One Year
Things I learned from living in Taiwan for one year:
- Chinese is way too hard to learn. Forget the regional differences, accents, culture, idioms, etc. They write in pictures. Pictures! I can’t memorize all of that. There were brief moments of dedication when I thought I could master it. No way. I’m happy to settle for ordering a hot coffee and getting to and from places in a taxi.
- I TOTALLY belong abroad – in my perfect American bubble. Without Tex, without my American friends, I think I might really hate this. But, with Tex, with newfound friends, inside my bubble? Now, that’s living abroad. I don’t know how backpackers and explorer types do it. It’s too scary. Trying stinky tofu is one thing, but I’m no hero.
- I/We still have the same problems we had in Pennsylvania. I’m still the same person. I still bite my nails and eat too much popcorn. It’s just us, in another place.
- Apparently, I’m a dog person.
- We have too much stuff.
- A job doesn’t bring me happiness. I was sure that once I got full-time work, started contributing to the retirement, vacations, bills, etc. I would feel fulfilled. Nope. I like having a job. I frequently feel a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. However, like most other adults, I have not discovered the job that allows me to leave the house every morning feeling totally fulfilled, or feel that “I might as well not even call it a job” because “it’s not really work to me.”
- I can adapt… sometimes I just don’t want to. Change is hard. I will never be ok with someone picking their nose on the subway, but when someone puts peanut butter on your pork sandwich? You gotta laugh that off and move on.
- I truly value quiet, uncrowded places.
- We are amazingly wealthy in all senses of the word.
- I complain WAY too much. It ain’t so bad. (It is really hot here though.)
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