It also helped that they have wi-fi so that I could book the next leg of my worldly adventures. Are you ready for this announcement? Taipei, Taiwan. I booked my flight to Asia for a week from tomorrow, at which point I will harass English schools until someone hires me. Yes, it is as random as it sounds but it is a thought I have been chewing on for a couple weeks. And the point of this whole experience was an adventure, was it not? And, riddle me this--what is Asia if not the ultimate adventure? All adventures have obstacles, and the following are mine:
1. As most people who have spent any time in my company know, I am a firm believer in personal space. I thrive on it. I cherish it. I just don't care to be touched. Period. A self-explanatory obstacle, promising to be the most challenging of my adult life.
2. To date, I haven't had any luck in learning a new language. A year of Spanish in seventh grade started this trend, when I mentally checked out while we learned how to talk about the weather. I fear I don't remember exactly, but I'm fairly certain that this occurred at the end of September. Which means that I had eight months of hanging out, not knowing what was happening...though the cooks at the restaurant where I worked for years taught me any dirty words that might be necessary in life. This attempt was followed by four years of German, which gave me the ability to converse about the days of the week, and the unfortunate prospect of viewing roadkill ("strassenpizza"). With these two lost opportunities under my belt I can only imagine what a year surrounded by Mandarin might bring. Perhaps this is my chance to learn what I can and shock those not expecting a semi-blonde American girl, with the white, white heritage of Dutch-Scot to be able to carry a conversation in Chinese.
3. Before Thanksgiving of last year I entered, what I like to call, an 'Adventurous Eating Phase'. The enthusiasm for said phase comes and goes, but it has been there beneath the surface all along. My concern about this phase in Taiwan is that I won't always know what's hanging in the window of the restaurants I pass. When expressing this concern to my friend, Maddie (who will be one of my roommates when I arrive), she finished my thought with urgency, "I already googled it, and they don't eat dog in Taiwan!!" Phew! Doesn't mean I won't have to be careful.
These are the three things that come to mind immediately about any Taiwanese challenges I may have. The bottom line is as follows: I am out for an adventure--something outside my comfort zone--where I will be able to gain teaching experience. Asia provides that...among other growing experiences. This may be random, but it promises to be awesome too.
I will miss Prague though. I have fallen in love with this city, and feel that I may be able to return here some day. It has a way of casting it's spell of comfort and warmth on those who visit. The tourist wonders are just as promising as the guidebooks suggest, and things off the well-trodden path of visitors have a way of sucking you in as well. It feels like so long ago that I met up with a group of strangers to have dinner at the all-mysterious beer garden. Every time we returned there to have a plate of kielbasa and play a game of cards and/or Foosball we talked about that first Saturday night, and what we remember most. I am so utterly fortunate to have had an experience such as this, and to have made friends with the people with whom I made friends. I have not regretted this experience for a second, and will miss everyone and this city terribly.
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| Prague Castle, on the first night I arrived. |
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