My stay in Taiwan has quickly come to an end. Tomorrow I leave and will travel around Australia and Fiji for 3 months before it is time to go back home again.
It has definately been an adventure to work almost 5 months in a country which is so fundamentally different from where I live. The Taiwanese, I have found, are very friendly and helpful when they can. The language makes it difficult many times. I have not had much time to learn and often people start talking to me although they must realize I do not understand. They can talk for a long time usually it all ends with laughter but sometimes they seem somewhat irritated. Normally they give up and walk away, like the police officer who pulled me over for speeding on the freeway…
It does feel nice to leave but there are some things I will miss also, especially the food. I know it is a bit contradictive but I will miss the things that are also the biggest difference from home and the things that makes it hard to be here in the long run. I am still fascinated by the infrastructure, the houses, the traffic and the total adoration for small cute things (Hello Kitty). Like how many seem to move their livingrooms partly out onto the street, the fantastic Taiwanese left turns (you sneak over just before it turns green or simply ignore cars driving straight ahead) and the shops which sell loads of unnecessary stuff with cartoons on them. Maybe it is not so surprising, the things I recognize from home I have probably not noticed very much.
What I will not miss is the lack of fresh air and calm and relaxing outdoor areas. The mountains in Taiwan are beautiful but far away from Tainan.
Well, it is time for new adventures…