Arriving in Taiwan

Day 1

After 26 hours in the air and a 5 hour layover in Singapore, I was ready to land in Taiwan at 5:30 pm Monday evening. I had gotten a bit sick from turbulence and just overall motion sickness, but the warm welcome I received as I exited the gate was just wonderful and overwhelming. I spotted Jack, PP Fortune, and Uncle Camera (who I'd known from my bike camp two years ago) all there to welcome me along with my first host family, my counselor Shirley, the president of my club Uncle Jason, my third host father Sunny, and a couple of more people. I could not have received a warmer welcome. :D

Straight from the airport, Uncle Camera drove Jack (past exchange student to Texas who I had met 2 years ago), Julie (host sister), and I to his house to pick up his wife so that we could go to a welcome party and goodbye party. The welcome party was for my arrival in Taiwan, and the goodbye party for Julie, who is going to France as a Rotary Youth Exchange student. It was a wonderful dinner. My stomach could only handle a little bit of food, but it was very delicious. I met my 2nd host family and returned to their house for the night. Because of a death in the first host family, they need a couple of weeks to prepare for the funeral so I will move again in two weeks to my first host family.

However, my second host family is very nice and consists of a mom, a dad, and a little sister or "mei mei" named Claire. She is very chatty and talks to me as if I understood Mandarin. I appreciate it though. She's not letting me have it easy so I've been forced to really listen and try to discern the sounds that come out of her mouth........... so far nothing makes sense at all. I do know that she's asking a lot of questions and I'm just not getting it.

Anyway, the first night was a wonderful start to what I know to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. :D

The Road Less Traveled

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."

I really like this quote. It's from a poem written by Robert Frost titled The Road Not Taken. It really hits close to home about my decision for the Rotary Youth Exchange. After graduating high school, most people will start working or head off to college. But not me. I chose the path less traveled, halfway across the world. :D

Flying with No Expectations

I think it's important to note that as an exchange student, one should go in with no expectations. You can't expect people to act a certain way or the food to taste a certain way. You can't expect you'll get any special treatment or that you will participate in certain activities. You need to realize that you are in a foreign country and YOU are the one who have to assimilate into your country's customs. The more open-minded you are about your schedule and time, the more freedom you have to let the wind blow wherever it may take you. By simply having no expectations, you can't be disappointed about what may or may not happen. I mean, you might have to initiate conversations and be the first one to talk to people, but that's one of the reasons you are a Rotary Youth Exchange student. You are the one who wants to learn about other cultures, not the other way around. It's going to be hard, but the lower expectations you have, the less you can be disappointed.

Farewell for now...

Odd isn't it? You really don't miss anything until it's gone and out of your possession. Today, my brain connected the dots that today was the first of many lasts before I leave for Taiwan. Today was my last Sunday, my last day at Champions Forest Baptist Church, my last day talking with my 3rd graders in Sunday school, my last chicken katsu meal, and the first of many lasts. I didn't realize how hard it was to say goodbye. But you know, I'm more excited about what's to come. But when you have 6 days of thinking and preparing to leave the country, it's easy to forget the big picture. And the big picture is... I will be living in Taiwan as an ambassador for the U.S., building bridges and forming relationships with people in Taiwan to better make peace between our countries and with other exchange students. I will be completely immersed in the Taiwan culture, learning its jargon and studying their customs. No book could ever prepare me for this new life in Taiwan. So while I may be saying goodbye to many things, it's all just a simple farewell. And hello Taiwan, where many a firsts are about to begin. :D