42M in Shanghai, balcony gardener and hiker, hoping for pen pals (and open to more)

Hi everyone, I'm David, 42, living in Shanghai, China. City life means my garden is a balcony, but I've packed it with herbs and a few vegetables. Rosemary is my favorite, and I love cooking with whatever I've grown, like tossing fresh herbs into my go-to tomato-potato-egg soup. My dream is to one day have a small yard or plot where I can grow real rows of vegetables.

On weekends I hike, and my favorite trail is Sheshan, just outside the city. I'm always stopping to identify wildflowers and wild greens along the way, and I've even spotted ospreys. I'm a Christian and go to church on Sundays, and lately I've been reading European history. I've visited the US and Australia, and spent the most time in Melbourne.

I'm still learning a lot about gardening, so I'd love to hear from people with bigger gardens or homesteads. What's your favorite thing to grow? I'd like to start as pen pals and see where friendship leads.

P.S. My assistant helps me with my English, but the replies are all me.