This trip for her will be a taste of home, an opportunity to reconnect with her people and a vacation away from her busy life.
Rebecca Lee planned her week ahead last Sunday in her living room. She has tried to find the perfect balance between school, work and family obligations.
By: Lyndsay Palmieri
Lede: It has been a long three years since Rebecca Lee has visited Guangzhou, the city where she was born. She has stayed in touch with her family and friends that are still living there, but she has missed living her life with them. It will be a trip for her and her sister to create new memories and enjoy time in their hometown.
Rebecca Li’s latest trip was to China, this past June. She traveled there with her older sister Jueying Li. The girls stayed for a month and half at their grandmother’s apartment in the South of China.
“I was so excited to return to my hometown in Guangzhou City,” said Rebecca Li. “We couldn’t wait to spend time with our grandmother and visit with friends.” During her first week there, she ate lots of “Canton” food, also known as “Yue cuisine.”
The weather in Guangzhou City is very hot and humid, with lots of rain as well. To stay cool, Li spent a lot of her time there in the air conditioning. The weather didn’t bother her much.
Rebecca Li browsed her local Target yesterday evening. During her free time she enjoys doing little things that make her happy and bring her comfort.
Li talked about the streets of Guangzhou being very clean compared to New York streets. She also shared that the public transportation there, specifically subways, are always right on time. It is a populated city like New York, with people always on the go.
Li was born and raised in Guangzhou City until the age of 14. She moved to the US when she was 14 with her mother and father. They lived in Brooklyn until the pandemic, when they moved to Staten Island.
“To my surprise, when I went back to Guangzhou the city seemed more populated than ever,” said Li. “More people were coming to the city for job opportunities and a better economic environment.” Guangzhou is a city where people from other parts of China and immigrants want to come to make more money.
During Li’s trip to China, she got to spend lots of time with her friends that she has known for almost ten years. They went out to eat together and they visited the city and explored some of the new places Guangzhou has to offer. They caught up with each other about their lives and found themselves discovering new things about one another.
Rebecca Li went shopping for the Fall Friday morning at Target. It has always been her favorite season and she loves to buy Fall decor.
After Li’s first two weeks in her hometown, she traveled to Shanghai for ten days, with her best friend Keman. They stayed in a hotel and explored the city together. On one of their days in Shanghai, they went to The Oriental Pearl Radio and Television Tower, located at the tip of Lujiazui in the Pudong New Area.
Li really enjoyed her trip to Shanghai with her best friend. It has been several years since they last saw each other, so that time together was very precious. They have such a close bond, and when they can reunite, it is like no time has passed.
When Li got back to Guangzhou, she went on a cycling tour through the city, with her sister Jueying. The cycling tour they went on was a small-group tour, where you have a guide who navigates the way as you soak up the scenery. The tour took about three hours, and they stopped at certain sites to walk around.
Rebecca Lee captured the beauty of nature last Tuesday two blocks from her home. Similar to life, behind darkness there is always light.
They cycled past the Pearl River and the Donghaochong Greenway canal rehabilitation project. They also got to see modern sights such as the Canton Tower and the Guangzhou Opera House. This tour gave Li the opportunity to see parts of the city she had never seen before, and it was an amazing experience for her.
Li’s time in Guangzhou was simple but well needed. She got to spend time with her relatives and friends. She also ate yummy foods and explored. This trip brought her back to her roots.
She will always feel connected to her city. “I had the most amazing time in my hometown,” said Li. “Being back here is exactly what my soul needed, and I hope to be back soon.”
