Just another not-so-small update on my personal life.
A lot of things have happened over the past year, and somehow I find myself leaving my home of over a decade in sunny California and liberal SF Bay Area, and ending up in the far east—the lovely Taiwan, my birthplace, so rich and full of culture and its own delights.
I am still getting used to a lot of things here. The culture shock (or would it be reverse culture shock?) is less harsh after my three month stay earlier this year, but all the more real as none of my past trips to Taiwan were meant to be extended stays—as in for the next ten years, at least. [1]
It’s quite odd, really, how quickly life’s pace changes. Back in California, I would go to bed at four in the morning, wake up at noon, and relax through the days and nights with my laptop, books, friends, and very little responsibilities. On the other hand, since I arrived in Taiwan two days ago, I have spent most of my waking moments doing something:
Clearing out my new place. Delivering delayed documents to the school I’m attending in a few weeks. Emailing various people on things. Getting paper works about property deeds and such in order. Jogging around the area. [2] And even scoring a few tutor jobs already for some easy pocket cash. [3]
Maybe it’s a different mindset that comes with moving to a new place, and, in some sense, starting fresh. I feel like I have all these things I want to try—all this motivation to explore and enrich myself.
Or at least that’s what I’d like to tell myself.
But I think this drive probably stems from something a little more… lonely. I don’t have any friends here. I don’t have anyone with whom I can just casually hang out. It’s a weird feeling to be in such a densely populated metro, yet be a stranger to all around you. So there is really nothing to do but to get things done.
That probably came off very whiny, but it’s not supposed to be. I am loving this pace, being an early bird and all. At the very least, it’s a refreshing, welcomed change. I wonder how long I can keep this productivity up, especially once school starts. [4]
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- Family issues took all my time and attention during my last stay. If you’re curious, I think the archives reveal some vague stuff…
- Marked by dehydration and cramps, the runs have not been so smooth these past two days. The heat is unbearable. The scenery along the route, however, is gorgeous. I jog along a river bank and end with a sprint up to a temple on top of a hill.
- My first session was actually this morning. I tutor English-speaking students attending the Taiwanese branch of American schools on biology in English. Yes, very confusing and very niche.
- I am confident that I can still post at least once a week, even as busy as I will soon be… Or I hope I can.
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