If you've stumbled upon this blog, I'd say there's a good chance that you already know of my plans to study abroad in Taiwan this semester. But, you may very well be wondering, "why choose to go to Taiwan?" Great question, and thanks for asking. Instead of giving a long, drawn-out, and rather dull answer, I'll do my best to keep it short and simple.
As someone once said, "Good things, when short, are twice as good."
When I was ten months old, my dad moved my family to Taipei, Taiwan, as missionaries to pursue a job teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) at an English institute. That job prospect fell through after a year or so, but God provided another job for my dad teaching English with a organization called Overseas Radio and Television (ORTV). We ended up living in Taiwan for nine years, and both of my sisters were born there. Through my time spent there, I acquired a love for the people and the culture and the food and the language and everything else about the place. It was the first place that I ever called 'home'. Since moving back to America in 2001, I've continued to hold Taiwan and its people, language, etc. dear to my heart. My experience there is reason number one why I decided to couple my Mechanical Engineering major with a major in International Studies, and in that to concentrate on East and Southeast Asia. Needless to say it has been a crucially formative period of my life. So, when I heard that I could spend my required time of study abroad (for Int'l Studies) in Taiwan for a semester, I ran hard after it.
And now I'm here! In fact, I arrived in Taipei earlier this morning (which would be Wednesday night for you readers on EST) and then met up with some old family friends who've arranged a place for me to stay for the next week. These friends, the Lyles, are some we knew when we were still back in Taiwan many years ago. As it turns out, this arrangement they have for me has a cat-sitting component to it. So, I'm sharing an apartment with Pumpkin and Tigger for a few days.
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| My buddy, Pumpkin |
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| The college where the Lyles work |
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| Inside the apartment |
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| Kitchen area with a neat view |
It's absolutely incredible for me to think about being back in Taiwan, let alone actually being there. The jet lag that I've got right now makes this whole thing seem even more dream-like. All I know is that, at long last, I've finally returned.
But please don't misunderstand me; this isn't a story of me realizing a dream after much sweat, determination, and hard work. Rather, if I could recount the whole, detailed story to you, you would see that it's an account of God's providence and faithfulness through many ups and downs. I did nothing to deserve it either. No amount of goodness or great accomplishments on my part could have awarded me more, or less, of God's favor. It's all by His free grace given to all through Jesus Christ, for which I am very humbly grateful.
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