So I have 4 more days left...WHAT?! Ok, so that's crazy. I feel like I should have longer. Don't get me wrong, I am SUPER excited to get home and see my family, my dogs (including the new one) and see my not-yet-born niece, but I'll miss people and places and things. I'll miss hearing Chinese all the time and surprising the speakers when I understand what is going on. I'll miss being surrounded by beautiful Asian people everywhere I go and the funny looks that sometimes come with them. I'll miss adorable 老闆s (store owners) in the cafeteria, especially the very attractive drink store 老闆 ;). I'll miss the amazing friends I have made here and the places I have been with them. I'll miss soo much.
In the orientation I had to go to before I came here, they talked to us about "reverse culture shock." Which is just the culture shock you get when you get back to your own country. The last couple of times this didn't happen, but I feel like it is going to happen much more this time around. I have been gone for almost 5 months so I'd like to think I'm a little different. I've learned some life lessons and learned some new things about myself. One of the biggest differences I will experience when I get back is not being around Stephanie 24/7. We aren't roommates (which is probably a very good thing), but if we aren't doing homework/sleeping we are probably together. We are so alike it's crazy (except for the fact that she is studious-I'm lazy and other little things that happened because she is Asian), most of the time we don't have to say much of anything and we know what each other is thinking. She is one of the first people that I have let my guard and filter completely down for. So, when I go home and I say random crazy things that don't seem to be something I would normally say, you can thank her for that :) She helped me realize how much fun it is to be me without filters. I still have moments when I don't talk much, and the first time I meet people, I still don't speak much, but I have a feeling that won't change. The only thing that will really change is how much I keep myself from saying when things pop into my head.
Another huge thing I'm going to miss is the amazing public transportation!! You can just hop on the MRT and get pretty much anywhere in Taipei. Or the train goes to the main cities throughout Taiwan. Getting around without a car isn't too bad. I'll miss it. I'll also miss the people who have given me rides so I don't have to use public transportation. Like this kid named Chris who is super nice and is wonderfully sarcastic. He has helped us out sooo much. He took us to the airport when we went to Hong Kong and he is taking us to the airport at 6:30 am when we go home. He really is tons of fun.
Despite all the things I'll miss, I definitely think it's time to go back home. Although, when I get home I need to find a job, and I have no clue what that will be, but it will work itself out. Then, a year later, I'll come back here to study some more, probably for only about 3 years. Those are the tentative plans, we'll see what God actually has in store for me.
If I don't write again...see you all soon!!!
PS...No, I didn't find myself a beautiful Asian man (or not so beautiful) and fall in love. Sorry for the disappointment or the lose of any bets :)
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Why is it always so awkward?...but I love it!
I realized as I was looking back through my posts, it was all telling you about what I do. Which if I don't now I will probably forget by the time I see you. But actually the things that I have enjoyed the most, I don't think I have actually written it down. They aren't adventures, they are the awkward situations I some how find myself in and the many life lessons I have stumbled upon.
First, I'll tell you about the awkwardness that surrounds my life in Asia...
I think it was the day of the Cheerleading competition, Stephanie and I were taking the bus back from the stadium and we saw this kid with crazy hair and an awesome watch. Well, Stephanie thought he was attractive, but we didn't see him again for awhile. Needless to say, it was a little disappoint, but one day I was having lunch with my Buddy at a little restaurant on campus that hides beside the gym and guess who was working?...None other than bus boy. From that point on we saw him EVERYWHERE. Really, it was crazy. This wouldn't have been so awkward, if 1) I didn't feel the need to acknowledge his presence since we interacted a little and 2)Stephanie didn't freak out a little every time she saw him. So, combine those two and you get me laughing every time I see this guy and because I want to be polite I acknowledge his presence, but with laughter. I'm pretty sure Stephanie avoided eye contact, and he may not have even remembered me, but that is what happened every time I saw him. Then eventually Stephanie got over it, but he still made me laugh...especially the one time Stephanie and I were walking up the bleachers and I said "I think my butt is numb" (we had been sitting for a while) and he and his friends walked around the corner, and by the way he speaks English. I asked him when he was taking my order that one day. Ohh the awkwardness which made laugh...a lot. Poor guy probably thinks some random white chick has a crush on him. But he did bring amusement to our lives :) Anyway, I haven't seen him for a while, but hopefully one last awkward moment before we leave.
Most of my other awkward moments can be put into one little category, the "Whoa...she's white!" category. They come from the looks I get as I am walking around. I don't always catch them, in fact mostly I don't notice them anymore. Stephanie, however likes to tell me all about them, especially the super good ones. They definitely are good for my ego, I don't know what I'm going to do when I go back and blend in and don't get the "What was that?" look. In fact some of them are super cute, like little kids (once a mother actually told her daughter not to stare - very nice of her) and old people (they look so perplexed hehe). But there are some...well lets just say I could do without them. Like the other day a group of 30-40ish year old guys walked by and they all looked at me, without even trying to hide it, definitely a little creepy. Looks that people try to hide are definitely more polite and far less creepy.
Other awkward moments have happened, but those usually lead to life lessons. That is for another day...
Love you all!! Promise I'm still praying for you all even if I haven't communicated in 2 months!
First, I'll tell you about the awkwardness that surrounds my life in Asia...
