January 20, 2019 Taking on Taiwan: The Unexpected Bonuses For those of you who keep up regularly with my blog, you’re probably familiar with my fun experience in the ER a little while back. I’ve never been a fan of the doctor–as I am sure not many people are–but honestly, visiting the doctor in Taiwan is one of the many bonuses to living here. As an expat, I definitely have a different experience than the locals when it comes to daily life, but there are bonuses to living in Taiwan, and perhaps living in Asia in general. So let’s break down just a few of the pros to moving to this island:
December 26, 2018 In the Spirit of Giving Christmas time is one of my favorite times of year, right after Thanksgiving which is equally as thrilling for me. Both holidays embody what I love most: family and friends. It’s all about giving and spending time with those you love, no matter how far and wide your circle of comrades spreads. And while the idea of spending Christmas in Chicago next year is exciting, I couldn’t help but get a little nostalgic thinking that this was my third and final Christmas spent on the island of Taiwan.
September 26, 2018 Autumn Update! The end of September has arrived and boy, there have been plenty of recent developments worth mentioning to you all. First and foremost, another long month of teaching has ended. I started a new semester and my little kindergartners, bless their hearts, are so cute. It was Moon Festival here in Taiwan and we had a nice work barbecue, as well as a little three day weekend to relax and take time off from classes.
September 23, 2018 Make the World Your Runway It was a couple of weeks ago. A Monday, just an ordinary Monday. There I was, sick and on some strong cold medication, strutting down YiZhong street with my sunglasses on and my hair pulled back into a sleek braid. Half of me was convinced I was going to fall flat on my face in front of a bunch of high school students outside of Family Mart, because my entire body was shaking from the medication. The other half of me felt like I was on the runway at fashion week or something equally as ridiculous. Thank you, Panadol, for that rush of unwarranted confidence.
September 19, 2018 Where (And How) to Learn Languages Abroad About a year ago, I began seeing a tutor to learn a fair bit of Mandarin. The whole situation lasted about five months, before things were cut off and we both went separate ways. In that time, I made it through two and a half textbooks. So I like to tell people I learned what I like to call “survival Chinese”. I can order food, drinks, read numbers and basic signs, and ask for help for specific things. I recognize about 40% of what is said, and from what I do know how to say, I say it correctly. Only 50% of the time. Like I said, survival Chinese. I’m proud of it, even if I didn’t get as far as I originally intended to at the beginning of it all.
September 16, 2018 Crazy Girls Racing In the Rain A few weekends ago, the city of Taichung was informed that we would be having no work or classes. That meant for the first time in my entire time here, I had a three day weekend that wasn’t a scheduled holiday. Businesses and malls would be open, but I would not have anywhere or anyone to see. No classes to teach. Nothing. And ironically, it also happened to be the same week I finished my latest manuscript and had given myself a proper break from writing my books. I decided there was only one thing to do: reevaluate.
September 12, 2018 That Time We Stood On A Fortress About a year and a half ago, one of my best friends and I traveled by train down to Kaohsiung. We were going away for the weekend to the hottest city in Taiwan. It was, admittedly, the first time I had ever booked a hotel in my life without my mom or dad assisting. Aside from the moment I stepped away from my family at the airport two years ago, I like to think of that weekend in Kaohsiung as one of the first times I really felt like a responsible adult.
September 8, 2018 Why I Went Vegan (Again) Way back when at the age of twenty-one, I was seeing a girl who was deep into veganism. It was, honestly, the first time I had seen or heard anything about it. And I was intrigued by the idea. At the time, I was a little oblivious and ignorant to my own needs. I thought I was healthy and continually found myself in a pattern. I’d lose weight, get real close to where I wanted to be, and then I’d falter back, ending up right back where I started. I was unhappy, not healthy, and I needed a change.
September 1, 2018 The Waiting Game Is it just me, or does anyone else often go through those periods of life where we crave the company of another person? No,…
August 28, 2018 The KonMari Method: A Short Review About two years ago when I was doing one of my usual Amazon searches through their self help book department, I came across The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: The Japanese Art by Marie Kondo. Honestly, I couldn’t tell you what twenty-two year old me thought when I put that book on my wish list.
