Making Friends in Unfamiliar Places: The Story of Péter

It was 8 AM on the 10th of November. Shawn and I landed in Lisboa, Portugal a mere 8 hours earlier. We had nothing on the agenda except to make our way to our hostel close to the city centre. Our suitcases in hand, we rolled our way down the cobblestone streets to the nearest metro station.

Prior to arriving, I had hopes for a life changing experience. I didn’t foresee any prodigious, life altering events actually happening. I figured that at most the two of us would eat delicious food, see beautiful things, be humbled by the throes that often come with travel, and come back home with stories to tell. I was wrong.

All of that happened and then some.

A Taiwanese Chronicle (1/?) : Identity Crises, Transient Global Amnesia, Airport Delays, Oh My!

A close friend of mine once told me that in Japan they call biracial people ダブる (Daburu), meaning they’re not two halves, but instead two wholes of something. Growing up I always felt like I was an imposter, never genuinely fitting in.

Misadventures: The Plague Ridden Fair

Each year (with the exception of the last), my town hosts its annual Fall Festival. It’s during the first full week of October, and lasts a full 7 days. Normally when I go with friends we eat to our hearts’ desires, avoid eye contact with aggressive carnies, and take photos in front of beautiful lights provided by the various carnival rides.

AdventuresKeisha HsiaoOctober 9, 2021Fall Festival, Keisha Hsiao, Celebrating autumn, people are gross, covid magnetsComment

My 10 year internet friendship: Meeting Ben IRL [NYC]

I’ve been one of the fortunate ones in life. No matter which era I’ve lived through, I have consistently been blessed with friends. Whether long term, or just brief moments, I’ve had people there. As time goes on, the more I realize that the friendships I’ve maintained in my real life have long since faded away.

Adventures, Featured, ChroniclesKeisha HsiaoNovember 16, 2019IRL, Internet friendship, meeting Ben IRL, New York, NYC, New York City, traveling, Travel, online friendship, FeaturedComment

Clockwork Bar: The Dive Bar of Your CBGB Dreams

If you’re anything like me, then you probably live and breathe punk rock. Before my trip to NYC, I knew I had to visit a place that screamed old school punk. My teen dream was to feel as close to the punk revolution as humanly possible. For me, that meant seeing an epic rock concert inside one of the most iconic venues in underground music history—CBGB’s. Unfortunately that day never came, due to its permanent shutdown on October 15, 2006. The death of its founder, Hilly Kristal, following soon after in 2007.

North America, AdventuresKeisha HsiaoOctober 12, 2019NYC, A Clockwork Bar, Punk scene, Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York New YorkComment