Clean Eyes

A couple of months ago, there was this ten year challenge going around on various social media, mostly Instagram and Facebook.  I remember looking through photos (and yes, I did post one just for fun) and thinking to myself that I literally look the exact same.  My hair was more or less the same length, color, and I was more or less happy to the same extent, at least upon first glance at the image.  But if you dug beneath the surface, Marie of 2009 and Marie of 2019 are very different.

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.

Culture Kids

Recently, a coworker of mine lent me the book Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom.  For those of you who don’t know, it was on the U.S. Bestseller list and it’s a highly acclaimed book, and rightfully so.  Without giving too much away, the contents of the story are pretty simple: it’s about a teacher reconnecting with his student and their very last class together: a class all about life, and how to be a good human.  And as you may guess, it only took place on Tuesdays.