Reverse Culture Shock Problems

Well, it has been an amazing week and a few days in the USA!  And writing this email while I look off of the rooftop terrace at the Chrysler Building really isn't hurting things.   Unfortunately, that is not the view of my new apartment- but it is where I'm staying for the week.  However, my new Park Slope home does have views of the freedom tower…and pictures to come when I move in August 10th!

Soaking up the sun in Cary, NC (and doing my pre-reading)

My current rooftop view!

For now, let me reflect on this very strange fact:

I DON'T LIVE IN TAIWAN ANYMORE.  

I'm still struggling with this.  I'm also still recovering from my 20 hour flight home.  Not so fun. In case you're wondering, this is what I do on a 20 hour flight:

- Read 3 books

- Watch 4 movies (and I watched Divergent twice)

- Drink bottomless volumes of wine in an attempt to fall asleep

- NEVER SLEEP

So my jet lag is probably not helping my adjustment to the States.  Nonetheless, for those of you pondering your upcoming move abroad (be it from Taiwan, the USA, or anywhere else), I've compiled a helpful list of things that I have struggled with since returning to the States:

- Flight attendants look at you strangely when you ask for hot water

- Everyone around you speaks English! (or Spanish.  But definitely a language you speak.) 

- ...a conversation being in English does not mean it's directed at you. 

- You do not have to look for scooters when you get off the bus

- You don't put toilet paper in the trash can

- Everyone uses Air Conditioning ALL THE TIME

- The storms are called hurricanes, not typhoons

- There are lots of attractive men...

-... but you are no longer attractive based on your citizenship/ different coloured hair

- You may not be the biggest size carried in every store

- You don't need to help your friends put straws in their drinks (this may be preschool-teacher specific)

- Other Americans don't say hi to you on the street just because you're both American

- Fruit is super expensive

- ...But wine is much cheaper

- Your hairdresser doesn't ask if they can instagram you

- All your cough and cold symptoms magically clear up in clean air

- When you spend an hour realizing that you have no water in your house...before you realize you can drink the tap water

- You can't remember a word in English...but you definitely know it in Mandarin!

- You recognize a lot more UN flags

- You get weird looks when you take pictures of your food

- No more mango banana frappucinos at Starbucks

- You find yourself empathizing with tourists struggling to communicate (I've been there)

- You wonder why no one is out at 12pm before you realize that no one has a long lunch break or naptime

- You keep trying to explain things to people that just don't seem logical once you're out of the country (no...I don't know why Taiwan has an independence day if it's part of China...)

- You have to use conditioner again because you aren't living in 100% humidity

- You no longer have struggles directing cab drivers, but they no longer try to talk to you

- Everyone can guess your age again

- No one is planning to go out of the country anytime soon. 

- Take out is no longer $3.

- You forget you don't need to write down everything you need before you go anywhere- you have a smartphone

- You forget that having a smartphone costs $$$$. 

- You forget that your phone even works and attempt to communicate via Facebook message instead.

- You are so excited to see everyone at home!!!

- ...and yet find yourself missing people (even people you thought you wouldn't, like my 5th graders) more than you thought possible!

That's all I got for now!  Let me know if you've got some that you've experienced any similar or different things when you've travelled/ lived abroad! 

New Beginnings?

I'm no longer in Taichung y'all!  And I'm sure I should be excited to be staying in the lovely Novotel at Taoyuan Airport- it is beautiful, well- stocked, and the staff are very nice.

Looks like a good place to sleep tonight!

What better place to watch airplanes than poolside?

But my heart is heavy today.  To be sure, with the news today out of Ukraine and Israel and Gaza (and probably many more places that the BBC isn't informing me about) is enough to crush anyone's spirit.
But my heart is heavy for another, much more personal reason.  Today I said goodbye to my home of one year, St. James'. This is not just emotionally, but physically- I have been living and working there for the past year.

So this week was filled with some joy, like a beautiful wedding…

So much food! There was lobsters…and oysters...

And the bride and groom decided from the balcony in a carriage (yeah, Taiwan knows how to do weddings)

There were adorable babies! 

Time to see old friends (I miss y'all already, Jenny, Tiffany, and Ruby)

Continued roomie bonding (but where is Joy??? why did you go to medical school?)

And my birthday…

Proof I am suited to be a preschool teacher- I act like I'm 5 on my birthday!!!

My co-teacher and I with the presents we have exchanged- two of our favorite things: coffee and whiskey!

I am going to miss these girls sooo much! (but they were so nice to come to my ice cream birthday party!)

