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Travel with ease and style with Monos
A friend told me recently that she was travelling and was at an international airport, and she had with her, a Monos Terrazzo Carry-on luggage – which, in case you didn’t know, is a stunning piece of luggage – and she spotted another traveller with the exact same bag. They instantly bonded over their identical luggage, and likely raved about their respective luggage, and then went on their way. Serendipitous encounter brought on by Monos. As for me, I am also a proud owner of the Terrazzo luggage, but what I bring with me to the airport during transit is my Hybrid Carry-On (in champagne), and while I have yet…
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A fun-filled weekend in Abbotsford!
The perfect fall activities in Abbotsford, B.C. for family with kids! Growing up in Canada, I have not truly taken advantage of all that is around me, and domestic travels was never a top priority. But since we’ve shifted back to Canada, and now with two young kids, we’ve started to look into nearby destinations to take family trips to. And so when Tourism Abbotsford reached out for a weekend getaway, we jumped onboard immediately! Taking a stroll in Downtown Abbotsford Having grown up in Montreal, I am a big fan of “old towns”. Whether it be Old Montreal in Quebec, Stonetown in Zanzibar, Firenze in Italy… the list goes…
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Embracing our differences
There has been more than few instances when our family has come under the scrutiny of complete strangers, asking us questions that made me wonder whether other interracial families come across. The one that stood out to me was a time when I brought Emma out shopping with me, and we were just sitting on a bench, taking a short break from all the browsing, and we encountered a man in his mid-50s, sitting across from us. He was quite friendly, and we chatted for about 10 minutes or so, him making occasional comments about how lovely Emma’s curls were, when at the end of the conversation, he asked whether…
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Marijani Zanzibar, the hidden gem of Zanzibar
When I planned our family’s vacation to Zanzibar, I also had to incorporate ‘work’ into our beach days. Sam and I run a safari company in Tanzania, and this means that as a tour operator, we partner up with many fantastic hotels on the ground. So this really was a ‘working holiday’. We visited Marijani before, but I find that it’s always helpful to repeat our visits, in case of management changes, and just to make sure that the quality of the hotels is consistent. This time round, Marijani Zanzibar certainly did not disappoint! We started with this place, as I wanted to ease into our trip with a quiet…
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What makes an [interracial / intercultural] relationship work?
Ever since I have started to post actively on my Instagram account , I have been getting questions regarding how I (and sometimes both Sam and I) overcome challenges as an interracial couple. As some of you may now, our backgrounds could not be more different. I am originally from Taiwan, but grew up in Canada, whereas he was born and raised in Tanzania, East Africa. Before we met, I had this inexplicable optimistic outlook on love and marriage, partly due to the fact that my parents have a very solid and loving marriage. And so for me, I was expecting something very much akin to what they have –…
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Best Travel Hacks for Parents with kids
Here is a well-known fact: traveling with kids is never NOT challenging, and that is the whole truth. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t be fun—plus, there are always travel hacks out there, especially for parents with young kids. For myself, one of the most daunting tasks is undoubtedly—packing. Packing for two when you don’t have tiny humans who required multiple outfit change—piece of cake. When packing for a baby came into the picture, gone were the days of just throwing a few essentials into our luggage. Two small kids? Now, we are talking a whole different level here. This is where choosing the right type of luggage becomes…
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Travelling with my Monos bags
From Tanzania to Canada, there is roughly 9,000 miles of land, mountains, and oceans that separate the two countries. Having flown this route many, many times before, I am no stranger to long-haul flights, 7+ hours of transit, and the joys of packing and unpacking for a trip. So when it comes to choosing my luggage and bags, I am always conscientious of what fits my travel style. Not only for the appearance—I can be quite picky—but the practicality of these travel accessories. Traveling before we had kids also vastly differs to how we travel now, with two tiny humans, who are fantastic travelers, but who are always constantly hungry…
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Becoming aware of our differences
When Sam and I first started dating, neither of us really gave our cultural background much thought. We were simply two people attracted to one another, and our main concern at the time was the distance that separated us. I still remember walking on a snowy path near my home in Canada, daydreaming about the day I would fly back to Tanzania, where my view would not be rows of homes with snow-laden roofs, but instead, rows of banana, mango and avocado trees. And I would be promenading next to Sam. I was able to romanticize just everything back then, and I was pretty confident that life was about to…
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The “blackness” comments
A while back, I received a DM on Instagram that almost had me choke on my morning coffee. I know that it’s not uncommon to get weird messages on social media, and some trolls are really just here with the simple goal to offend everyone. This message, however, was just downright ignorant and borderline comical. “Your husband is so black.” First off, I know a scamming account when I see one. Obviously, he wasn’t hoping to strike up a conversation about race. And I’m still not sure what kind of reaction he expected to trigger in me. But let’s just say that I laughed it off and went on with…
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My must-have skin care routine
Back when I was pregnant with Emma in 2015, I was on the quest to find a new skincare line that was natural and ultimately safe to wear around my newborn. I have combination skin and prone to oily T-zone, so I knew that I needed something hydrating but not overly so. At the time, my best friend in Japan who had recently gave birth tried their Champagne Serum (now re-branded as Happy Hour), raved about the amazing scent and the effect it had on her skin, so without a second thought, I gave it a try. It was the best skincare decision of my life. Not only did the…
