My journey to Asia began in late 2009. What I’d read about Taiwan hadn’t prepared me for the sights and sounds which were about to assault my senses. I started out in Taipei county before I moved on and spent a year in the ‘Silicon Valley of Taiwan.’
During this time I learned that sidewalks were parking lots for scooters and cars, red-lights meant hit the gas, hand-sized spiders were allowed to roam many a Taiwanese home for cockroach control, stinky tofu was relished as much as deep-dish pizza in Chicago, the MRT on a weekend just might lead to suffocation, a full-grown pig (and sheepdogs, un-helmeted children, familes of five) riding a scooter was perfectly normal, stray dogs were about as friendly as rabid wolves (but smart enough they looked both ways before crossing the street) among many, many other strange and shocking realities.
On the flip-side I’ve experienced how amazing the Taiwanese people can be. They’ve tolerated my disgraceful two-year old level mastery of Mandarin, going out of their way to make me feel welcome despite the language barrier.
From the haphazardous streets of the Taipei suburbs, to the inspiring Cingshui Cliffs in Eastern Taiwan, I’ve learned that the country is a dizzying, beautiful blend of old and new worlds working together to retain a sense of national identity.
My current location is famous for nearby Sun Moon Lake. It’s an oasis away from the chaos of the bigger cities. I feel blessed to live here and hope through this blog your eyes are opened to the small but mighty country (and all the worlds within it) of Taiwan!