You might think that since I began studying at university more than 12,000 kilometres from home (18 hours by flight), I and my parents would have drifted apart. Far from it.
I'm doing my best to stay in touch with them through daily Skype calls - even if sometimes I miss a few calls ... oops, sorry mum! - and constant text messages. My parents remain a huge part of my life and I do not care how 'lame' that may seem.
I've always loved spending my weekends with my parents. So much time away from them has been really tough for me.
Luckily, once or twice a month, I receive a pink slip that tells me to head downstairs and sign for a package. Mail from Hong Kong always makes my day. I received my first letter from home about two weeks into my time here.
Although my mother's handwriting is barely legible (it takes me a while to read each one of her letters), every time I see her handwriting, I am very touched. Her first letter almost made my eyes well up with tears, as I read how she'd spent her first Mid- Autumn Festival without me.
Here in Canada, I often find myself thinking about things I wouldn't have cared much about back home in Hong Kong. I guess I've learned the truth of the old expression: 'You don't know what you have until you lose it.'