My Fulbright Year in Taiwan

This is our last day in Taiwan. We spent the bulk of yesterday packing, then we went out for dinner. Today will be spent doing some last-minute laundry, closing my bank account, and hiding from the heat in the air-conditioned comfort. The van comes for us at 6:00 this evening for am 11:00 pm flight.

Stacy has been encouraging the boys to reflect on their experiences over the last year. Evan finally opened up a little at dinner last night. He said that he had to adjust to a lot of changes in his environment, and to a new way of life, and it was hard at first, but that the experience was worth it.

Ian said that if he could go back in time and give himself some advice, he would tell himself that if he wants to be happy in Taiwan, he will have to change his way of doing things; he can’t expect life in Taiwan to be the same as life in the US.

What about encouragement to past self from future self? Evan: “Stick to it, dude. You can do it.”

Stacy and I think that the boys both learned a lot and grew emotionally (as well as physically). Evan probably had more learning to do, and Ian had some growing-up to do. They both are leaving Taiwan with a much greater appreciation for this side of their heritage. More importantly, they know more about themselves now. We are so very proud of both of them. They met a huge challenge head-on, and succeeded on many, many levels.

This may be my last post from Taiwan. This has been a wonderful year, a growing experience for all of us. Whatever our next adventure is, this year in Taiwan will be a part of it, because Taiwan is an even bigger part of us now.

I’ll close with a photo of my favorite tea shop in Yilan. It sells about 100 different kinds of iced tea. Ian’s favorite is bubble passion fruit green tea. I like grapefruit juice green tea. Evan’s a traditionalist, bubble milk tea. Stacy, being Stacy, likes to get something different every time.

Thanks for reading! See you on the other side!