Hi, welcome to my blog!
I’m Kelly, just a seventeen-year-old senior at Naperville North High School that is also Taiwanese American and extremely short and small (4’11”, but only if you round up). I have a younger sister, Emily, and I wish I had a pet bunny or cat.
Hobbies
I love to travel and to explore the world! It’s so intriguing to immerse yourself in a new culture, see new places and things, and try new foods. I’ve been to many states in the US, Canada, the Caribbean, Taiwan, South Korea, and China. My favorite trip was this past summer, when I went to Taiwan to teach English to a class of 4th and 5th graders in a small rural town. It was very enlightening and humbling to learn how to teach English, as well as to get close to those adorable kids. I’m hoping to go to Japan/Taiwan this summer (stationary haul!), and possibly tour Europe sometime in the future. I also hope to study abroad somewhere in college, to truly experience a foreign place completely from scratch.
I have been playing club badminton since I was in 5th grade. I’m not especially good at badminton, but it’s a fun distraction for school and a strategy to make sure I get my exercise. I train usually 3 times a week at Midwest Badminton Club (although not right now because of senior year) and I have played on the school badminton team since I was a freshman.
Food + Drink
I am a self-proclaimed (and extremely amateur) foodie.
I love bubble tea with all my heart. My absolute favorite is honestly the brown sugar bubble tea from Hello Jasmine. It’s a cute little Taiwanese cafe/restaurant in Chinatown with, in my opinion, the best bubble tea in Chicago with the best popcorn chicken. Their boba is perfect: not too chewy and not too soft, cooked to perfection. I would jump at any chance to get boba, but unfortunately, it tends to be kinda pricey in the US, so when I go back to Asia I tend go all out.
Going back to my love of traveling, one of the reasons why I love it so much is because of the new foods you can try you wouldn’t otherwise know of or try at home. I have always liked eating sushi and sashimi, but when I went to Honolulu two years ago, I discovered one of my favorite foods: poke bowls. Poke bowls are kind of like what you’d expect a sashimi bowl to be. It’s basically a rice base with some raw fish and toppings on top, finished with some sauces or seasonings.
Stationary + the Arts
I am extremely passionate about hoarding stationery and pens and anything in between!! It’s such a bad habit because every time I go to Taiwan to visit my family I stock up on WAY too much stationery since it’s more affordable (and because of the gorgeous pens), so I have more pens, washi tapes, and stickers than I will ever need, that I barely use. However, I am trying to learn how to improve my calligraphy, to get into bullet journaling, and to take pretty notes for school, so hopefully, I put my collection into good use 🙂
I am also obsessed with creating my own aesthetic and design. I am always trying to find myself and my distinct style, from personalizing my school supplies to redecorating my room. I love doing DIYs and customizing them to my own tastes to make it more of my own.