Hi grandma

This first post is not being written at home in San Jose, but rather, in Taiwan, as I sit next to my grandmother (or 奶奶, meaning grandma in Mandarin) while watching a Taiwanese drama. Although I’ve just been staying in my grandparents’ small apartment to hide from the dreadful humidity of Taiwan, it’s been anything but boring, especially as I’ve noticed that there are hints of myself in my grandmother: a sense of practicality, desire to feed others out of hospitality, and genuine care for the people around her, just to name a few.

So in a nutshell, I suppose I could introduce myself as an aspiring grandmother. I used to think the nickname ‘grandma’ was an insult when I was younger, especially at the age of 14, but now as I’m watching my 奶奶 here at this very moment, I’m finding that such a nickname has become quite fitting. What this has to do with the blog though will come later.

Everything began while I was at university obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Packaging Technology. While it was exciting to learn about product and packaging design, something seemed a bit off when I was earning a four year degree to design something that was thrown away within seconds or minutes. The United States in particular has a reputation for being the country with the largest waste generation, packaging being one of the most obvious factors.

I believe that God has shaped each one of us to be a little entrepreneurial - we all have individual passions and motivations which make us want to do something in our own sphere. Some may take those passions to start a business as an entrepreneur, while others may find themselves starting a little something new in their own lifestyle. For myself, the solid waste issue was something that bothered me, but not knowing how to instigate any change, I put it on the back burner.

However, it was by some miracle (a whole other testimony, really) that I was given an opportunity to take a fellowship at the DO School, a social entrepreneurship program that incubates emerging entrepreneurs from all over the world. It is without a question that God gave me this opportunity to transform that itching spirit and manifest this sustainable lifestyle blog, a venture which I now call my own.

My 奶奶 comes back in the story because of how she is as a person: she’s practical, she doesn’t waste, she reuses packaging (just look at her cupboard, and does all of this whilst caring so well for her family. I find that I’ve taken up the caring aspect that she is so good at, but I aspire to learn even more from her practicality in an effort to change the way we waste in this world. It is my intention and long term goal to open a sustainable microgrocery to focus on good, local food and better packaging alternatives, but for now, this blog is my way of reaching out to the average consumer, hoping to instigate a greater consciousness in everyday purchases.

I truly thank God, my family, mentors, respective fellows, and friends for all being such a support thus far. And of course, thank you for a taking a little…or big slice of your time to read up on my ramblings. I do not know where I will end up, but with some sweat, a humble mindset, and lot of prayer, I’m hoping that God will be able to use my grandma-like attitude to make a small dent of positive change in this world, or perhaps even create a spark in you to join me as I embark upon this journey.