Chinatown (day 18)

Travelling halfway around the world to discover myself.

Always a little surprising but it's happened before.

I once asked a B&B owner in Finland how often she went back to Malaysia when her husband interrupted, puzzled:

"Back? She lives in Finland and you live in Australia. What do you mean by going back?"

After years of denying ties with my parents' home country, I'd given myself away with a slip of the tongue.

Mum insisted I visit Chinatown in New York.

I was sceptical. There is a Chinatown in every major city around the world. What made Chinatown NY different?

Well, it didn't have a fancy gate but it certainly was a Chinatown, extending at least five, six blocks.

Ordering in Cantonese but not confident enough to start a conversation, I felt at home but also like an impostor.

That's just who I am. (And who I'll always be.)