(Not pictured…me getting covered with water multiple times during this week)

There was also a beautiful graduation.
*My students will actually graduate next year.  And I am very tempted after seeing this year's graduation to come back to see them!*

My awesome hair stylist and I!!!

Teacher Vicky and I actually look pretty!

Our guest teachers being interviewed!

Principal Susan, being an awesome speech giver!

Our "valedictorian"?  She was super cute!

Some students after their dance performance!

Teachers dance (thankfully, I was not a part of this!)

Graduation selfie!!! (clearly, the children are getting restless towards the end of the ceremony)

I should have more to say about all these lovely events, but for now I will let the pictures do the talking.  I'm still a little too sad to be looking fondly on these events.

Missing these ladies already!

St. James' Family!  I hope we can reunite soon!!!

For now, these are my reflections…

I came to Taiwan pretty broken, after a difficult year in Mississippi and, in retrospect, many questions about my own identity and future that I was trying to run from.  This year has been difficult (what year as a teacher isn't) but has also been healing.  I've found friends in unexpected places, I've found my passion for education renewed, and I've found my love for others has not been entirely buried under my wall of cynicism. This is all good news.  I've learned a lot about teaching…and I would be lying if I didn't say that some of my tears today weren't about my good-byes, but about the realization that after two years, I am no longer a teacher.  This is new for me…and may take some adjustment.  I don't know exactly what's next.  Am I terrified of my move to NYC and starting a new job outside the classroom? Definitely.  But I can't think of anything to better prepare me than the year I've had here in Taiwan.

So for those are who curious, I'll keep this blog up for a few more weeks- talking about my readjustment to American life, fun times apartment hunting in NYC, new job, etc. (if you're interested)!
After that, we'll shut down again until I continue my roaming…whether it's close to home (i.e. Boston or Toronto) or further away (London!  Back to Taiwan?)!


Thanks so much for roaming with me all year!  I hope you've enjoyed my crazy musings and my pictures!  If your curious what life in NC/NYC looks like, keep reading!  If not, see you next time this lama decides to go on adventure!

Good in Goodbye?

Hey y'all!
Greetings from the perpetually sunny and humid Taichung!  It has been an exciting past 2 weeks for me- or really just an exciting past week!  The week before that was actually quite boring, and filled with paperwork.

But this week has been fun for a variety of reasons:

1) New Friends! Christina and Matisse are visiting from the Cambridge-Ellis School in the USA (which is the school that hired me to teach here.)  It has been really fun to watch other people experience Taiwan for the first time, get new ideas for teaching from them (they're both preschool teachers in the States) and just have more people living with me!

Breakfast with the new girls!

2) Canada Day! For those of you not familiar with Canadian holidays, July 1st is Canada Day.  Why July 1st? Because that's the day Canada was united (from 3 colonies) into a single country under the British Empire.  It was a fun holiday to share with my students, especially my youngest ones, who learned to sing "O, Canada' for the occasion.

Also I made Nanaimo bars Tuesday.  Those are gone.  I ate most of them by myself.
Sorry not sorry.

Also, if you don't know "O, Canada," here are some Canadians singing it to try and open the beer fridge. 

3) American Independence Day! One of the awesome perks of dual citizenship is having 2 holidays in one week- the 4th of July and Canada Day (I just kinda ignore the British thing for the week…) and we celebrated 4th of July in style this weekend, with a mini-feast for our students of some "American" foods (hot dogs, french fries, lemonade, pancakes) We celebrated later with yummy drinks and food, then karaoke!!!

Our American feast!

Our flags!

… But these past few weeks have been sad too.
4. Goodbyes  With the clock ticking for me leaving Taiwan (this time next month I'll actually have started my new job on Coney Island…scary) it is time to say some good-byes.  These have taken place in a few different forms- from cookouts with students' families (at the ridiculously delicious Din Tai Fung), fun activities with my elementary school students, who are now on summer vacation, and rooftop barbecues with friends from church.

Volcanoes with my 5th grade students!

Din Tai Fung has awesome dumplings...

Super awesome dumplings...

Really just go.  They have them in California

Church friends barbecue!

Yummy duck at the barbecue!

Another good-bye dinner that included a waffle burger! 

Are you getting the idea that I'm eating a lot?  Because that is definitely true.

… Oh, and I also had to say goodbye to Mexico in the World Cup.  Don't talk to me, Netherlands. That "dive" was wrong and you know it.  Now I'm hoping I don't have to say goodbye to Argentina!

There are many difficult goodbyes to come, and hopefully some happy reunions when I return to the States in two weeks.

This is going to be a very difficult group of co-workers and friends to say goodbye to! 

I likely will post again sometime before I leave, so check back in the next two weeks!!!