One step ahead
As a chubby person, I find running
intimidating. Whenever I run, my heartbeat rockets, and a mere minute later, I
could barely breathe. However, as much as I feared P.E classes in high school, I
adore walking. Whenever I arrive at a new place, the first thing I do is
find a new trail or path to exploring the areas around me. Sometimes I would
stumble upon a grassy trail with warbles circling or a lovely boardwalk by the
sea. If I stay in a bustling city where trails are scarce, I just meander near
the sidewalks, often with an ice cream on hand, gazing at the twinkling lights
and roaring traffic. Regardless of where I walk, I feel unplugged from all of
the worries in my daily life and just let my thoughts go with the wind.
I spent the first 14 years of my life in
Saigon, a metropolis in southern Vietnam. As the city was renowned for its
hectic lifestyle, with concrete jungles and mopeds honking from dawn till dusk,
I was fortunate to live in a relatively quiet neighborhood. Although my house
faced the main street for commercial purposes, besides the house was a quiet
alley lined with lush trees. To Vietnamese standards though, it was considered
a street, as the alley was more than five meters wide. Many of my childhood
days were spent walking along the alley, gawking at a neighbor's starfruit
tree. Sometimes I would bring my little sister along, and we would always stop
by the mini-convenience store for some BBQ chips. To our little minds, the walk
across the alley seemed like a true adventure packed with surprises. Our first
challenge was to escape the guarding monster. We would hold our breath walking
past the German shepherd dog at the teal brick house. For some lucky charms, we
pierced the flower of a golden shower tree into bracelets. Our adventure would
continue until the 5pm church bell rang and the neighborhood kids claimed the
whole alley as their soccer field.
An aerial view of the street where I grew up
My family's business allowed me to be always on the move, dividing my time between Canada and Vietnam. In 2019, we moved to Charlottetown, the capital city of Prince Edward Island (PEI) in Canada. Unlike Anne in Green Gables arriving on the Island on a fresh spring day, when the scent of apple blossom filled the air, I first set foot here on a bitter winter afternoon, when the chill pierced into my deepest bones. Every corner in PEI was an ideal place for hikers and walkers, from the seaside boardwalk in Victoria Park to the Confederation Trail, where you can encounter the Pink Lady's Slipper, PEI's provincial flower. As we lived in a small town, we would travel through the Hillsborough Bridge to reach Charlottetown. Despite its official status as a city, Charlottetown was still every inch a small town, where you can bump into an acquaintance from the gas station to the Tim Horton's coffee shop. When my family first arrived here, we hadn't bought a car yet, so we walked the whole 7km route from Downtown to the nearest Walmart. Along our way, we also discovered hidden gems: a small reed pond near the town's high school, or a terrific lobster shop that offered fresh apples. Walking 14km in a day did do something to my feet, but the experience was worth it.
A few golden leaves and sunshine :)
All in all, my favorite place to go was the
trail along Shakespeare Drive, across the Stratford Town Hall. The trail
winded along with graceful birch trees, which reflected the season to the fullest.
In spring and summer, I spent hours wandering another enchanted world
beneath the birches' shades, listening to blue jays and warblers. Occasionally,
I would spot some foxes here and there (Stratford was a popular nesting site
for foxes). In autumn, the leaves turned into all shades of warm color, and the
fallen leaves would swirl with the wind. The trail was the most spectacular in
winter, when the trees were cloaked in crisp white snow. The white snow on the
ground contrasted starkly against the cloudless azure sky. You can almost feel
that time seemed to stop and wonder about your existence amid the vast nature.
A hidden treasure I found on an autumn
stroll in PEI
A year later, we again packed our bags and
headed west. Luckily, this time, we arrived in Vancouver, B.C right on the
first days of springtime. It seems that this coastal city is filled with
eternal springtime, with the grass always green and the air filled with sweet
flowery fragrances. Once again, I found that the best way to explore somewhere
was to wander around. Making use of the sunny weather, I strolled through every
corner of my neighborhood. The pandemic lockdown could not halt the
flowing energy of the city residents: moms in tracksuits strolled their babies
around; groups of seniors held socially distanced lawn bowling;
middle-schoolers chatted exuberantly while cycling through trails. My family
usually hiked through the Pacific Spirit Regional Park, along the musky
canopies and lush ferns. I loved to walk slowly to scrutinize the plants and
flowers, while my parents and
sister walked really fast. During the long summer days, I came to the
Camosun Bog so often that I could know all of the plant identification signs by
heart. I didn't come home until the sun was setting down - and not without
having a dozen mosquito bites :) However, the gifts from the woods always
outweighed all. Sometimes I would come across an apple tree laden with fruits
on a trail, and homemade tangy applesauce would be there for tea time later in
the afternoon :) As summer approached, I would not miss the chance of
tasting wild raspberries along the way. Ah, such a bittersweet summer...
Under the sakura shade
Don't beat around the bush, wear a mask!: A tree in my Vancouver neighborhood
Comments
Post a Comment