Almost half year in...

January 08, 2023

Almost half year in...

So we blinked and we're 5 months into living abroad! Crazy. We have really settled into our life and routines here, and a lot has actually happened since my last entry. I started writing about it all in great detail and then I completely lost interest in finishing, so I erased it and am just going to sparknotes this for ya'll. After writing that sentence, I actually googled Sparknotes to see if it was still alive and well, and looks like it is! Hooray for fellow procrastinating high school students everywhere! That's how I got through AP Literature without ever picking up a book! Anyways...updates...

1) Speaking of cheating my way through AP Literature, I got hired by a college consulting agency here in Taiwan to help high school students on their college applications. I'm starting online classes in college counseling, and figured this would be a great way to also have (paid) experience. I applied, and probably got hired, on a whim. So we'll see how all that goes. Does this negate my whole purpose of being here in Taiwan and work sabbatical-ing? I don't think so, since I won't be working full time and I'm doing this out of interest rather than necessity. But I'm hopeful it'll be a good experience!

2) We went to Cingjing mountains in December, and we're going to Thailand at the end of this month! Cingjing was beautiful, and definitely made me a mountain believer. I've been to Cingjing in the past, but probably when I was a teenager who didn't give any effs and cared about other stupid things. I know, teenagers, who needs them. We're going to Thailand at the end of this month and I am pretty stoked to be eating pad Thai for 5 days straight. And Taco Bell. Our hotel has a Taco Bell and I cannot wait. Taiwan doesn't have Taco Bell, and we have never missed a fast food chain more. In N Out? Nah. But Taco Bell? Hells yes. Give me that Crunchwrap supreme and soft taco. I also tried to force Dan into signing up for an elephant haven tour on the outskirts of Bangkok, but he refused. I am deeply saddened my spouse doesn't have the same desire to take a mud bath with elephants, but, could be understandable.

3) Gemma is in school 9-4pm everyday, and it is a godsend. I know what ya'll are thinking (mostly because we get asked this a lot), but what do we do all day? We have a great time enjoying our freedom, is what we do. But if you must know the specifics, Dan does go to Chinese class for 3 hours in the morning everyday and we also go to the gym a lot, then we usually eat out together for lunch or eat at home, but when meals here cost around 3 USD per person, we eat out a lot. And that is why we go to the gym a lot. And then after some combination of errands/activity we go pick up Gemma at 4 and then we're doing the parent thing, cooking/cleaning/dinner-ing/playing until she goes to sleep around 9pm. I know things will look a bit busier too once I am working and fully into my classes, but for now we are blissed out on just life flexibility and not being stressed.

4) Our winter holidays were pretty nice--Christmas weekend we went to Tainan to see my uncle's Christmas church service and family, and then New Year's weekend we stayed locally in Kaohsiung--spent with family eating hotpot and attending a mochi-making festival. I would never pass up an opportunity to eat delicious food and pound mochi. Anyways, we do miss the holiday season in America with getting the real Christmas tree and all that, but all in all, couldn't complain. Also, Chinese New Year is coming up at the end of January and that one is the BIG winter holiday Taiwanese people celebrate, so the holiday season in Taiwan is kind of..just beginning! We're excited to see all the festivities for that.

Here's some recent pictures to wrap up this post, and hopefully at the next entry we'll have more adventures from Bangkok to share!