Thursday, November 6, 2008
More of lovely Taiwan....
Here are some newer photos I've been taking around Taiwan. Most of these are from Linkou or Shrmen Dam area. These locations are in the north western part of Taiwan. Some of the food you see here are traditional snacks made from rice. They don't look like much but some are quite tasty and of course, very healthy.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Typhoon Sinlaku
It's typhoon season again and to be honest, we haven't had that many this year. I'm sure global warming has something to do with it. But with all typhoons there is the element of danger because there are always injuries and even fatalities so its no laughing matter. For us teachers, it means a day off. Except this particular weekend. Taiwan is celebrating Moon Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival so we already had the day off anyway. I'll slowly add photos to this par
ticular blog since there hasn't been a whole lot of activity here just yet. I'm sure tomorrow will bring more interesting stories. Anyway, here are just a few I've added.Ta ta and chat to you soon.
-Toad...
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Going home...
Ever get those homesick blues? Even for a weekend? Well, try that after 5 years of living abroad. Yes, this particular toad is really getting homesick, not to mention the fact that I can no longer spell. When you use "aloud" instead of "allowed" you know it's time to go home and acclimatize with your native environment. (I actually did that in a class...oh my!) I got the spelling right but wrong meaning. I did manage to catch it before the students noticed, thankfully.
Well, it has been a wonderful experience here in Asia and I know I'm really going to miss it. I'm leaving at the end of this year so I still have several months left to go. It has been a valuable lesson and one that couldn't be traded for all the tea in China :). I have made some wonderful friends here and they will be deeply missed. I hope they will continue to keep in contact with me once I leave. That is the only problem with living overseas. You start to make friends, then someone leaves. Now its my turn, I guess. I'm not sure where to head next. Perhaps Mexico or South America. I love Asia but now I want to try other parts of the world too. I've been particularly fond of Latin America so who knows? The middle east is another big attraction for me but not the safest destination at the moment. (Too bad.)
For those of you who have never tried it, go for it. Seriously. Many people come to these countries because of broken hearts, huge debt, running away from problems or looking for an adventure. Doesn't matter what your reason is for leaving your homeland. It's all about taking a risk. What I discovered about myself is that I am a lot more independent than I thought I was. A friend told me, wow, you sure learn a lot about yourself when you live overseas. They weren't kidding! I recall, (while sitting in JFK airport on my way to Taiwan)looking around the boarding gate lounge and noticed that I was the only foreign woman sitting there. What went through my head was "OMG what AM I doing?" The weeks leading up to this moment everyone kept saying things like....aren't you scared,wow you're brave etc. I didn't know anyone, didn't have a place to stay, nor did I have a job at that point but never really thought about it until the boarding lounge. What a crazy woman, eh? I was over 35...homeless, jobless and sitting on a plane for Asia. Nice! Was I insane? Perhaps. My life wasn't THAT bad, why did I decide to do this?
Anyway, to make a long blog, short, I did it to figure out who I am. (Still working on that part) but I'm no longer afraid of living life anymore. I used to be very conservative, didn't like change and never took risks. Now, its all about living for the moment. If you don't do some unorthodox things once in a while, you may regret it later. I don't want to wake up some day, sitting in my rocker on a porch with 50 cats at my feet and say..."Man, I wish I had done that." So, before I settle down with my feline friends, I just wanted to explore life a bit more. I'm sure there are many that people who think it's absurd to do something like this. I should be working hard, making lots of money, focusing on a career, buying a house and settling down with a good man. HA! Well, the funny thing is, I've been there, done that! I did all that at the sweet age of 24. Well, that fairytale didn't work out, as you may have guessed. (Gee, is anyone actually reading these blogs?) I hope I don't sound too bitter...lol!
I ended up going back to school for a while, traveled a bit more and decided that life has been the niche I was missing. Being married was lovely but I really was "living in a house with the white picket fence" as someone put it to me once, many years ago. Plus, once you get tied down, it's much harder to even consider this opportunity.
Anyway, it truly is an amazing experience. And if you are in a relationship, what a better way to test the bonds of love, than try this, together. Many couples come over here, so don't feel because you're dating someone, that you can never do this. Get them to go with you. There are many opportunities for couples. (Many schools like that because not only do they get two teachers, it's more stable for the school if you're together.) Even if you work elsewhere, at least you'd still be together and supportive for one another. (Makes it more bearable.) Teaching isn't the only profession for working abroad either. There are lots of other things one can do. So, do some research. I know a lot of people that may have started off as teachers but ended up getting into other professions like acting, business, trade etc. So, you never know what can happen but how will you know if you don't take a chance?
That's all for now. Take care and hope that helps!
