Shifting Lenses
Observations on culture, place, and the ways people live.
Third Culture Kids: “children who move between cultures before they have had the opportunity to fully develop their personal and cultural identity”.
Growing up between the USA, China and Singapore has made us curious about the ways people experience the same world differently. Shifting Lenses is a collection of observations about culture, identity, health, sport and everyday life from the places we’ve lived and traveled.
Category: Health & Sports
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My favorite NBA team had a great year. I am a lifelong Spurs fan. My family is from the area, and I was frequently dressed in a Spurs gear even as a baby. The energy in San Antonio around the Spurs is intense, and I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to attend a…
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The Singapore Botanic Gardens are a national treasure. Founded in 1859, it is a tropical paradise located at the edge of Singapore’s Orchard Road shopping district and is the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. We live pretty close to the gardens and my parents go walking or running there frequently. It is also one…
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Southeast Asia is a massive and diverse place. I have been very lucky to travel to many different places in the region. My family loves the ocean, so many of these destinations have been on the beach. On these holidays, I rarely see local people enjoying the ocean. Even at public beaches, the sand is…
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When I look back on my time in Beijing, some of my strongest memories are of the parks. If we were waiting for a table at a restaurant, my sister and I would often walk to a nearby park and play on the equipment. Interestingly, the equipment was not always slides or climbing structures. Much…
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One of my favorite things to do while traveling is to take in a sporting event. My parents also enjoy this, so we have been lucky enough to see a variety of sports in many different locations over the years. Even though we have been to Thailand, my parents have never wanted to see Thai…
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Las Vegas is famously known as Sin City, and few would deny the name is appropriate. Tourism is so engrained in the local culture that it has become the city’s whole identity. It makes you curious what the city would be like if that first casino had never opened. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have…
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I can’t remember how I became a Chelsea fan, but I have been one ever since I started following professional football years ago. My passion for the team grew when they acquired my favorite American player, Christian Pulisic, in 2019. Seeing a game at Stamford Bridge was a dream come true, and it lived up…
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Watching the best player in the world is the ultimate dream for any soccer fan. For many Americans, that dream is now more attainable than ever with the G.O.A.T., Lionel Messi, playing for Inter Miami. I had the chance to fulfill that dream years ago, when I was still in elementary school and Messi was…
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On a beautiful early October day, my family took a surf lesson on a beautiful beach in Portugal. Although we were only a short distance from the big-wave hub of Nazaré, the waves were gentle and rolling—perfect for beginners. Since it was the off-season, the beach town was sleepy, and the day was great. Our…
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When my family lived in Beijing, we would occasionally go see our favorite local team, the Guoan, play in the old Workers’ Stadium. Built in 1959 and since demolished, the stadium offered a great, one-of-a-kind experience. I’m not even sure I want to go to the new stadium, even though I still root for the…
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All professional sports games are unique in their own way, but baseball in the U.S. definitely has a different atmosphere than football, hockey, basketball, or soccer. That’s mostly because baseball games just feel less intense. Even though an average nine-inning Major League Baseball game is about three hours long, like an NFL game, most people…
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My dad has been a huge cycling fan for as long as I can remember, so when we made the trip to Bilbao, Spain, in 2023 for the Grand Départ of the Tour de France, it felt like a dream come true for him. After years of watching the Tour on TV, I thought I…
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As a sports fan, I absolutely love diving into the local sports scene whenever I travel. It doesn’t matter what the sport is, if the locals are passionate about it, I’m in. This past spring, during our trip to Australia, we had the fantastic opportunity to go to an Australian Rules Football game: St Kilda…
