She almost didn’t feel it, the slim weight of a folded letter, tucked deep inside the lining of her fall sienna secondhand coat.

A year later, it still knew what to say.

Shanghai,

You hold this story of a new beginning.

Something in me stirs, as if I have arrived not just in a new city, but in an unfamiliar version of myself, softer, quieter, still becoming.

Time flows gently here, like the water beneath the bridges. Water towns full of love and whispers, where every stone path feels like a soft-spoken love story. I have found a love within myself, a new layer of my beautiful structure, and a confidence that lingers like perfume on ankles and creased inner elbows.

Before meeting you, I had a heart full of questions and two suitcases packed with hope. My inner child felt joy, excitement, and nervousness. She giggled, letting the blue butterflies dance, fluttering at the thought of a magical escape.

A quiet part of me unraveled when I realized my life would now live between water, storage units, and memories I’d have to let go of.

Finding peace with this still hasn’t quite returned to me, but I’ve learned to gather particles of the things I cannot change.

I had no idea what waited on the other side of the ocean, after a soul-numbing 15-hour flight. All I had were childhood musicals blasting through my headphones like a lifeline, a flight attendant who clearly sensed I was one emotional sneeze away from unraveling, and just enough vodka to remind fear it wasn’t flying solo.

With overwhelmed tear ducts, we landed.

And I tagged the airline in a tweet to express my sincerest gratitude.

The presence in the air was different.

My first month, I cried tears of fear and change. Grief seeped from my pores. I was clogged with emotions I had been afraid to express.

Shanghai, you made me split at the seams.

I felt like I was trying to put biscuits back inside a can that had already burst.

I didn’t realize this would be my new beginning.

Now, I stand at the edge of your skyline, with a wide-open heart.

I seek possibility. I explore my curiosity.

You hum beneath my feet, alive, electric, and still unknowable in places.

You’ve allowed my heart to unfold, not just in acceptance, but in taking a leap of faith. Alone.

Shanghai, you are not just a city on a map to me.

You are a story I’ve yet to live, pages I’m ready to turn, chapters I’m ready to complete.

In the noise of the city, I’ve found a new silence.

A city that drifts in on steam and song, dumplings at dusk, rooftops glowing, and music echoing through the streets.

My relationships have been tested.

But my spirit , my stubborn, tender tenacity — says: don’t quit.

I’m committed to fulfilling this dream, this goal of not only living abroad, but of making the little girl inside of me proud.

We are going to travel the world, write, and embrace experiences that captivate joy.

This is not only a letter.

It is a story of a new beginning.

You do not ask me who I was before.

You ask me who I am becoming.

And I am listening.

With love,

Heather