Cheers,
B
Well, it has been a wonderful experience here in Asia and I know I'm really going to miss it. I'm leaving at the end of this year so I still have several months left to go. It has been a valuable lesson and one that couldn't be traded for all the tea in China :). I have made some wonderful friends here and they will be deeply missed. I hope they will continue to keep in contact with me once I leave. That is the only problem with living overseas. You start to make friends, then someone leaves. Now its my turn, I guess. I'm not sure where to head next. Perhaps Mexico or South America. I love Asia but now I want to try other parts of the world too. I've been particularly fond of Latin America so who knows? The middle east is another big attraction for me but not the safest destination at the moment. (Too bad.)
For those of you who have never tried it, go for it. Seriously. Many people come to these countries because of broken hearts, huge debt, running away from problems or looking for an adventure. Doesn't matter what your reason is for leaving your homeland. It's all about taking a risk. What I discovered about myself is that I am a lot more independent than I thought I was. A friend told me, wow, you sure learn a lot about yourself when you live overseas. They weren't kidding! I recall, (while sitting in JFK airport on my way to Taiwan)looking around the boarding gate lounge and noticed that I was the only foreign woman sitting there. What went through my head was "OMG what AM I doing?" The weeks leading up to this moment everyone kept saying things like....aren't you scared,wow you're brave etc. I didn't know anyone, didn't have a place to stay, nor did I have a job at that point but never really thought about it until the boarding lounge. What a crazy woman, eh? I was over 35...homeless, jobless and sitting on a plane for Asia. Nice! Was I insane? Perhaps. My life wasn't THAT bad, why did I decide to do this?
Anyway, to make a long blog, short, I did it to figure out who I am. (Still working on that part) but I'm no longer afraid of living life anymore. I used to be very conservative, didn't like change and never took risks. Now, its all about living for the moment. If you don't do some unorthodox things once in a while, you may regret it later. I don't want to wake up some day, sitting in my rocker on a porch with 50 cats at my feet and say..."Man, I wish I had done that." So, before I settle down with my feline friends, I just wanted to explore life a bit more. I'm sure there are many that people who think it's absurd to do something like this. I should be working hard, making lots of money, focusing on a career, buying a house and settling down with a good man. HA! Well, the funny thing is, I've been there, done that! I did all that at the sweet age of 24. Well, that fairytale didn't work out, as you may have guessed. (Gee, is anyone actually reading these blogs?) I hope I don't sound too bitter...lol!
I ended up going back to school for a while, traveled a bit more and decided that life has been the niche I was missing. Being married was lovely but I really was "living in a house with the white picket fence" as someone put it to me once, many years ago. Plus, once you get tied down, it's much harder to even consider this opportunity.
Anyway, it truly is an amazing experience. And if you are in a relationship, what a better way to test the bonds of love, than try this, together. Many couples come over here, so don't feel because you're dating someone, that you can never do this. Get them to go with you. There are many opportunities for couples. (Many schools like that because not only do they get two teachers, it's more stable for the school if you're together.) Even if you work elsewhere, at least you'd still be together and supportive for one another. (Makes it more bearable.) Teaching isn't the only profession for working abroad either. There are lots of other things one can do. So, do some research. I know a lot of people that may have started off as teachers but ended up getting into other professions like acting, business, trade etc. So, you never know what can happen but how will you know if you don't take a chance?
That's all for now. Take care and hope that helps!
Cheers,
B
Monday, January 7, 2008
Living overseas...an empowering experience
Sometimes it takes a traumatic experience to truly understand what life is really about. It's part of human nature to learn the hard way, it seems. No matter what the situation is, we learn and grow from each experience. If I hadn't gotten a divorce many years ago, I wouldn't be living and working in Asia. A friend once told me...it's not the goal but the journey that's important. Too often we become blinded by the goal and forget to enjoy ourselves along the way. This was the best advice I've ever been given. Now I live from day to day...enjoying each moment as it comes. It's the only way to live, for me.
Living overseas has truly been an amazing experience. If an opportunity comes your way, at any time, take it!! Seriously. (Who wants to live with regrets? Honestly.) If nothing else, it provides you with something you will remember forever. Memories are so wonderful...and photos help remind you that it wasn't just a dream. If you've had a traumatic or emotional crisis in your life...take time out to reflect and decide what is most important to you. Go back to school, move, change jobs or travel. Whatever it takes. When I left my native country, I wasn't recovering from anything major. I just wanted a change. It took me a year to plan it but here I am now....living in Asia. Believe me, if I can do it, so can you!
Maybe you'll only try it for a year but it's not that much time out of your life. Really. The year will fly by. (Meanwhile, I've been here for over 4 years.) I'm nearing the end of my journey here but I look forward to new adventures. I've decided that I need to live on the edge once in a while. Maybe going home will be too frustrating but that's something I'll deal with, if and when that happens.
