Daily Affirmations

"I am doing exactly what I need to be doing at this time. I am exactly where I am."

This one couldn't speak any louder to me. Life has a funny way of just working out. As long as you are not trying force something, I believe everything will workout the way it is intended. It is my belief that there is a plan for all of us. Each individual has a purpose to fulfill in their life. Keeping yourself open to all experiences that come your way will open your life up to where you need to be.

Daily Affirmations

One of the things I've been doing since I arrived in Taiwan is finding a quote or affirmation I like and writing it down. Really reading and absorbing the words and trying to find a way that I can apply it to my own life, working towards true happiness. Today's affirmation was this. I found it interesting and easy to apply to my life.

I release myself from victim roles.
I am free, and always have been.
Experiences that made me feel like a victim
were only experiences that
appeared and disappeared
in the arena of consciousness that I am.

I think everyone has moments of feeling like a victim and it's easy to slip into that role. I've lived in that role many times before but it's important to know that the role of the victim is one of constant suffering and turmoil. Who wants to live a life like that? A wise man I know tells me often that happiness is a choice. So is becoming a victim to the mishaps of life. You can choose to let it defeat you or you can make the choice to learn from that experience and see how you can find something positive from it. At first it may be a little difficult because habits are hard to break but little by little, when you are conscious of your behavior and thought patterns, you can break free from the negative roles you have taken on in your life.

I cannot tell a lie...

It's been over a month now since I made the move to Taiwan and as I sit here at my desk starring at the grey pigeon perched on the ledge of my neighbors window, I have many things on my mind. At the forefront of those thoughts is more of a realization. I'm actually doing a pretty great thing here for my life. I'm not going to lie first, because everyone knows when I'm lying. I believe it was my Aunt Linda who once said to me and I quote, "Mandy, you wear your emotions on your face. You could never hide anything" Second, what good is lying anyway? It never does anyone any good. Let's be honest, out of all the lies that I've told in my life, I've ended up confessing about 99% of them. But then again, maybe that was from my good Catholic upbringing? Ha...right. So here it is, truth be told...are you ready? That was one of the hardest months of my life. And I'll admit another thing too...my mom called it. She didn't dare say anything to me but we know each other well enough to know what the other is thinking. Until recently I was struck with a serious case of homesickness. I knew I get a small case of the 'I miss my family, friends, cats, etc' blues but I guess you just never know what you are going to miss until it's not with you anymore. But things are looking up and each day brings with it hope and happiness. As I venture out and explore this island little by little, it does indeed "Touch My Heart" more and more. (that's the Taiwan slogan for those of you that didn't know)

It was my decision to move here and I intend to make the most out of everything I do and every person I meet along the way. July will be here soon enough and I will once again find myself resting my sweet head on that all to familiar pillow in my parents spare bedroom...or maybe, just maybe, I will come to love the life of an expat and move on to another land? Only time will tell I suppose.

Alright, so here a rundown of what I've seen and done over the last month or since I've last written. My friend Katie came for a visit for about two weeks. It was great having a familiar face here while I adjusted. True, I have John and I love having him here with me but sometimes you just need girlfriend time so for that reason it was great having her here. We spent New Years Eve in Taipei watching Taipei 101 explode with fireworks at the stroke of midnight. After a sleepless night, we took an early train to the East Coast to a town called Hualien which sits at the base of the Taroko Gorge National Park. Here is a link to some information on the gorge. I'm too lazy to sum it all up. Sorry! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taroko_National_Park. Anyway, we spent the first day walking around Hualien, visiting the beach, and several markets along the way. We were all pretty beat so we crashed early in our hotel room along with the couple of cockroaches that called our room home. We woke early the following day and the three of us loaded into the back of a minivan to take a tour of the Taroko Gorge. If you ever find yourself in Taiwan, I think seeing the gorge should be on the top of your list of things to do. It's a true showcase that reconfirms to me that there is something so much greater than us out there and we are only small specs of sand in this great big world. Not only this, I realized how important being close to he mountains and ocean are for my personal happiness. Living in the concrete jungle called Jhongli reminds me of that fact daily. But anyway, so I spent the first weekend of 2010 surrounded by this natural beauty and good friends. I really can't complain.

