Caroline's story begins in 1975, when she and her family migrated from Hong Kong to Vancouver. The move marked a new chapter in her life, a transition to a new world. Vancouver has been her home for nearly half a century, but Caroline's journey is anything but conventional.

After finishing university, Caroline found herself craving more than just the usual career path. She wanted to see the world. So she did what many only dream of: she moved overseas. Her first stop was Beijing, where she worked for three years, from 1986 to 1989. It was during this time that she learned one of the most valuable lessons of her life: language is much more than words—it’s culture. Caroline quickly realized that her classroom Mandarin lessons in Vancouver didn’t quite prepare her for the nuances of real-life conversations.

I thought I spoke fluent Mandarin until I went to Beijing and nobody could understand me.

What followed were plenty of mistakes. Ordering seven of something instead of one, misunderstanding directions, and navigating cultural subtleties that only came through trial and error. But Caroline embraced these mistakes. She found that “eating your mistakes” in a new country not only built character but also led to some of her most meaningful experiences.

Beijing only marked the beginning of her travels. In 1996, Caroline moved to Myanmar, a country that was as much a time capsule as it was an adventure. “It was like traveling into a page of National Geographic,” she recalls. “People were extremely nice. It was like going back 50 or 60 years.” For three years, she immersed herself in the culture, learning about the lives of the people and feeling privileged to be welcomed into their homes, weddings, funerals, and birthday parties.

Returning to Vancouver after her time in Myanmar, Caroline settled into life with a deeper understanding of the world and her place in it. She currently works with Home Depot, but it’s her past that truly defines her. Through her career, travels, and years abroad, she’s come to appreciate the beauty in connecting with people of all backgrounds, especially through language and shared experiences.

One of the most surprising elements of Caroline’s life is her unexpected love for the bagpipes. Yes, bagpipes. Though her parents were always keen on bringing her to parades as a child, it wasn’t until much later in life that Caroline discovered the joy of playing the bagpipes. “I cried through five years of piano lessons,” she admits, recalling her frustration with playing solitary instruments. But the bagpipes were different. She joined a band in North Vancouver that welcomed adult beginners, and what began as a curious endeavor soon became a passion. “It’s a whole different culture,” Caroline explains, noting how playing bagpipes in a group offers a sense of community that she hadn’t found in other instruments. “It’s very sociable. You practice together, play together. I love the pub crawls and all the fun things we do as a group.”

For Caroline, the bagpipes have come to represent the harmony she’s found in life—blending her Canadian and Chinese identities, navigating different cultures, and bringing people together through music and shared experiences. It’s a reminder that life, much like playing the bagpipes, is about finding your rhythm and enjoying the process, no matter how many mistakes you make along the way.

‍