Six Months Down and Still More to Go

I have been living in Taiwan for six months. 

Some days I feel as though I have been here forever and it's hard to imagine ever going back home. Other times it feels as though I just left and I am startled when I learn news of any major changes in the lives of those close to me, as though time just magically stopped back home the moment I set foot on this island.

Had I not extended my original contract, I would be going home in a week and a half and I would've been heartbroken. For my personal experience, six months just isn't enough time here in Taiwan.

The first couple of months that I was here felt like practice months. I didn't know my way around my city, I was still figuring out my job, I was getting back into the habit of speaking Mandarin everyday, I was still learning the names of all of the children, etc.

Now? I know the children personally; not just their names but what works for them and what does not. I truly understand the responsibilities of my job and how it all works. I know the layout of my city and am delighted to still discover new stores and exciting food stands occasionally. Though not as frequently as I would like, I add a new word or phrase of Mandarin to my vocabulary every now and then.

If I was going home now I would feel cheated because it took me a while to work all of this out. I'm just grateful that I have months left in Taiwan. I am filled with a sense of sadness when I realize that I am on the downward slope of my time here from this point onward, but that just means that I need to truly savor each day.

Taiwan has been a good place to spend half of 2017 in and I am grateful that I can spend a large portion of 2018 here as well.