I think it was the day of the Cheerleading competition, Stephanie and I were taking the bus back from the stadium and we saw this kid with crazy hair and an awesome watch. Well, Stephanie thought he was attractive, but we didn't see him again for awhile. Needless to say, it was a little disappoint, but one day I was having lunch with my Buddy at a little restaurant on campus that hides beside the gym and guess who was working?...None other than bus boy. From that point on we saw him EVERYWHERE. Really, it was crazy. This wouldn't have been so awkward, if 1) I didn't feel the need to acknowledge his presence since we interacted a little and 2)Stephanie didn't freak out a little every time she saw him. So, combine those two and you get me laughing every time I see this guy and because I want to be polite I acknowledge his presence, but with laughter. I'm pretty sure Stephanie avoided eye contact, and he may not have even remembered me, but that is what happened every time I saw him. Then eventually Stephanie got over it, but he still made me laugh...especially the one time Stephanie and I were walking up the bleachers and I said "I think my butt is numb" (we had been sitting for a while) and he and his friends walked around the corner, and by the way he speaks English. I asked him when he was taking my order that one day. Ohh the awkwardness which made laugh...a lot. Poor guy probably thinks some random white chick has a crush on him. But he did bring amusement to our lives :) Anyway, I haven't seen him for a while, but hopefully one last awkward moment before we leave.
Most of my other awkward moments can be put into one little category, the "Whoa...she's white!" category. They come from the looks I get as I am walking around. I don't always catch them, in fact mostly I don't notice them anymore. Stephanie, however likes to tell me all about them, especially the super good ones. They definitely are good for my ego, I don't know what I'm going to do when I go back and blend in and don't get the "What was that?" look. In fact some of them are super cute, like little kids (once a mother actually told her daughter not to stare - very nice of her) and old people (they look so perplexed hehe). But there are some...well lets just say I could do without them. Like the other day a group of 30-40ish year old guys walked by and they all looked at me, without even trying to hide it, definitely a little creepy. Looks that people try to hide are definitely more polite and far less creepy.
Other awkward moments have happened, but those usually lead to life lessons. That is for another day...
Love you all!! Promise I'm still praying for you all even if I haven't communicated in 2 months!
I disappeared...but I'm back!
SORRY!! I haven't written in...2 months? I promise, you haven't missed much. Most of that time was spent working on my Senior Thesis. I had to write 10 pages in English, 10 pages in Chinese, make a 15 minute presentation, write a song, and sing three songs (including the song I wrote)...which I am sure most everyone has seen this performance, thank you mother! (I say that with only a hint of sarcasm) So for a while that was pretty much all I did. The last time I think I talked about being frustrated with the ever changing Chinese class...I honestly don't really remember, but if it was, everything turned out good! I loved my Chinese class! There were 3 people from Africa, 2 Vietnamese kids, 1 German, 1 British guy (when he decided he wanted to show up), and then me and Stephanie. Everyone was really funny and tons of fun. We went out to celebrate Stephanie's birthday and it ended in a cake cream fight...poor Stephanie got it all up in her hair. Haha. Our teacher is also wonderful. She is a really good teacher, but she has a habit of saying "do you understand" repeatedly, except it is in Chinese obviously. And this is at 8:30/9:00 in the morning and we all know how much of a morning person I am...I stayed pleasant most of the time though...Momma would be so proud :) I'm talking about this in past tense because it already ended which is sad, but now I can sleep in. Yay for sleep!!
Anyway, after i finished my senior thesis, I still couldn't really go on adventures because Stephanie still had a lot of MCAT stuff to get done and I didn't want to leave her all alone so I discovered a website that had tons of movies on it...that was a bad idea. All my motivation to get things done for my classes just kind of disappeared and I watched a lot of movies. It took a good week and a half to find it again. Actually, it took a trip to Taipei, I think we went to the zoo, to get me going again. I think I was just a little tired of sitting in Taoyuan and not doing much of anything.
So the first outing we had after we liberated ourselves from Taoyuan was going to Taipei to see our Chinese professor from the US and the Chinese students she brought from WVU, plus two of our classmates from WVU who just moved here to work for a year. Sadly, Lin laoshi couldn't go because she had work she had to do, but that's ok we got to see her soon after. It was fun, although it rained some. Then the next weekend (which was last weekend) we went back to Taipei, but this time with a classmate who is from Taipei, and we met a new American friend. He is super sarcastic and his sense of humor is more or less like mine...it was weird. After we met up with some other classmates we all rode this Massive Beautiful Ferris Wheel. Pretty much we just walked around and talked and had fun together, but it rained a lot (it is Taiwan after-all).
Love you all!!
PS...The next post will be far more interesting, because it will contain awkward moments :) I will continue after I eat food...
Anyway, after i finished my senior thesis, I still couldn't really go on adventures because Stephanie still had a lot of MCAT stuff to get done and I didn't want to leave her all alone so I discovered a website that had tons of movies on it...that was a bad idea. All my motivation to get things done for my classes just kind of disappeared and I watched a lot of movies. It took a good week and a half to find it again. Actually, it took a trip to Taipei, I think we went to the zoo, to get me going again. I think I was just a little tired of sitting in Taoyuan and not doing much of anything.
So the first outing we had after we liberated ourselves from Taoyuan was going to Taipei to see our Chinese professor from the US and the Chinese students she brought from WVU, plus two of our classmates from WVU who just moved here to work for a year. Sadly, Lin laoshi couldn't go because she had work she had to do, but that's ok we got to see her soon after. It was fun, although it rained some. Then the next weekend (which was last weekend) we went back to Taipei, but this time with a classmate who is from Taipei, and we met a new American friend. He is super sarcastic and his sense of humor is more or less like mine...it was weird. After we met up with some other classmates we all rode this Massive Beautiful Ferris Wheel. Pretty much we just walked around and talked and had fun together, but it rained a lot (it is Taiwan after-all).
Love you all!!
PS...The next post will be far more interesting, because it will contain awkward moments :) I will continue after I eat food...
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