New Year away from home
Lunar New Year, or Tết in Vietnamese, has always been the main celebration for me. Christmas is also fun, but growing up in a tropical country means seeing Santa driving around on a moped with sweat dripping down his fake beard. You would soon question his legitimacy too if you were me.
"Wait a minute...!!" Young me seeing Santa driving around on a moped with sweat dripping down his fake beard, circa 2001
New Year has always been special. It's the time I get to spend with my family and reflect on the past year. This year it was different. The pandemic has forced the world into the new normal with social distancing and masks and lockdowns. People lost jobs and businesses were closed. We are all facing uncertainty about the future in the time of year when it's supposed to be about hope and prosperity.
I went out a few days before New Year's Eve to capture some scenes of how the Asian community here was preparing for it. We all shared something in common despite being from different backgrounds: We were all an ocean away from home.