Goodbye... For Now

Coming to Taiwan, I had many expectations, hopes and dreams.  I expected to that the people would be a lot nicer in Taiwan.  I hoped that I would meet many awesome people that would encourage me to come back.  I dreamed that I could discover something about myself that I just could not do in the United States.  These are just a few of the things I expected, hoped and dreamed for; and they all came true. 

    My time here in for the past three weeks has been nothing short of amazing!  The environment, the smells from the night market food carts, the atmosphere the people give off and so much more, exceeded my expectations.  I was absolutely shocked by how cheap everything is here relative to the United States.  The MRT was probably the biggest shock to me.  Compared to Los Angeles, it is literally a godsend.  LA recently just constructed their first public trains and they are beyond sub- par to the MRT in scope and efficiency.  The food here is absolutely fantastic.  Most places seemingly cater towards one type of dish, such as ramen or Taiwanese fried chicken.  They perfect their craft and create lovely dishes that taste awesome and are cheap to buy.  Way to often you will walk into a restaurant in the United States and just be swarmed with options simply because the establishment wants to cater to everyone.  I appreciate that places here simply want to master one type of dish and that the customers come to the restaurant knowing full well what to expect.  I love all the people that I have met here in my short time.  Thank God for Facebook because now we can easily keep in touch.  I truly hope that when I come back again they will still be here to show me around, especially without the hindrances of an official study abroad program. 

            I will miss this country and all that it has to offer.  There is such a unique culture blend of East and West here that I personally feel no other country can provide.  My time here has opened my eyes to the greater world around me.  I feel older now, more mature and more prepared to tackle the world outside of the confines of the United States.  The perceptions of myself from the point of view of my new Taiwanese friends has encouraged me to be more outgoing and more willing to try new exciting things.  For example, I ate a lot of things at the night markets we visited that I generally would try my best to avoid.  However, since I was in Taiwan, I was more willing to give new things a try and have absolutely no regrets about them.  I have grown in my short time here, and I truly hope that my next visit to this lovely country will continue to make me a stronger and better person.