Today is my 5-months-in-Taiwan Anniversary!

My official half-way point.

In another 5 months I’ll be back Stateside, jet-lagged + readjusting to NYC life. But for now, Taiwan!

I am happy to report that I have settled into my life in Taipei. My level of comfort within my routines is almost a trap now, since I don’t feel as compelled to seek new adventures for distraction.  +, while I’ve definitely been adventurous with my new writings (!!), I’m looking forward to having more time on my hands for exploring once summer rolls around!

But really, I feel like my friends + I are broken records–we can’t stop talking about how quickly our time in Taiwan has flown. Our semester will be over in less than a month, after which many of my friends will be moving back to the States or off to jobs in Taiwan + China. Till then, my time will be filled with finals exams, final speeches, rehearsals + shows.

Anywho, when I was  studying Acting at Syracuse University’s Drama Department, we could schedule office hours with professors to get feedback about shows that we had been in. My most memorable feedback session was not so because of the feedback I received, but because my professor asked me, “And what have you learned?”

In hindsight it seems silly, but I had never thought to ask myself that question. To put that perspective on my experiences.

It is a simple question that is always appropriate, but this Taiwan benchmark feels like a particularly ripe time to ask myself that very thing: What have I learned?

I have learned how important having a support net is.

I have learned that I can pull myself away from everything familiar, plop myself down in a new place + carve out a niche for myself. It might take a little time + a lot of lonely soul searching, but it can be done. Anyone can do it, but it’s not for everyone. + now I fully understand what my friends meant when they said that out of their friends, I would be the one to move to Asia for a year… It’s a beyond wacky, stressful thing to do. Yet from what I can tell, the rewards are endless.

I have learned just how important diversity is to me + to understanding other people + cultures more fully (as though I didn’t already know!).

I have learned that somehow, no matter where in the world I go, I can find + surround myself with talented, creative, supportive friends.

I have learned what a privilege it is to be taught critical thinking at an early age.

I have learned to accept + trust that I am not just an actor, but a writer as well, + that it is OK to embrace that aspect of myself.

Of course I have learned a TON of Chinese + countless things about Taiwanese culture that I am still processing…

But, for now, the personal growth ponderings are where I’m at.

Happy 5 Months in Taiwan to me! xo