24 hours

In 24 hours (and not 48, due to a miscalculation on my part), I will be off on the first part of my Taiwanese adventure.  Other than the sinking realization that I have not packed (or even started), the only other thought going through my mind is: what exactly have I gotten myself into? 

My main goal in applying for and accepting this fellowship was to push my boundaries, to put myself outside of my comfort zone, and I think it’s safe to say I’m about to do that in pretty spectacular fashion. I know very little about Kaohsiung, I don’t know where we will be living, I’ve never met the people on my program who I will be living with, I’ve never been to Taiwan, I speak approximately two words of Chinese, and I will very obviously stand out from the crowd.  All of this is new for me – I’m so used to blending in that standing out is going to be an interesting experience.  Still, if my time in France is anything to go by, it should allow for some awesome conversations to take place, so I’m hoping things will turn out for the better.  

So why did I choose Taiwan? I’m not certain, to be honest.  I wanted to go somewhere in Asia, and I wanted to teach children, but I could just as easily have tried to go to Korea instead.  Part of it was Dan’s pragmatic advice: why would you want to learn Korean? Chinese is cooler and more useful, but I think a large part of it is the wonderful Taiwanese representatives I call my dearest friends.  I figure if so many people I love think this little island is something special, then it must be.  That and the history nerd that resides in my soul is convinced this is a fascinating time to be in Taiwan (recent elections brought the KMT party back into power, and cross-strait flights have just started up with China, signaling, perhaps, a new era in cross-strait ties). 

I don’t know what awaits me when I step off the plane tomorrow night at 11 pm Taiwan time, but I’m excited to leap into this challenge head first. But for now, I must pack.

~ by adventuresintaiwan on July 29, 2008.