My mom and two younger sisters were all with me last week to see Taiwan. It was kind of amazing to have family around again for a little while.

One of my younger sisters, Maura, has been here since February-- and while we don't always exactly see eye to eye on things, it's been so much fun having her here. It's been a great experience to get to share my life and love of Taiwan with her. And now she knows the ropes a bit, so together we took our mom and youngest sister, Tori, around the island.

We saw Monkey Mountain and Lotus Lake, we wandered through Fo Guan Shan monastery and soaked up the sun at the beach in Kaohsiung, we climbed the waterfalls at Liang Shan, went paragliding in Fengshan and scootered to Kenting for days spent lying on white sand and jumping in crashing waves, then to end it all we headed to Taipei for cityscapes and museums and good food and drinks.

It was all done in one short week. Much too short, really. But it was kind of wonderful. My sisters are so different from me. It's amazing that we're actually related some days-- but it keeps life interesting, and you certainly don't run out of fresh perspectives when the people you're with view the whole world from another angle.

And there's something about being surrounded by family that is irreplaceable. I love my friends very much-- they're a hugely valued part of my life-- but being with family is different. It fits. It's comfort, it's familiarity, it's home. Traveling and being abroad is a fantastic lifestyle. I feel like I've been thriving off of it-- the change, the unpredictability, the challenge. But some days, there is nothing quite like being home.

So although the week was much too short, I am so thankful for it. Thank you to my mom and sisters for coming to travel with me and share my life here for a little while. Thank you for bringing me a little piece of home.