All the way through middle school, whenever I went on a trip, I always brought back souvenirs for myself and for my friends. I would look for something small, something I could get multiples of in variations. A pack of pencils that looked more like mini logs with the name of a city printed along their sides; tealights with mysterious scents in ceramic tealight holders shaped like elephants; questionable soaps; notebooks smaller than the size of my palm made of recycled paper with the name of a city emblazoned on the cover; erasers shaped like food that mostly just smeared lead across the page; bamboo bookmarks shaped like dolls dressed in traditional garb; friendship bracelets in bulk; gaudy keychains; little figurines.
When we were all back at school, we would excitedly exchange our gifts. A month later, they would sit forgotten in my room. When I eventually unearthed them, I would try to find a better place to hide them so that I could make room for others things. I would wonder if I’d offend anyone if I threw them away. These little trinkets, that seemed so important to buy at the time, felt more like burdens. They were the result of the anxiety of remembering a place before I had even left.
So I stopped buying things on my travels. I took photos that memorialised my experiences. I wrote postcards. I saved ticket stubs. I blogged.
Jet Set Candy LAX Los Angeles, California luggage tag charm
Jet Set Candy PEK Beijing, China luggage tag charm
Jet Set Candy PHL Philadelphia, Pennsylvania luggage tag charm
This blog post began as a holiday wish list, but I couldn’t think of enough things I wanted. The only thing I could think of that I really wanted was… world peace. Jkjk. It was these Jet Set Candy luggage tag charms. This isn’t a sponsored post; I just recently rediscovered them whilst browsing the Bryant Park Holiday Market in NYC and can’t stop thinking about them.
There’s something aesthetically satisfying about seeing something flimsy like paper ticket stubs cast in gold vermeil or sterling silver. Paper ticket stubs themselves already hold so much meaning and potential. They unlock new experiences and open up new worlds.
Now, if I got a charm for every city I’ve ever visited, it’d be like wearing a dumbbell around my neck. Instead, I envision myself wearing charms from the places I’ve lived (Los Angeles, Beijing, and Philadelphia) on a 24″ cable chain. Yah I’ve given this some thought :3 But even without these keepsake charms, my experiences will last me a lifetime and continue to shape who I am.
My dreamy childhood in Los Angeles will always be a part of me. I’ll always remember biking around our cul-de-sac and to the park, ice skating and eating cheese dogs at the mall, spending all day at bookstores reading books we’d never buy, and going to 7-11 after church.
The amazing opportunities I had in Beijing will always be a part of me. I’ll always remember buying snacks after school at Jenny Lou’s before its name got changed to Jenny Wang’s, sucking up to the PTA moms who sold ice cream at Wednesday lunches, debating whether or not we should have 煎饼 again, the massive sleepovers we’d have when hosting kids from other international schools in the Asia Pacific region during competitions, my first swim meet with my best friend without our parents in Bangkok, faking cramps during training, and my first joint choir and orchestra festival in Brussels where I was finally able to hang out with my orchestra friends (I was in choir).
The independence I found in Philadelphia will always be a part of me. I’ll always remember the Friday dinners out in town because the dining halls would close absurdly early, unsuccessfully hiding from the ticketer on the train, running on carbs and caffeine over breaks because I’m still learning how to feed myself, hosting get-togethers at my first apartment, eating take-out on my floor, everyone’s bubble tea orders, and more memories to come.
What city means something to you?
PS: I’m giving Blogmas a go! Let me know in the comments if there’s anything you’d like to see on the blog (ू•ᴗ•ू❁)