I only arrived in Hangzhou yesterday (actually, the day before yesterday by now) and haven’t even had time to unpack. Today I met many of the brothers and sisters from the community at the sports court, and even managed to catch a moment of people helping each other. The two questions I heard most were “How tall are you now?” and “Where are your parents?”

It feels so good. All the roads along the river may have been rebuilt, but the bonds between people remain as strong as ever.

I had imagined my return to Hangzhou as living home alone, mostly cooking for myself, occasionally dropping in on someone, and posting “Time to eat again, folks.” Instead, both my bed and my meals have been “borrowed” from other people. I can only laugh (

I really should have written something yesterday, but I put down the opening line and promptly forgot about it. Very on-brand…

In the evening I mooched dinner at Grandma’s, and everyone who heard about it agreed: “What a feast.” The moment I mentioned needing boots, my aunt placed an order at lightning speed, and the delivery arrived just as fast. No more frozen feet, haha!