The most important thing is to enjoy the moment. Too often we don't realize, until we look in hindsight, what we had. I realize now, after living near the Rockies for 6 years, how silly it was for me not to have spent more time exploring its magnificence. (Silly of me.) So, if I should have another opportunity to do it again...I will take full advantage. We can't go back and rewind our lives, no matter how much we want to. (Ideally, we want to live our lives without regrets.) So many people put things off for years....then they wake up one day and wonder where the time went. Who wants to live like that? This may be our one and only chance to make the most of our lives....and believe me...it's an amazing and empowering experience to take a chance in life. Trust me! As they say...just do it!!! (For all you young graduates...it's a chance of a lifetime to see and experience other cultures.) If I could do it over again, I would have done this when I first graduated instead getting married right away. But I have no regrets about how I lived my life. Everything happens for a reason...just as it should. It's all in the "grand design", whatever that may be. I don't question it any more...I just go with the flow. And follow my gut instinct as much as I can.
Trust yourself, give it a whirl...after all, what have you got to lose? I used to be really uptight, conservative and never took risks. I'm the complete opposite now. Sure, I've mellowed with age but most people my age are married with kids, house and career. Sounds great, right? And for some, this is great...exactly what they want. But for others, maybe this isn't enough. Follow your heart, take chances and see where your road leads you. Sometimes taking the more difficult path is worth it (and the one you're meant to take.) They say...what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger.
Finally, I just want to add that should you find yourself standing at a cross-road, take a deep breath and plunge into an adventure. You'll be glad you did. It's truly an empowering experience. You'll learn so much about yourself and how to deal with real life situations. And best of all, you'll learn to trust yourself. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You've heard all the cliches but there's some truth to most of them. Take the bull by the horns and go for it.
Best of luck to all of you. If you want any advice or suggestions, please feel free to drop me a line any time.
Remember, enjoy the journey...after all...it's YOUR life!
Cheers,
Bev
Living overseas has truly been an amazing experience. If an opportunity comes your way, at any time, take it!! Seriously. (Who wants to live with regrets? Honestly.) If nothing else, it provides you with something you will remember forever. Memories are so wonderful...and photos help remind you that it wasn't just a dream. If you've had a traumatic or emotional crisis in your life...take time out to reflect and decide what is most important to you. Go back to school, move, change jobs or travel. Whatever it takes. When I left my native country, I wasn't recovering from anything major. I just wanted a change. It took me a year to plan it but here I am now....living in Asia. Believe me, if I can do it, so can you!
Maybe you'll only try it for a year but it's not that much time out of your life. Really. The year will fly by. (Meanwhile, I've been here for over 4 years.) I'm nearing the end of my journey here but I look forward to new adventures. I've decided that I need to live on the edge once in a while. Maybe going home will be too frustrating but that's something I'll deal with, if and when that happens.
The most important thing is to enjoy the moment. Too often we don't realize, until we look in hindsight, what we had. I realize now, after living near the Rockies for 6 years, how silly it was for me not to have spent more time exploring its magnificence. (Silly of me.) So, if I should have another opportunity to do it again...I will take full advantage. We can't go back and rewind our lives, no matter how much we want to. (Ideally, we want to live our lives without regrets.) So many people put things off for years....then they wake up one day and wonder where the time went. Who wants to live like that? This may be our one and only chance to make the most of our lives....and believe me...it's an amazing and empowering experience to take a chance in life. Trust me! As they say...just do it!!! (For all you young graduates...it's a chance of a lifetime to see and experience other cultures.) If I could do it over again, I would have done this when I first graduated instead getting married right away. But I have no regrets about how I lived my life. Everything happens for a reason...just as it should. It's all in the "grand design", whatever that may be. I don't question it any more...I just go with the flow. And follow my gut instinct as much as I can.
Trust yourself, give it a whirl...after all, what have you got to lose? I used to be really uptight, conservative and never took risks. I'm the complete opposite now. Sure, I've mellowed with age but most people my age are married with kids, house and career. Sounds great, right? And for some, this is great...exactly what they want. But for others, maybe this isn't enough. Follow your heart, take chances and see where your road leads you. Sometimes taking the more difficult path is worth it (and the one you're meant to take.) They say...what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger.
Finally, I just want to add that should you find yourself standing at a cross-road, take a deep breath and plunge into an adventure. You'll be glad you did. It's truly an empowering experience. You'll learn so much about yourself and how to deal with real life situations. And best of all, you'll learn to trust yourself. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You've heard all the cliches but there's some truth to most of them. Take the bull by the horns and go for it.
Best of luck to all of you. If you want any advice or suggestions, please feel free to drop me a line any time.
Remember, enjoy the journey...after all...it's YOUR life!
Cheers,
Bev
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