The People You Leave Behind

*Sunset photo courtesy of peasap, Flickr Creative Commons

When you step off into the great unknown and leave life as you know it behind, some funny things happen. For awhile, your new life is fresh and exciting. But eventually, everything—every moment that has led up to the present point in time, catches up with you. You never outrun yourself. You’ll have to face your monsters again, possibly while alone on a deserted island, or stranded in a foreign hospital bed. You are also never too far removed from the people you left in your “old life.”  Carrying them with you into this new world, you begin to view them in a different light. Maybe you think about things you could have done better in certain relationships. At other times, you realize how much some people held you back, or how others were full of inspiration. Your loved ones become dearer in your mind while you sit in a crowded night market thousands of miles away, wondering what they’re doing as you try to understand the foreign language of a thousand strange voices interrupting your reverie.

Then the adjustments come. Your loved ones mean more to you than ever before, but new people make their debuts on the pages of your life story. Individuals with pasts so different from your own suddenly appear from far-flung corners of the earth, like colorful characters from an adventure book you read as a child. These people teach you things about the world and about yourself.  Sometimes, a little bit of ethnocentrism seeps in as you struggle to understand new viewpoints and cultures. Other moments you feel ashamed for taking so much for granted…embarrassed for having lived in a bubble for so long.  Together, you and your new friends break the chains of stereotypes that bind so many in ignorance. Your world expands. So does your heart.

When it’s time to move again, ever marching towards the next chapter, some funny things begin to happen. Carrying all you’ve experienced, you see the world in a different light. You find yourself sitting behind a computer, trapped in a cubicle, wondering what your friends across the globe are doing as you’re trying to live and understand the American Dream. Which suddenly seems like a foreign language.  And you remember with fondness the people you left behind.

This post is dedicated to:

Miky—from New Delhi, one of the most gentlemanly men in the world. Thanks for being a great friend.

My students—for showing me I had the strength to succeed and for believing in me like I believed in them.

Joe—for showing me kindness and reminding me of the importance of family.

Rachel—my first local friend in Taiwan. Thanks for leading me around those first few months and putting up with my awful attempts at Chinese.

Those Taiwanese girls at the hospital—for taking the time to stop by and attempting to chat with the plague-ridden, Chinese-challenged foreigner.

Stephen and Rachel—for giving me my “American” fix when needed and helping me through some embarrassing moments.

The lovely people I met in the Philippines—for teaching me much about myself and all the things I take for granted.

There are many more, and you are not forgotten.

If you’re ever visiting Palawan, Philippines, most likely your tiny airplane will touch down in Puerto Princessa upon arrival from Manila.  Never having been on a motorized tricycle before, my first few moments in Puerto Princessa were exciting and a little crazy. The tricycle driver took off  from the airport parking lot like a madman on the shaky vehicle, weaving around and dodging random obstructions (chickens, roosters) in his path. Luckily I’d spent enough time in Asia that I’d grown accustomed to road rules that would seem insane to those back home.   Make sure you’re not too jet-lagged upon arrival or you may feel like you’ve stepped into an alternate universe.

I loved the time I spent in Puerto Princessa.  One of the more interesting tourist spots in the city is The Crocodile Farm—otherwise known as The Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center.  Climbing onto a tricycle and taking in the sights and sounds of Puerto Princessa during the 40 minute jarring and wild drive to the farm was one of the highlights of the trip.

During my visit  I participated in a guided tour. In the museum at the beginning of the tour,  the group learned about the largest man-eating crocodile caught in the Philippines.  A glass box displayed the 5 meter skeleton and the massive hide of the creature hung above the box on a wall.  Our group listened as the guide told us the tale of the half-eaten unlucky soul found hidden in the crocodile’s stomach.  Not exactly the kind of news you want to hear before walking above a pit of huge hungry crocodiles. Which we did moments later.  As we stood on a rickety wooden bridge mounted precariously over the crocodile holes, I gazed down at the ancient-looking monstrous beasts and shuddered at the thought of what would happen if someone accidentally fell over the thin railing.

After a Q& A  session on the crocodiles, our guide led us to the stinky crocodile hatchery. Hundreds of baby crocodiles small, medium, and large huddled together in giant holding containers.  I will admit I felt a little sorry for the small beasts but apparently Palawan’s swamps and rivers are overflowing with crocs.

Another highlight of my visit—holding a  squirmy young crocodile.   I almost dropped it a few times but I enjoyed the experience.

If you’re ever in Puerto Princessa, it’s worth making the bumpy journey to The Crocodile Farm to learn more about the creatures that thrive in the rivers and swamps of beautiful Palawan.

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I do not want to deter anyone from visiting Taiwan.  I love the country and encourage people to discover for themselves how beautiful Taiwan really is.  However, I feel it’s time to reveal one of the darker aspects of Taiwan.  The truth is, even in the larger cities like Hsinchu it’s not criminals, street dogs, or even wild, hazardous motorists you should fear.  There’s a creepy monster hiding around apartment buildings, poking around windows, and even popping up in bathrooms at unsuspecting moments.

Are you ready to find out what beast is lurking out there, waiting for its chance to hear you scream and/or give you a heart attack?

Introducing: The “Laya” or Huntsman Spider

The photo above was taken after I used the squat toilet, reached up to flush, and discovered the creature next to my hand.  My fingers almost brushed up against its legs.  I ran out of the squat toilet, screamed, and ran back to capture the evidence on camera.

This had not been my first encounter with the spiders though. My very first experience had been several months earlier when I moved to the bustling city of Hsinchu on the west coast of Taiwan.  Though large bugs exist throughout the country, I didn’t think they’d prefer the crowded, sweaty streets of Hsinchu to the nice mountainous forested areas on the outskirts of the city.  My third night in my apartment (4th floor) I was sitting in my bed and saw something like a rat scamper across the kitchen floor.  Then it dawned on me.  The thing before my eyes did not resemble a rodent at all but instead an arachnid of  freakishly mutant size.  In complete shock, I stared at the intruder as its gleaming eye looked directly into mine.

It then flattened its body and ran under my refrigerator as if sensing my disdain.  I bolted out of bed, sprayed half a can of raid under the fridge, ran back into my room, slammed the door, and stuffed towels under the crack the entire night.  The next morning as I peered into the kitchen, I noticed the fiend lurking on a wall—still alive.  I used the remainder of the raid, trying to keep my distance.  The spider fell off the wall and hopped towards me with spunk.  Looking around wildly, I spotted a racket and gathering up my courage, I attempted to end the creature’s life.  I had to hit the giant spider multiple times before it gave up the ghost.

From that point on, I became known as a “spider magnet.”  While most locals in Taiwan have only seen a few of these things in their lifetimes, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing about 7 not counting the other large spiders that invaded my personal space at horrible moments. Like when I was in the middle of an acupuncture session.

In Taiwan, some locals keep the spiders as welcome guests.  The spiders are like cats in a sense because they control cockroach populations.  They also eat small birds, are non-venomous, and will “cling” and bite if provoked.

The odds are, you most likely will not see one of these spiders if you visit Taiwan.  But ye be warned…

Here is a funny video of a guy in Australia trying to capture a Huntsman spider.

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