My Taiwan Adventure

I knew I would lose count of the days sooner or later. Maybe it is a good sign that I can no long answer "x days" when people ask how long I've been in Taiwan. It makes me sound so much like a calculating transient. I remain convinced that my count is wrong, but will continue as it is good for the blog continuity. I dream of someday printing this all off and having a record of my time in Taiwan in addition to my journal.

There were two nights this week with only 4 hours of sleep and it taxed me. My reserves were depleted and I am saddened by thoughts of the scorching and bitter acid that dripped from my every movement yesterday. Even this morning I walked in a land of sheer exhaustion and a dampened spirit. I spent this whole afternoon sleeping though and it has given me new life. I am still not healthy but I am on the road to recovering my cheerful nature. I hope the week remains an anomoly in my life.

I saw my friend Vicki safely transported to the shuttle for CKS Airport today. She will return to China with new memories of Taiwan. I was glad to have been hostess of part of her visit. We took some time out last night to go to the CKS Memorial and the night was silent enough inside to hear the hooting of an owl and chirping of crickets. It would have been magical if I were awake enough to recognize the beauty of it all. It is only a 15-20 minute walk from home and I will attempt it again when I am feeling better. I have more photos to post from our trip last weekend to the north coast and Mother's Day, but they will wait until lesson plans are done for the next/last, section of the school year.

I can barely believe that the end of the school year is a few simple weeks away. My head reels with the possibilities of what might happen after that. I remain unsettled about my future plans but am keeping my options open. There are things that have me refraining from further comment. I know that when suffering a depletion of sleep that it is not the time to make decisions that will affect my life a year from now. Safe to say - I love teaching. It is always engaging and challenging. Next weekend the school is hosting an "English Camp" which means there will be no weekend at all as I'll be teaching both days. Working all weekend isn't something I relish, but I imagine the experience will have its own benefits.

Tonight I wax poetic.
I am adrift in my own world of words. I am cozy and full with the dreamy feeling that accompanies a day of leisure and rest following a long week of illness. I wander down streets of Taipei that I have not yet explored and am charmed anew by the wet pavement that glistens under my feet as I trail behind two lovers holding hands. It is romantic. I have an appreciation for the texture of my time here. No matter what happens this will always remain in my memory as a good choice. A chance for change in a land where I am the exception to the rule.

Each night on the way home I open the door to my rooftop and I fall in love with the view all over again. The cotton clouds are alit by the city lights and I am greeted by an ever changing piece of art created by both nature and man. It fills me with a sense of romance and gratitude for the location. I love that it can lift me up when I am tired and feeling sick. I love that it is always different. Some nights the Mitsokoshi building will be dazzling in the night fog. Other times Taipei 101 is a towering masterpiece skirted by rolling thunderheads. The mountains peek in and out of the landscape enticingly. It is my private show and it is always available and always free.

I am listening to the jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie and enjoying the mellow sounds as I type. I am half waiting and hoping that someone I know will log-on because it has been a week since my last real contact with home. My mood is still ephemeral and this all seems a pleasant dream. Maybe I should sleep in the weekend afternoons more often. *smiles with the pleasure of the thought*

People here think I'm crazy with my affectionate talk of the afternoon rains. It must be because I am still infatuated with the way the heavens open and hurl the rain to earth for 10 minutes only to have sunshine immediately follow. I love the mystery of it. Although I try to find shelter when the water is bouncing off the pavement because it simply impossible to stay dry at that point. It remains intriguing as the tremors of an earthquake. I'll let you know when I tire of the phenomenon.

With thoughts of home I am once again watching the sunrise in Calgary courtesy of the CBC website. I love watching Memorial Drive traffic and seeing the sun come up between the high-rises of down-town. On days where I am really homesick I tune into the CBC traffic report and laugh as I hear there is a car stalled on Deerfoot Trail again. *laughs* There is something that never changes! I am lucky in that I do not long to have my home transported to Taiwan simply to be more comfortable. I go through phazes where I hate being the foreigner but I am in some ways treasuring this time to be apart. I treasure the opportunity more each day.

I remain, in affection.
T. Destiny
A Teachable Teacher in Tapiei Taiwan.

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