The following week was spent hanging out around Jhongli and Taipei. A local hike, a couple night markets, Karaoke, a few yoga classes, nothing too out of the ordinary. Katie's two weeks came to an end last Wednesday which was followed by me getting the flu that night. Perfect timing on Katie's part. Nobody needs to bare witness to me hugging the toilet which I proceeded to do for most of that night. I suppose two colds and the flu is the price you pay for working with kids on a regular basis. But I'm finally feeling like myself again and just in time. With about two and a half weeks until I leave for Thailand, I need my strength to prepare for the strain of laying on the beach and frolicking in the clear blue seas.

So, there you have it, the past month of Amanda's life. Nothing too out of the ordinary but still everyday brings something new and unfamiliar and in most cases, just downright funny or perplexing.

Oh, I forgot to mention this past weekends adventures which included seeing Hachiko (Do not go see this movie with anything less than a box of tissue and yes, boys will cry too), going to the Taipei Zoo (all zoos really are the same regardless of where you are in the world), and seeing my first play in Chinese in which I'd recommend bringing a translator.

Until next time...I hope you all are happy, healthy, and enjoying 2010! Much love...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my friends and family! I'm sure Christmas has come and gone back home in the states and I wish I could say the same goes for here but not so much. The stores are still decorated and they are still playing those every cheerful Christmas tunes....everywhere. Many of you know that under normal circumstances I'd be fine with this but here, it just seems so out of place. I'm ready for it to come down and life to be back to um, normal.

Christmas night was fun. I went with John to his co-workers home and she cooked a pretty amazing spread. I had my first Christmas dinner at almost midnight and we had a secret Santa gift exchange. Santa even made an appearance and instead of me sitting on his lap, he sat on mine. I got a lovely guitar that I'm going to teach myself to play (I will probably invest in lessons when I come home to the states in July/August) and two pet fish. Herman and Harriet.

Katie, my friend from back home, just arrived yesterday morning and it was so nice to see a familiar face. We are planning on going to Taipei 101 for New Years and then Friday morning heading to the east coast of the island for a weekend of adventure and touristy stuff.

I'm also in the process of finding more work...in another part of Taipei. I've come to the conclusion that Jhongli isn't my cup of tea and am going to check out some other areas in the next week or two. I'm realizing there is a whole lot of Taiwan out there so the sky is the limit...but it does sort of depend on where I can find a job.

I'll update next week when I get back. Happy New Year to all. Please be safe and I'll see you all in 2010.

The 'Joy' of Teaching

After arriving in Taiwan on Friday morning, I've spent the last couple of days trying to adjust to this new way of life. My new home, Taiwan. Still rather jet lagged, I have yet to have a full 8 hours of sleep which makes things even more difficult. I spent the weekend getting to know my new life, the life of a girl name Sarah who is moving to New Zealand to be with her boyfriend whom she has only spent one night with. I say I'm taking over her life because well, to be honest I kind of am. I've moved into her room in this three bedroom apartment which is on the 15th floor of a complex in Jhongli City. I'm mentioning the floor because if you recall one of my facebook post from when I was here previously, you will remember that I was in not one but TWO earthquakes. I was in John's 3rd story apartment and felt the shake of the quake quite nicely so one can only imagine what it will be like when I first experience one from the 15th floor.

Aside from the apartment, I have taken over Sarah's job as well and purchased her phone/phone number from her. So I suppose you should just call me Sarah from now on. Just kidding. Currently, I am sitting in the apartment as she frantically finishes packing after arriving home from a night of craziness at 9 am this morning. At least that is one thing I can say I will NOT be taking over from her. My latest night thus far has been 1 am and not because of partying. John an I were reading and watching T.V.

