1. How often do you visit your relatives?

I don’t visit them as often as I’d like to. But my grandma lives very close to me. She’s practically a hop, skip, and a jump away249. So basically I check in with her250 about once a week. She always cooks something special for me. Getting to visit her is such a treat.

2. What do you do when visiting relatives?

I usually just have a nice chat with them. I’m often caught up with work, so I don’t have that much time to hang out. But I love getting to sit down and talk. It’s such a treat to just hear about what’s going on with them. I also like sharing what’s happening in my life and getting some advice.

3. When was the last time you visited a relative?

It’s been too long. I think the last time I visited a relative was a month ago. I’ve been so busy with finishing up251 school. You know, I’ve had to study for so many exams. But before things got crazy252, I visited my grandma and had a nice chat with her. It was a great way to blow off steam253.

4. Do you prefer visiting your friends or your relatives?

Don’t get me wrong254, I love my family. But I think I prefer visiting my friends. We just have way more in common. It’s a lot easier to strike up a conversation with them. And I feel like I can just cut loose255 and be myself around them. It’s just a lot more natural.

5. Why do people visit their relatives?

I suppose that people visit their relatives as a way to stay close to their family. You know, nowadays it’s easy to neglect relationships with your family. There’s lots of other stuff that seems more important, like work or school. But when you visit with your relatives, you help strengthen your bonds with256 them.

249 a hop, skip, and a jump away：表示距离很近
250 check in with her:和…见面聊聊近况
251 finishing up：结束，完成
252 before things got crazy:在我越来越忙碌之前，在我乱成一窝蜂之前
253 blow off steam:排解压力
254 Don’t get me wrong别误会，别误解我的意思
255 cut loose:自由不受束缚
256 strengthen your bonds with:加强与…的关系