Things we miss the most:
- People/pets: Obviously friends and family would
be at the top of our list which includes Woody, our special fur ball.
- Food: Although we do love the food in Taiwan there are many things we miss. Pie (any kind really although I think cherry is at the top of our list). Mexican food (I mean real Mexican food with lots of cheese and peppers. There is some Mexican food in Taiwan but if you don't really like TexMex then you sure won't like Chinese Mexican food.)
- Transportation: I miss my car!!! I haven't been without my own transportation for seventeen years so this year has been extremely hard on me. I am an independent person so not being able to take care of my families needs was tough to adjust to. If we ever decide to leave the U.S. again we WILL buy transportation wherever we end up.
- Language: Being able to communicate with others!!! We have managed pretty well to communicate with our non-English speaking neighbors and shop keepers and Justin and Noah have both done pretty well in learning some basic Chinese. But to be able to walk into any store and know that any question you have can be answered without body language will be a welcome relief.
- Electronics: Although we do have a computer, we are Americans so we are used to excess! We miss having cell phones (Not Justin). We went from having four TV's (one in every room) to having two broken TV's. We miss being able to listen to the radio whenever we want,(the houses are made of concrete so they don't pick up radio signals very well, and even if they did we wouldn't understand the songs because of the language barrier.
- We miss having an oven! As many of you know, I
love to bake! It has been almost a year since I baked anything and even though
my waistline is thankful my stomach and heart are sad.
- Personal space: Personal space is an afterthought in Taiwan. They just don't get it... I am used to having my own yard, car, house, office space and privacy. Not here ... everything is shared and forget privacy! Taiwan is an island with lots of people so space in often limited. Justin shares a small office with two other full time employees and three part time employees. His office is about the size of an American bathroom. Even though there isn't much space or privacy it seems to work out for the locals.
Things we will miss when we leave Taiwan:
*Riding our bikes: Noah is going to miss the freedom that he has had this year. When we move home Noah will not be able to ride his bike to the 7-11 or the tea shop any longer.
*Dragon Dance: Noah has made many new friends at school and on the Dragon Dance team. He is going to miss those kids. He is also going to miss doing the dragon dance. He will have to find another way to stay active.
- *Food: Justin and I are going to miss the food here. The Chinese food in Arkansas is awful and I am not looking forward to it.
*Friendliness: We are going to miss the friendliness of everyone we meet. Most of the people we have met have gone out of their way to be friendly and inviting to us. It is not that way in America! Americans in general are selfish and rude to each other. I do not look forward to dealing with that again.
*Weather: We will miss the mild winter but we won't miss the humid and hot summer!
These lists are not complete. They are just the beginning and the things that were on our minds that day. There will be many more things we will miss about Taiwan! One day we plan to return for a visit (not to stay) and I really hope we will be able to see many of our friends again.
We are definitely going to miss your family!
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that I didn't get to visit your place more often and stay with the project longer so that I could know you all a little bit more. :(
Annie, We will always you and Ashley. You two were so kind and friendly when we needed it the most. Arriving in a new country is scary but with your friendliness and helpfulness it was easier. Thank you.
Delete