With Kristin, Bob and his family, I was able to celebrate my first white Christmas ever at Bend, Oregon. It was my first time to see a huge pile of snow (which had been my childhood dream), to make a snowman and to go skiing.

Skiing is not an easy thing to do. For the first time, you have to fall and get up to go ahead. It is not different from life that once you get to do something out of your comfort zone, you may face obstacles and failures, but you need to give yourself more chance to get up and give it another try.

Other memorable moments for me with Kristin and the family were gift unwrapping, singing all the Christmas songs, playing trivia, and listening to Hamilton soundtrack. Listening to Hamilton was our favorite activity and we could learn more about American history.

​The trip was truly unforgettable and I could not have asked for more fun than the trip to Bend.

Staying with Cynthia was also filled with love, caring and learning. Unforgettably, we cooked Asian food together (because the family and I all love the food) and the last day with her we went to some Asian restaurants, which I loved!

​Even though we didn’t get to do many outdoor things, we spent time watching movies about the World History in the twentieth-century, which was a fun way to learn more about history. 

Similarly, staying with Michelle and Reiner was a lot of fun. They took me to Safari West in Sonoma County.

The most exciting thing was that I got to see GIRAFFES, which are one of my favorite animals. Never in my life had I seen real giraffes.

I’m so grateful for this because when I went to the California Academy of Science earlier that year, I saw giraffe models and I was imaging if one day I could see giraffes in real life.

​Ultimately, Michelle made my dreams come true!

Besides having fun, I also had a chance to be a part of leadership training, organized by SHE-CAN. The training was so helpful that I could learn about the effective leadership skills. It opened a door for me to deeply explore my own self, develop my potentials and skills, as well as inspire me to become a leader.

​I am so thankful to SHE-CAN team and sisters and that I could experience these incredible things in my life.

Finally, I would love to thank my mentor team for their warm welcoming and caring.

​Without their kind hearts, I would not be able to have this memorable time and of course, could not tell this story.