Asia

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Thanksgiving in Taiwan

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Happy Belated Thanksgiving Everyone!

When I was considering vacationing in Taiwan over the holidays, I worried a little that I’d be missing out on everything back home. But, life is what you make of it right?

I began Thanksgiving Day with no plans; but, since the weather was great, I decided to go hiking at Yangmingshan National Park – about an hour or so out of Taipei by public transport. After reaching the base of the mountain, I panicked a little while trying to figure out my bearings. Luckily, I met three other Americans who were also on their way to the top.

All three were teaching English in Taipei, and one of them actually also randomly joined the pair that same day as they were on the same bus. I ended up joining their little group and we began our trek. We found out that the National Park has a shuttle service that takes visitors to the base of various mountains. We caught one of them for Qixingshan – the tallest peak in Taipei. The trail was about 1.6km of straight vertical the whole way. On our way up, we passed these sulfur pits that smelled nasty like rotten eggs. It was as if the Earth was farting.

Throughout the hike the wind would just not stop. I felt so alive, trying to hike up that mountain with the wind howling. It took probably an hour or so until we finally made it. The view was absolutely stunning! Looking west, I could see Taipei; to the east, I could see Keelung and the Pacific Ocean.

Being atop of the peak felt great. After some time taking it all in, we decided to have an impromptu thanksgiving “lunch” atop the peak eating our snacks that we brought along. I had this triangle-shaped rice+chicken aka musubi for my snack. Afterwards we returned to Taipei, parting our ways.

The Thanksgiving Day festivities continued back at the hostel. The staff bought 2kg of sweet potato fries and duck. There were probably more than 15 of us that night at Eight Elephants just chilling and hanging out. Great times. Afterwards, the fun continued at the Roxy Rocker, a nearby bar that a lot of expats visit.

Despite these memorable experiences, I do wish I were still back in The States celebrating the holidays with familiar faces! It’s just not the same; no turkey, no pie. There’s something uniquely American about the holiday season, specifically Thanksgiving, that just feels weird celebrating it in another country. Until next year!

 

Touchdown Taiwan

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I did it! I can’t believe I’m actually here! After deplaning, I picked up my luggage, exchanged my money, and headed out to catch the bus to the city. During the hourlong bus ride, I made several first impressions about my new home:

  • It’s hot and humid! I knew that I’d be in the tropics, but didn’t realize it was going to be THIS humid.
  • This place reminds me of the East Side of the Big Island. Everything is green. Probably due to the rain, a lot of the buildings look run down.

After getting to Taipei Main Station, I made my way through the maze of this massive building for my metro. Although carrying my luggage with me was an inconvenience, I managed to find the train, bought my EasyCard, and hopped on. Three stops later I arrived at Guting station, found my hostel, and checked-in.

I’m staying at Eight Elephants Hostel for a week. I’m in a single, but besides the room itself, everything else is shared. This place has a real homey vibe to it! I’ve already met a bunch of people: some on holiday, some students like myself. My only plan for this week is to find housing, and perhaps a job teaching English. Besides that, I’m really just going to play it by ear and go with the flow – I love this feeling.

 

Taking the Plunge

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I finally took the plunge. The decision was without a doubt one of the riskiest decisions I’ve ever made in my life. The feeling still hasn’t completely settled in; it’s still surreal. I’ve learned that the hardest part of following your heart and your true interests is really the commitment to follow through. Sure, I saved up for nearly two years to make pursuing my interests possible, but having a financial safety net means nothing if you don’t actually execute on what you’ve been hoping to do.

It’s so easy to just give up, and postpone following your heart for another day.

I knew that given my current circumstances, now was the right time to do something that I might never be able to do when I’m older. Ironically enough, earlier this week I was given an open offer to work in our Singapore office following the end of my program. I’d like to believe that this goes to show that life is really about taking risks and following your heart. It might be scary when facing the unknown, but somehow the universe has a tendency of providing us with what we need at the right time. I cannot express how grateful, lucky, and appreciative I am for how everything has worked out.

But anyway, I still can’t believe that within several weeks, I’ll be going to a foreign country knowing nobody, looking for housing, enrolling in a language program, finding a part-time job, and most importantly, meeting new people from around the world! The thought of all of this kind of scares me. Actually, it scares me a lot; however, I’m sure that without a doubt, my time there will be an experience filled with memories that’ll last a lifetime!