May 4, 2019 What Friends Are For It’s weird to think that a little under two months ago, I was living in Taiwan still working as an English teacher. And now I am in Florida, working and mostly settled into a new pattern and a new set of routines. While so much has changed, I was recently reminded that really, when it comes down to it not that much has altered.
April 28, 2019 Reunion on Marbella Pier I was at my usual place. Sitting still on the edge of the pier, I dangled my legs into the water. My toes dipped into the cold saltwater. I opened my mouth and could taste the seawater on the brim of my lips.
March 20, 2019 Changing Tides “Louise, can you pass me the sunscreen?” Jane, my best friend, held out a tanned hand, not bothering to look over from behind her giant sunglasses. Reluctantly, I snatched the pink Coppertone bottle and gave it to her. I waited for her reply, but as predicted, there was none. “Do you think Nick is coming today?”
March 6, 2019 Taking on Taiwan: To All I Leave Behind Well, we’ve made it to the end of the blog series! As you read this, I will be home in Chicago, being greeted by my family at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to head home, begin anew, and start the next chapter of my life. But I’d also be lying if I told you that I wasn’t upset about leaving behind Taiwan, a place I call home.
February 24, 2019 Taking on Taiwan: Ch-Ch-Changes Recently, I explored some old posts of mine, just to see if I think the same way I did back then about things. It was rather interesting, reading it and remembering exactly how I felt. At the same time, however, I have to admit, I have trouble associating with who I was back then. Just remembering the things I used to see daily in university and back home compared to the things that I am used to now makes me realize how truthfully different my life has become. If you want a glimpse of it, check out this post. Contrasting them is trippy.
February 20, 2019 Taking on Taiwan: The Ups and the Downs During the first six months of my time in Taiwan, the world was shiny and new. I remember–quite vividly–walking into any store (even a 7/11) and being over the top excited about everything that I saw. The snack packs of seaweed, sushi, soy milk, Coca-Cola, tissue, toiletries, disposable underwear, literally everything I saw, because everything was new. And for a long time, that’s what life was like in Taiwan: a mix of terrifyingly brand new and exciting. There is, however, that time when your everyday life becomes the norm.
February 17, 2019 Taking on Taiwan: It’s Time to Chase By the time you read this, it is long past the new year’s resolutions and the hype fading away from us, even if we try to help it. It’s inevitable: all around the world, whenever December ends and January arrives, people set aside their bad habits, their fears, and they do their best to make new goals, plans, and resolutions. But why is it that we often fail to follow through on what we set out to do?
February 10, 2019 Taking on Taiwan: A Change of Heart Vividly, I can recall, the various mornings I’d rise early, go to my notebook, and sit by the window. After about five or so minutes of staring out to the lake daydreaming, I would put my pen to the paper and write. I couldn’t tell you how long I would write for, because I’d get lost in my fantasies. Every time I write–even now–I forget all sense of time. An hour or so later, I’d be ten pages deep into my scribbling and ranting. Someone from my family would inform me it was time for breakfast and I’d leave my imaginary world, knowing I’d return to it shortly. That, then and even now, is one of my favorite times in the day: writing time.
January 27, 2019 Taking on Taiwan: How to Pack To Move Abroad When I accepted my job to Taiwan, I was over the moon ecstatic. Living abroad was something I’d always wanted to do, ever since I could remember, and it was finally happening. There were so many things to straighten out and prepare for, but by God, the most annoying of them all was packing. Yes, that’s right. Packing.
January 23, 2019 Taking on Taiwan: Health is Wealth When I came to Taiwan, I was fresh out of working job that involved manual labor, sometimes longer than eight hours a day and six days a week. In a word, I was exhausted. I spent the two weeks I gave myself off from the job laying around, catching up on all the things I didn’t have time to do when I was under the blazing sun. And like in years past, I seemed to gain back all that I had lost during the ten weeks I worked, and then some. And then couldn’t shake it off me.
