It took me a while to put my fingers on it, but I think it was the refreshing winter breeze that did it. After three years of life on hold in sunny Florida, yes, I was captivated by the howling wind down Broad Street in Philadelphia. In between the red bricks, brownstones, and ornaments on the facade of the art academy, the spirit of the building speaks as if it is born out of somewhere but is bound to nowhere. IÂ stood there watching the reliefs underneath a roof that reminded me of my root.Â
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A sudden gust lifted my hair and interrupted my gaze, it pushed me to follow its course that landed on the magnificent “marble elephant”—city hall. I saw the wind swirling around the intricate statues, turning from the north to the other sides.Â
"Knowing the significance that was given to those statues: representing all races, different animals, and all continents, my thoughts flew away with the wandering draft behind the edge of the building, to a distant place, a distant past."
Before the age of 15, I was living with my Chinese side of the family in Tianjin, China. My early teenage hood memories of hanging out with friends on church ground suddenly juxtaposed on top of the street views in Philly. Both cities have built upon a mixture of cultures, with a resilience that comes from generosity and inclusiveness, their colorful past is woven into the lively present in every street corner, every building block, and each place people gather and say goodbye to.
I was first confronted with the question of who I am culturally when I moved to the States with my family. Born with mixed roots, the question of my identity sometimes lingers around my head after saying bye-bye to my American friends after school. Walking through the streets, I always look for amazing food. People’s conversations flow in and out of focus; I am sometimes lost in flashbacks that strike unexpectedly. Everyone looks so different yet no one seems to find it out of the ordinary.Â
It seems as if some familiar faces that were once in my life reappear on these streets so far from home. Far, yet so near; the familiar scent of my favorite childhood dishes leaks through the colorful restaurant windows and doors of Philly’s Chinatown. I was immediately transported back to a time that seems even more formative to who I am now.Â
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My childhood self hadn’t the slightest idea that these small feelings of not fitting in would drive me on a search thousands of miles away. The idea of finding my home away from where I grew up no longer seemed odd as soon as I saw the comfortable smiles on people’s faces here.
"No matter the color of their skin, the strong contrast in their physical appearances seems just perfectly fitting for the liveliness that Philly projects."
The little snippets of conversation I catch always bring a smile to my face without me knowing; they talk so fast and are full of passion. I pick up the pace a bit more, and I want to see more. The wind is under my wings, and I feel exhilarated by the direct sight of people’s differences enhancing each other; nothing is more exciting to me. I can say now that where I come from doesn’t define me; where I grew up doesn’t define me, and my past experience doesn’t define me.
"It is where I am at each instant that defines me!"
My choice of whom I surround myself with, whom I lend my hands to, whom I give my smiles to, whose difference I cherish and value… It is where I am at each instant that defines me. It is Philly’s resilience marked through the street signs, through people’s voices, through their million-fold personalities, stories, and that beautiful melody sung in my ear at each sunset. The wind gushes against my face; I turn around to look back at the road I walked on, at the road I walk on and on.
(Location courtesy: Notary Hotel; Academy of the Fine Arts)
MY PHILLY FAVORITES
Click each location for more information
Coffee:Â
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters (multiple locations)
- Rival Bros Coffee Bar (multiple locations)
Eatery & Restaurant:
- Brunch- PARC
- Szechuanese- EMei Restaurant
- Pizza- Metropolitan Bakery (Rittenhouse Square)
- Gluten-Free- P.S. & Co.
- New American- Friday Saturday Sunday
