It’s 7:00 A.M. The sun shines through the ginormous window in my bedroom. Wiping my tired eyes, I make my way out of bed. A portion of Taiwan Boulevard’s illustrious skyscraper scene lays in the distance when I finally turn to glance out the window. It’s going to be a blistering ninety degrees. No rain. Only sunshine and sweat. Welcome to Taiwan.
Most traffic occurs at the normal rush hours: any time before nine in the morning and anytime after four in the afternoon. The streets are packed with scooters, cars, taxis, and buses. The majority of the people sit on their little two wheeled vehicles, zooming in and out of traffic. If you’ve ever seen any sort of video about traffic in Asia, I promise you it’s safer than India, but still more dangerous than America. Still, the easiest way to get around Taiwan is by scooter. Nearly everyone over the age of eighteen has one.
While my days are never the same, my mornings are routine. Wake up by seven. Gym by quarter to eight. Home by nine. Take a shower, stretch, and make myself a smoothie. Then I sit down and tend to my writing. By twelve thirty some days, I have to leave for work. Other days, I hop on my scooter and go to meet some friends for coffee, movies, or anything in between. And on Wednesdays, I don’t have anywhere to be but in front of my computer, editing or writing my latest project.
The days I do go to work are more fun than the word “work” entails. I always start out with some of my youngest students. Making the trek out to Taiping district is long, maybe thirty minutes on a scooter. In the middle of the summer, it’s inevitable to show up without taking a sweat shower en route. So pro tip: bring a change of clothes. Or just get used to always being sweaty and sticky.
When I do arrive, I’m met with twelve little first grade munchkins all wanting to play games and ask me questions that spin around in their brains until they finally escape during English class. We spend two hours learning and playing. When the time comes, I say goodbye and head to my next class. Cue sweat shower number two.
Arrival at my final branch of the day means dinner and grading. After listening to some Spotify and eating dinner, I march up the stairs to teach my second class of the day. They are even smaller little ones who only want to hug you, play games, and give you presents. We learn about animals, what we like to do, and maybe we draw some pictures. Then it’s time for class with the teenagers.
They are usually tired, but we spend the two hours working through the textbook, talking about movies, playing games, and trying to have some fun. The latest discussions we have been having is about Avengers: Infinity War. I end work with a pile of grading larger than when I arrived, but I leave for home with a smile despite being tired.
I unlock my apartment door around nine that evening, slipping into the shower to wash off the sweat and remaining fragments of the day. Sprawling out across the floor, I stretch and talk with my roommates about our days. We watch some funny YouTube videos, talk about our plans for the next day, hash out some frustrations, and then sleep begins to overtake our minds.
We feel sluggish and around eleven, my body finds its way into my bed, scrolling through my emails one last time before I shut my eyes. No matter how tiring the day was, I always go to bed with a smile. I know I won’t be in Taiwan forever, but parts of Taiwan will stay with me forever, no matter where life takes me next.