(It's been a few days so...now it is Friday the 18th of December)

I've now been working at the Joy Cram School for 4 days. How can I describe to you exactly what it is like....oh,I know...BABYSITTING! Yes, I'm getting paid $600NT and hour to babysit children from the ages of 8 to 11 for up to four hours a day. Not exactly what I had in mind. A cram school is basically a private English school that the children come to AFTER their regular school day hours. They typically spend from 3-8:30pm 'learning' English. So what do I do with them? Usually the teacher gives me a handbook with a particular unit they are learning. For instance last night one of the classes and I worked on words such as bat, bet, pick, peck, and kiss. I have no idea how they come up with these units because to me, they have no rymnn or reason. We play games such as duck duck goose, heads down thumbs up, danger island, and so many more. I'm trying to figure out what my purpose there is. Since it is predominately Taiwanese teachers teaching them English, I suppose they want a 'real' native English speaking person there so he kids can hear correct pronunciation as well. Overall, it's not a bad gig. I mean, it's nice to know that I'm bringing in a little money right off the bat. I'm in the process of finding more work. Maybe private lessons or a kindy (kindergartners).

Aside from work, it's pretty darn cold here right now. Like SEATTLE cold. Thailand is just around the corner though and so is warmer weather. John and I leave on Feb. 4th and return on Feb. 19th. We are thinking of spending some time in Thailand and then Cambodia. My roommate Carrie said Cambodia is unreal. I'm not sure what I'm more excited for, the beaches of Thailand or going to Angkor Wat.

Tonight we are going to KTV and a Love Motel. So, before you let your mind go into the gutter, the Love Motel IS what you think it is. A big hotel where people can rent a room to get it on BUT it is also a place groups of people can rent a room to party and hang out. There are rooms with pools and hot tubs so THAT is what we are doing. Karaoke and Love Motel. Oh KTV is a big building full of rooms that people can rent out to go Karaoke. Strange I know. But you know they say...when in Rome...

Running to something

As I'm preparing to leave on Wednesday, I can't help but think about all the new adventures that are waiting for me just around the corner. Skiing in Japan, my first 1/2 marathon in Taiwan, a two week trip to Thailand, and a possible month long trek in Nepal up to Kyazu Ri and so much more. Every day will be filled with challenges that I will have to figure out. I will be uncomfortable most of the time, out of my element and I'm sure a little confused but I can hardly wait.

If you would have asked me eight months ago when I was laid off from my job what my life would be like come December, I'm sure I would have described something completely different. I think the biggest lesson I have learned is that you really have no idea what the future has in store for you. Life is full of so many unexpected things. True, not everything that happens feels fortunate but in the end, it all leads you exactly where you are meant to be.

As for my last few days here, I'm trying to soak it all up. Spend time with friends and family, get some good workouts in, and I even went skiing last Tuesday up at Crystal. Life is pretty good. In the end, I feel like I am running to something pretty amazing and will welcome this new life with open arms.

It's a pretty big world out there...

And I have finally decided to take full advantage of it. As of December 9th, I will no longer reside in Seattle, Washington and instead call Jongli, Taiwan home sweet home. I decided to move to Taiwan on top of a mountain about a week into my trip. What may seem likely a hasty decision is actually one I've been thinking about for a very long time. Maybe not Taiwan but overseas for sure. It just so happened that everything fell into place nicely and I will begin what could be a very interesting 'career' teaching English to little Taiwanese children. Now I know what you are thinking. How can someone who barely speaks proper English herself teach children the language. Well, my answer to that is: I have no friggin idea but I suppose that is part of the challenge and excitement and I'll figure it out along the way.

The next 6 months are about just that. Figuring it out as I go and being hopeful. I've lived a charmed life here in Seattle and have been quite fortunate and blessed It's time I set out on a little adventure and see where it takes me. Maybe back to Seattle or maybe on to a different country. Who knows. All I am sure of is that this decision feels good and right and that is all I need right now.

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving and I'll be here until the 9th of December. Oh, my phone will be disconnected on December 8th....