歡迎猴年 Welcoming The Year of the Monkey!
Happy New Year to all of you, whether you are ethnic Chinese or not! New Year celebrations always bring out our positive outlook for the future. You may already be familiar with the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac, namely, the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
Reminder About US Customs When Our Parents Visit The USA
In addition to being excited to see our parents again when they visit us in the USA, we also look forward to the favorite foods and spices they bring, which are hard to find here. However, it is important to remind them that meat products and fresh fruits are not allowed to be taken to the USA. They should not try to sneak any onboard, even though they think they are doing us a favor.
A Helping Hand For Our Parents Visiting The USA
We always look forward to our parents or in-laws visiting us in the 
USA. Looking back on their first visit, there were concerns about their journey and as well as going through the immigration formalities. You can image the anxiety on both sides of the ocean. Even if they have already done a consular interview and have a visitor visa with their passports, it is important for our parents to answer to the immigration officer honestly that the purpose of the trip is for a short term leisure visit.
New Year Fun In Bay Area
The year 2015 is finally coming to an end. It’s time to look back at what we have achieved professionally and personally, and also reflect on our challenges this year. Some of us may have received a promotion or bought a new house or had a newborn added to their family . Others may have lost a job or had a rough patch during 2015. So it’s time to celebrate our good times, learn from our mistakes, and above all, make new resolutions. Let’s celebrate the last few days of 2015 and extend a warm welcome to the year 2016.
TripCompanion 2015 Retrospective
Happy December, the time for end of year reflections. Thank you for your interest in TripCompanion and for supporting us in so many ways!
Indo-American Family time in Xmas season
Christmas is the only festival that is celebrated all around the globe. No matter which country you belong to, or what language you speak, the whole world celebrates Christmas Day with same gala and fun. If you happen to live in the San Francisco Bay Area, then you are exposed to people of varied cultures, languages and religion. The people here in the Silicon Valley celebrate Diwali, Durga Puja, Hanukkah, Chinese New Year, Halloween and Christmas with same level of interest and fun.
Adjustment Tips for Family Members Visiting USA
The holiday season is around the corner and it is time to 
meet our family and friends. Many of us living in the USA have families living abroad like China, India and other South East Asian countries. We often invite our family members residing abroad to come to the USA and spend more time with us, especially our grandparents, parents or very close relatives. Sometimes it becomes hard for them to adjust to the fast paced lifestyle here in the USA.
Thanksgiving, Chinese-American style 中式感恩節
We do not have many relatives in the San Francisco bay area. So we either spend time with my family in Los Angles, or join other friends’ Thanksgiving celebrations in the area. Unintentionally, we’ve created our own Chinese-American Thanksgiving tradition.
Packing with Children
The holiday season is around the corner and it’s time to meet our family and friends. Many of us will be traveling out of the country, and some of us might be traveling alone with kids. Therefore, if you are traveling alone and need a helping hand, consider hiring a travel companion. There are many steps to getting ready for your trip. These include planning the trip, purchasing tickets, making reservations and finally packing. In addition, if you are traveling with kids then you need to do some extra planning.
Bridging the Cultural Divide When Grandchildren Are American-Born
When the grandchildren are American-born, everyone in the family needs to figure out a way to bridge the cultural divide. Culture does not pass down through the DNA. Rather, it is more about sharing the same cultural environment. Spending time together is the best way to get to know each other, seed your grains of values and ethics slowly one at a time. You don’t need an extravagant vacation; it is more about quality time together. Conversations about daily life, school, work and friends do not seem to be very exciting, but it is the foundation for building a relationship over time.