I’d never been a teacher at a school before, but after I graduated college, I wanted to go somewhere I’d never been before and do something different. I decided to move 8,000 miles away from home to be an English teacher in Taiwan!
When I first got here, I was very nervous. I was very far away from my friends and family at home and I didn’t know anyone. It was hard at first because I had to re-learn how to do everything in a new country, from shopping at the grocery store to riding the bus to going to the bathroom. Even the toilets here are different! Luckily, I speak a little bit of Mandarin Chinese, which made it easier to get around and make new friends. The people here are very friendly and helpful, even if they don’t know you at all. I made a lot of mistakes, but eventually I figured most of it out and now I’ve been living here for 8 months!
Taiwan has a lot of big cities, but it also has tall mountains, green bamboo forests, and beautiful coastal scenery. Where I live, the weather is very hot and humid, kind of like Hawaii. In my free time, I like to hike, swim, bike, run, read, and spend time with my friends. Since moving here, I’ve even started learning how to surf, but I’m not very good yet! One of my favorite parts about living in Taiwan is that I get to try something new every day, whether it’s visiting a place I’ve never been before or trying a food I’ve never heard of. I can’t wait to take you along on my journey and show you what life here is like!
