The Traveling Matie

Our journey began on 12/29/16, fittingly exactly two years since I proposed to Katie on Catalina Island.  After saying our bittersweet goodbyes to both sets of our parents at LAX, and frantically reducing weight in our overpacked suitcases, we were off!  The check in line would be the first, but certainly not the last time we were gawked at by large groups of people due the magnitude of our luggage.  The flight on Korean air was smooth, especially with unparalleled customer service by the flight attendants who took turns comforting a crying newborn a few rows over, as well as stimulating conversation with ex-pats including the director of an English school in Ulanbaatar, Mongolia. I found myself agreeing with Donald Trump only once on this trip, and that was upon arriving at the Seoul Airport and stepping into a land of superior technology and free high speed internet.  As you may recall, he crassly bashed American airports in comparison to those found in ma...

While walking in the streets dodging cars and scooters, it's not uncommon to hear the music of Beethoven floating through the air. At first, we thought Changhua just really loved their ice cream. We soon learned that the garbage trucks play music as they approach. In Taiwan, unless you live in an apartment building, you have to hand your trash to the garbage truck as it passes--you cannot leave it on the side of the road to be collected.  The other day, I turned the corner to walk to school to teach a few classes and the garbage truck was right there. My initial thought was, "Oh great! I'm going to be stuck behind this truck the whole way."  What a treat it was to see the many shopkeepers running behind the truck to throw on their waste. It was a sight to behold. If you come to visit, it's worth seeing this at least once. 

The baked goods, like all food in Taiwan, are delicious; however, the bakery culture differs significantly from that of Europe or North America. Instead of stopping by the bakery in the morning, people in Taiwan swing by after work in the evening to pick up freshly baked treats to consume the following day. If you come in the morning, there are very few items remaining. When we walk in, we grab a tray and tongs. All signs are in Chinese, so we take a blind guess and wait to discover what is inside of our pastry bounty. As we join the line to pay, we are so busy taking in what everyone else is purchasing, that we forget to get our money ready. The bakery line is an efficient, well-oiled machine. Think Sinfield’s Soup Nazi—only an incredibly kind, patient people working behind the counter while the foreigners hold up their line. They wait as we dig out our change and even congratulate us with a treat as we attempt to say the total in broken Mandarin. Then, the delayed gratification begi...

Belated posts from our travels in January will be popping up in the near future. :) As we find ourselves adapting to the local culture and acquiring more Mandarin, I’ve noticed that it’s hard to put the experience into words. This challenge partially stems from a desire to share the magic that is here in Changhua and in Taiwan. This difficulty is also partially attributed to our adaptation to our new environment. For what was initially salient is now, in some cases, our norm. For example, Taiwan has an open sewer system for sink and shower waste water which can lead to some rather interesting smells at times. While we were first repulsed by some of the odors, now we fondly refer to them as “kitchen burps.” The acceptance of that which we can’t change (or cover up with Kirkland Signature scented dryer sheets) has led to far greater ease and less stress. We did have a visit from a local lizard who decided to take up residence in our bathroom for a day until we gently guided him ...