lamp, it became a different story. All four of us had taken turns writing wishes on the lamp’s wall, and the lamp was filled with our hopes for all of our well-being. As we all let go of the lamp, I could feel my heart lift up along with the lamp floating upwards, and at that moment I could sense that we were all feeling the same hopeful, loving feeling. It was truly an amazing moment, and it was a wonderful way to kick off the New Year.
From the warm, hopeful moment of flying a lamp together to busily roaming around the streets of Taiwan, my family trip to Taiwan was quite fruitful. So I think it is safe to say that for me, Lunar New Year in Taiwan was pretty amazing and memorable.
저작권자 © Ewha Voice 무단전재 및 재배포 금지