Taiwan - The Adventure Begins
It hasn't quite sunk in yet; the feeling is less than real. Maybe it's the lack of sleep, a result of 3 days of frantic packing and a head full of crazy thoughts about what this year has in store. Or maybe it's the altitude. 10 hours in a flying metal canister 30 000 feet above the ground can sure do something. Either way, I am sure the feeling of this exciting adventure will soon sink in. In less than twelve hours, I will be welcomed into my new home, 台北, Taipei, Taiwan by my first host family as well as numerous other Rotary members. I am so lucky to be a part of such a program. I find it tough to put into words how I feel because I know that my entire life is being flipped upside down, and I can't wait. I am so excited to be completely and utterly lost, in culture, in language, in food, and in the beautiful city that I now get to call home. Since I am still very much in the dark, I will take you through a little bit about where I am going and what I will be doing for these next 10 months.
Here is my first host family. My two host parents are Yu Sun and Chien-Jung Lu. I will have two host sisters, who are also participating in the Rotary Exchange. Joanna is heading off to Romania, and Jenny is already in Germany. I am so excited for them! My two host parents both work in Taipei as neurologists. I am very lucky, for my host parents speak english. This will be helpful to me as I work on developing my mandarin. I am extremely excited to be living in the capital city of 台灣 (Taiwan) for this year. Coming from a modest city 90 000, I am eager to explore the life of a city of 5 000 000. I'm sure the change will be massive. Night markets, subways, and skyscrapers are a few of the first to come to mind.
During the year, I am required to attend high school. While many would think of going back to secondary education after graduation as a prison sentence, I look at it a little bit differently. I understand that I will get terrible grades. For once, I won't hate myself for it. I will give my best efforts, don't get me wrong, but I believe that I will learn to accept and embrace my mistakes as a way to learn and understand. I have learned in the past that the best way to learn, especially when it comes to languages, is to put yourself in a position where you are likely and comfortable to make mistakes. Without that, it is easy to hide in a shell where no mistakes are made, but no learning takes place either. I will attend WanFang Senior High School here in Taipei. Each day, I will commute via subway, called MRT here, to my school on the outskirts of town. On the same MRT line that takes me to school, I can continue even further right to the Taipei Zoo! If I'm ever missing from school, you'll know where to find me ;)
Thanks for taking a moment to read my blog. I will be doing my absolute best to keep you all updated with my new Taiwanese life.
謝謝! 再見！ － Thank you! Goodbye!
Alex
An Island Vacation
For the past two weeks, I was lucky enough to visit Hornby Island. Located between Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia, the island is undiscovered for many. Hornby is three ferry trips, and a 12 hour trip from my hometown of Kamloops, but I believe fully that the trip is worth it. Some of my favourite memories of my childhood were formed at the beaches, markets, and bike trails of my favourite isle. Here are a few of my favourite photos from my all-too-short trip to the coast.
