It’s funny. I can tell you the exact moment when moving to Taiwan popped into my head, but before I do, let’s recap where I am at in life. After graduating from the University of Washington Bothell, I got hired as an admissions advisor intern, which was awesome. My job was to travel around the state of Washington and tell students why my alma mater rocks. During the off season, I would sit in my office and act as part of the freshmen holistic review committee, which makes the admissions recommendations for incoming freshmen. After some time as an intern, I got hired as a professional staff member for the UW, and felt like I was finally making it. All and all, my professional life was on the perfect path. My personal life was also great. In 2008, I married my longtime girlfriend from Adna, Washington (check out her blog here), and we have been enjoying a great partnership ever since. Last year, with two great jobs, and an American urge to be “home owners”, we started making offers on houses. While there were many great buys to be had, it seemed like ours kept falling through, which brings me back to March 30th.
It was raining… hard. I was working a fair at a community college that ranks very low on my list, and I couldn’t get any internet connection (believe me, internet connection is important). This was piled on top of the fact that I got drenched trying to find my building and there were no students at this particular fair. Anyhow, once I finally got access to the internet I read that the house that Jamie and I fell in love with and had recently made an offer on had went to someone else. You could say I’d had better days. It was one of those moments in life where you start to really ponder your purpose, what you are doing, why you are doing it, and where you think you want to end up. It wasn’t that I all of the sudden hated my job, or that I was completely dejected from the housing market, but I started critically evaluating the direction that I was going. And just like that, the idea of Taiwan popped into my head. It’s important to know that Jamie and I have been talking about an extended visit to Taiwan for a long, long time. We both felt crappy every time it got brought up because it felt like we would never have the time or money to go visit. Well, after a quick phone call, a surprising “let’s talk about it when you get home”, and a whole lot of deliberating on my drive back; it looks like this little idea is turning into a reality.
On August 11th, 2011, I will be flying to Taiwan on a 60-day, multiple entry, visitor visa. Jamie will be following me over sometime in September after she shoots a wedding. There is SO much we have had to plan and account for, but it finally feels like we are starting to clear most of the hurdles. Things we’ve had to deal with range in complexity and stress level, but we are nearly there. For me, the most challenging items I had to figure out were how to say goodbye to family and friends here in the States, how I wanted to handle the move professionally, what we were going to do with our beloved Finny, and what I was going to do for a visa. In regards to work, the plan right now is for me to find a job teaching English, which will provide a working visa and allow me to stay in the country as long as I am employed. Because I don’t have a teaching license, I cannot teach at any of the “standard” schools, but I do qualify to teach at private bilingual schools, private religious schools, or buxibans, which are cram schools. The working aspect is important, but I really don’t imagine it being the highlight of this blog.
I named the blog “Transforming a Wai Guo Ren: Taiwan”. Wai guo ren translates into English as foreigner, or outsider. The point of this blog is to allow you the opportunity to see my personal transformation as an outsider. I’m most excited to see my relationships grow with both Jamie and her family in Taiwan. I’m also really excited to advance my level of Mandarin, and hopefully be conversational when I return. Also, I cannot wait to experience the people, food, and culture of Taiwan. I know that when I leave, people on the streets will still see me as a wai guo ren, but hopefully on the inside I will feel like I have found a place on the island.
My next few blog posts will probably be more about the actual process of gearing up for my move. I’ve still got a lot of things I need to get done in the US, and I’m sure I’ll need a good outlet for the extra stress. Hopefully all of my friends and family back home can keep tabs on me following this blog, and also get to experience a little bit of Taiwan by the stories, pictures and videos I share with you all!
Lastly, you should try to come by our house in Bothell on July 30th for our going away party. We aren’t doing anything special, but it’ll be a great opportunity to have one last chat before we take off on this new adventure in Taiwan!
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