Symptom #1: mild case insomnia
I've been having trouble sleeping. Wherever I sleep, I don't feel at easy. Even though I have my own place now, I still don't feel at home. My bed, my room, everything feels and smells foreign and strange. The only reason why I've been able to fall asleep these days is due to exhaustion. My work load has not been too bad, but the English department of the school is a mess and so I've been thrown into a situation where all I can do is just deal with it and hope for the best.
Symptom #2: disorientation of time and space
I'm not sure if this can be considered as a symptom, but I'm going to count it as one anyways. Even though I've only been in Taiwan for just a little over a month, it feels like it's been months!!! I sometimes wake up thinking, "Where am I? Why am I in Taiwan in November?"
Symptom #3: intense cravings for home food
I WANT MY AMERICAN FOOOOOOOD! I've been craving for a grilled burger, mashed potatoes with gravy, pancakes, starbucks' seasonal pumpkin spice latte, and brownies with vanilla ice cream! If I had a kitchen and a vehicle that could bring me to a grocery store, I would so buy the ingredients and make them myself. Unfortunately, I do not have that luxury. Don't get me wrong though, I've been eating some grrrreat good over here. But I still miss my American foods!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
One Month!
As of yesterday, I've been in Taiwan for one whole month! It's been awhile since I stayed in Taiwan for over two weeks. I'm beginning to miss home quite terribly.
Work has been chaotic. It's a long story and time spent on the internet is quite limited since I haven't gotten my computer fixed. Let's just say, work is...interesting. It's not the greatest job, but I'm learning quite a bit. Not about the job, but about the field, about cross-cultural work environments, about the internation market, etc.
Unfortantely, I don't have the time to share in this entry, but I will most definitely share with y'all as soon as I have the time and internet access.
Work has been chaotic. It's a long story and time spent on the internet is quite limited since I haven't gotten my computer fixed. Let's just say, work is...interesting. It's not the greatest job, but I'm learning quite a bit. Not about the job, but about the field, about cross-cultural work environments, about the internation market, etc.
Unfortantely, I don't have the time to share in this entry, but I will most definitely share with y'all as soon as I have the time and internet access.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Learning My Way Around
I find it funny how things turn out some times. I once hated English. Now, not only do I have an English degree, I'm an English teacher. Yup, I got a job today! What is also ironic is that I'm going to be teaching kids, little kids at that. Why is that ironic? Because I intentionally majored in English so that I wouldn't have to work with kids! That was not the only reason why I switched, but it was "a" reason. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE kids! I really do. I just didn't think I had the natural talent to actually work with them. I don't really know how to communicate with kids, at least not like some people I know. I'm not sure if the job is going to be long-term, but you never know. The school also has a cram school with older kids. So I might be able to work with those kids in the future.
I still don't know which "career" I want to pursue or what it is I want to do with my life exactly, but I'm beginning to think that it should not be a big concern of mine, at lest for now. Living here has changed my perspective a bit. I'm beginning to see that life does not necessarily have to be a certain way, and that alternative life styles aren't a matter of better or worse, but just different. Besides those people living the hustle and bustle of city life, most people in Taiwan live quite candidly. Actually, simple is a better word to describe the general life style here (although, there are certain things that they are much more open about). This kind of simplicity is quite different from the States. I'm not sure how to describe it. Even though the life style is simple, the culture is quite saturated, and complex. Taiwan is young in many ways, but it is packed with a rich history that clearly governs the way things are today.
As an American, there are many things happening here that I don't understand. And for the most part, people are understanding of my situation. However, I am constantly being reminded of the words that my uncle said to me upon the first day of my arrival. He said, "Now that you're living here, you have to learn about and act in the ways of our culture. You cannot use your American perspective and live here with your American ways."
It's been challenging living here, interesting at the same time. Racial discrimination, classism, gender identification, all of it takes on a different shape here. It's like I've been thrown into a social and cultural jungle, and all of the sudden, I'm suppose to know how to act and behave. People don't see me as an American here. At work, I'm suppose to be as "American" as possible so that the parents would not doubt the "authenticity" of my English skills. And when I'm outside of work, I'm suppose to be fully Taiwanese despite of the hesitant expressions on people's faces because I don't dress very Taiwanese.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I just needed to dish out some thoughts that's been preoccupying my mind these days. I have more, but it's already taken me a long time to type this entry out. So I'm done for now. Peace out!
I still don't know which "career" I want to pursue or what it is I want to do with my life exactly, but I'm beginning to think that it should not be a big concern of mine, at lest for now. Living here has changed my perspective a bit. I'm beginning to see that life does not necessarily have to be a certain way, and that alternative life styles aren't a matter of better or worse, but just different. Besides those people living the hustle and bustle of city life, most people in Taiwan live quite candidly. Actually, simple is a better word to describe the general life style here (although, there are certain things that they are much more open about). This kind of simplicity is quite different from the States. I'm not sure how to describe it. Even though the life style is simple, the culture is quite saturated, and complex. Taiwan is young in many ways, but it is packed with a rich history that clearly governs the way things are today.
As an American, there are many things happening here that I don't understand. And for the most part, people are understanding of my situation. However, I am constantly being reminded of the words that my uncle said to me upon the first day of my arrival. He said, "Now that you're living here, you have to learn about and act in the ways of our culture. You cannot use your American perspective and live here with your American ways."
It's been challenging living here, interesting at the same time. Racial discrimination, classism, gender identification, all of it takes on a different shape here. It's like I've been thrown into a social and cultural jungle, and all of the sudden, I'm suppose to know how to act and behave. People don't see me as an American here. At work, I'm suppose to be as "American" as possible so that the parents would not doubt the "authenticity" of my English skills. And when I'm outside of work, I'm suppose to be fully Taiwanese despite of the hesitant expressions on people's faces because I don't dress very Taiwanese.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I just needed to dish out some thoughts that's been preoccupying my mind these days. I have more, but it's already taken me a long time to type this entry out. So I'm done for now. Peace out!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
A Few Facts
Fact: God is faithful.
God has been revealing Himself to me here and there (not physically of course). Unfortunately, it's been tough tracing and following God's footsteps. I have no idea where God is leading me, or what He wants me to do here.
Fact: God provides.
I finally have an interview! It's tomorrow. I'm nervous, but...I don't know. I try not to think about how I'm feeling because it does me no good. If I think too much, I will begin to fear that I wouldn't get the job and will have to continue to feel the way I've been feeling, stuck and clueless as to what I'm doing here.
Fact: I need prayer.
I've been here for 13 days. 77 days till my visa expires. In the next 77 days, I need to get job, find an apartment, check-out churchs, and learn how to live in Taiwan on my own!
(I meant to post this yesterday, but I decided to post it today anyway)
God has been revealing Himself to me here and there (not physically of course). Unfortunately, it's been tough tracing and following God's footsteps. I have no idea where God is leading me, or what He wants me to do here.
Fact: God provides.
I finally have an interview! It's tomorrow. I'm nervous, but...I don't know. I try not to think about how I'm feeling because it does me no good. If I think too much, I will begin to fear that I wouldn't get the job and will have to continue to feel the way I've been feeling, stuck and clueless as to what I'm doing here.
Fact: I need prayer.
I've been here for 13 days. 77 days till my visa expires. In the next 77 days, I need to get job, find an apartment, check-out churchs, and learn how to live in Taiwan on my own!
(I meant to post this yesterday, but I decided to post it today anyway)
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