Pre-Departure Stress

Maybe it’s just me, but before any big event or move, I find new things to stress out about. I can hear my friends and family chuckling to themselves as they read this thinking that I stress even when I don’t have anything going on, and it’s true. Either way, this “life transition” is really testing my sand (see Gangs of New York for sand reference). What’s crazy, though, is that when I feel like I’m going to explode with nerves, stress and anxiety, I keep getting these waves of peace. I’m not sure if it’s of divine origin, or it’s a result of my growth as a person, but I am finding that I have been handling all of the unknowns pretty well.

To help keep me organized (and lessen my stress even more), I thought I’d list my packing list and some of the things that I have to do before I leave. I also hope that it will help remind of other things that I’m forgetting! If you can think of anything I’m leaving out, don’t hesitate to comment. 

Things I still need to do:

-          Call BECU

-          Go shopping for sunglasses/vision glasses, belt, light clothing, new hat, etc.

-          Clean car thoroughly

-          Pack

-          Get vaccinations if possible

-          Print directions to interview

-          Print ticket/confirmations

-          Visit grandparents

-          Figure out phones

-          Finish Chinese phrase book

-          Help Jamie finish packing house

Things to pack:

-          Clothes, underoos, socks, ties, shoes, hats, one jacket, sunglasses, etc.

-          Personal hygiene items

-          Glasses

-          Work documentation stuff like transcripts, degree, etc.

-          Meds, vitamins, ibuprofen, tums, pepto, some first aid stuff, etc.

-          Biking stuff

-          Passport/Visa

-          Money stuffs

-          Laptop, case, charger

-          iPod

-          Gifts

-          Teaching material

-          Chinese study material

-          Books

-          Any home décor and/or anything Jamie needs me to bring

-          Snacks

Phew, I think that is it! 7 days and counting!

P.S. Here is a photo of the plane I’ll be flying on. I’ve got a really dorky friend who blogs about planes (http://www.airlinereporter.com/) and I’m considering doing a guest blog about my flying experience with EVA. :)

Saying Goodbye... a few times.

One of the benefits of moving to another country is that it forces you to see people you haven’t seen in awhile. In my case, it also requires you to have one last coaches meeting. I am fortunate that over the past 25-years, I’ve built incredible relationships with some pretty incredible people. Near the top of the list are the gentlemen (and some ladies) that belong to the “coaches meeting” fraternity.  To better understand the significance of these people to me, you need to know a little bit of my history (I know that some of you already do, so I apologize for any redundancies).

As a young man entering high school, my world truly revolved around sports. From my earliest years, I remember playing baseball, soccer, football, or something, and enjoying every minute. Coming from the Boistfort Valley, my coaches were usually my friend’s parents, and they taught us not only how to play the game, but all the other life lessons that young kids should be learning. When it was time to start at Adna, I had serious concerns that I was losing this connection with my coaches, and that sports might not be as significant to me anymore. Well, I was wrong. I found that my coaching community at Adna was as strong as any I had experienced, and I loved going to games almost as much as I loved going to practice.  

During the baseball season of my sophomore year, I came home from a game in Mossyrock on a Friday evening and was promptly sat down in the men's locker room at the high school. With my coaches all around me, a family friend told me that my father had unexpectedly passed away. From that day forward, my coaches remained around me. They went out of their way to make sure that I “made it”, that as a young man without a father, I had good solid role models to lean on and look towards. While the baseball coaching staff was amazing, I have to say that my other coaches and my small community also helped raise and support me over the years.

After high school, I promptly moved to Spokane to pursue education (and Jamie). There was a span of about 3-years where I didn’t have an opportunity to come home much, and I only stayed in touch with my coaches via email and phone calls. This all ended when one of my coaches came up the idea of having coaches meetings at his house. Basically, a select group of former players and all the coaches (past and present) are invited over for an evening of baseball talk, barbeque and sodas. It grew from small gatherings a few times a season to pretty much a mainstay in all of our lives.

Anyhow, the whole point of this rambling blog post was to say that I had an awesome going away coaches meeting last Saturday, and will greatly miss that group of guys while I am gone. Without them, I know I wouldn’t be in the position I am now, and I’ll be forever grateful for that.

We do have our last official going away party this Saturday at our house, so if you haven’t already set aside some time on the evening of the 30^th, you should. 16 days and counting.

Below are a few pictures (taken very EARLY on) from the last coaches meeting. 

Colton and Rex (head baseball coach)

Qued Oysters - a Coaches Meeting tradition

Papa Ike eating said oysters

Planked Steelhead

How it all started...

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 30^th.

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 11^th, 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 30^th 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!