On August 7th 2016, I woke up before the sun had risen above the horizon. My family of six piled into the car, packed my bags into the back, and sleepily discussed my next year: Taiwan. It was barely two months prior to that day that I had applied to the job, and now I was jet setting for the island. Neither party–my family or I–knew what the next year had in store. I had been there before, in the spring, but even then, a short trip could have never predicted the things I would discover when I officially moved here.
To be honest, I was ready to leave the United States. It had been a dream of mine from a young age to be an expat, and I even knew the definition of the word before I entered high school. Maps lined my walls, travel plans laced the pages of my journals where stories were not present, and when I thought about colleges, I had considered going abroad, before deciding not to due to ice hockey. It sounds cheesy, but Taiwan means more to me than I ever thought to be possible.
It’s not just the culmination of my childhood dreams, but it’s changed so much of my life. It’s impossible to imagine what my life would be like if I had stayed in the states. What job would I have taken? Where would I have lived? Would I have been happy? I can’t even imagine a life in the states for me right now.
Of course, I miss family and friends. There’s no way to fill the void of missing birthdays, not being there in person to support them, holidays, and everything else in between. But with every passing day over the last year, I began to realize that coming to Taiwan was necessary for me. It was more than just trying something new and teaching, but it was about the whole experience. All of it in totality.
I have uncovered so many things that I would have probably never realized if I was living at home in America: about myself, life, the people I want to surround myself with, and what I want. The person I was–even a year ago–is different than the person I am now, but I’m glad. Being in a foreign country and figuring it out (sometimes on my own) has had a positive effect on me.
I’ve switched mindsets regarding what I define to be adulthood. Before, I was worried about having to get a “real job”, or anything with a 40 hour work week and benefits. Now, my understanding of adulthood is no longer bound by 401Ks, jobs with benefits, or even car purchases. Your adulthood, or “adulting”, requires no parameters, no expectations, and no competition. Do what makes you happy and compete with yourself, and you’ll never find yourself unsatisfied.
With any sort of traveling, the people you meet are unique. Expats are such a diverse group of people, and the majority of the expats you find are extraordinary people. There will always be people you don’t get along with, but the friends you make abroad widen your friend map and usually, the bond you share is stronger. Needless to say, the people I’ve met over the past year are not only awesome, but they’re lifelong friends, and the type that would be more than willing to meet in another country to catch up, and possibly explore.
More than discovering who I truly am, I have learned to trust and listen to the things I want. What always seemed so attractive to me back home, in university, and when I was younger, has faded and left me to rediscover the things that make me excited. I’ve jumped into new hobbies, explored new places, and pushed myself past comfort zones I have known for years. Now, more than ever before, I’m sure of what I want, who I want to be, and the kind of life I want. I want to be happy, able to travel, and I want to chart my own paths.
As a teenager, I used to dream about meeting “the one” and finding love, but these days, it’s been put on the back burner. Loving someone is so fragile and special, but I have other things I want to do before I find someone who wants to put up with my antics for the rest of our lives. I don’t want a picket fence family life with the working husband, but a travel partner, someone who is willing to take on any adventure and challenge, no matter the destination or the length of the journey. We wouldn’t need much: just each other, our dreams, and motivation to carry out those dreams of ours. That, to me, is worth so much more than the love stories I used to want as a child.
As the tides change once again and the surroundings I’ve grown comfortable around are shifting, I find comfort in knowing that, sure, things will change, but the bonds that have been created will withstand time and distances. So now, as I sit here writing this a year and change later, I can say that coming to Taiwan was the best decision I have made thus far in my young life. Here’s to many more adventures, memories, laughs, and friends to be made in my second year on this beautiful island, and to all that was forged in the last three hundred and sixty-five days.
