Good luck

So with my departure date ever nearing I have run into a bit of good luck. I have found a host family to take me in for the 3 weeks I will be in Taiwan till classes start on the 25 of February.  Not only will they pick me up from the airport late at night, they have also invited me to travel with their family to the south of Taiwan to celebrate the Chinese New Year. All this happening seems like destiny.  A few months ago I was looking for a home stay family but Taiwan has very few pickings so I gave up. I made a profile on one website and left it alone for some time. A week before I leave to Taiwan I decided to look for a possible place to stay at after my booking at the hostel ends. I only had 3 families to pick from so I sent all 3 of them a message. I received only one message back from Jerry and his family. The first sentence told me that they would love to host me but they would be on vacation the date I wanted to come. I felt a little sad after reading that BUT the next sentence said if I could come on the 8^th of February they would invite me to go on vacation with them.  I had to do a double take when I read that. I think I read that message a hundred times I was so happy.  From all the messages I have sent to my host family I think they are very good people and I feel so lucky to have found them. If I did not find them I would have to figure out how to get to Taipei from Taoyuan airport which I hear is about a 2 hour journey, which after a over 25 hour plane ride will be hell to do. I cannot wait to get to know my host family better and talk and enjoy our time together.  Below is a picture of my host family.

As far as what I have left to do before I leave. I have to pack everything which I keep finding a excuse to postpone. I have bought my new clothes and my Taiwanese money that I ordered from the bank has arrived. Everything is all set for me to go. I feel very excited and can’t wait to see what waits for me in Taiwan. I, however, think that my nervousness will set in when I get to the airport. I don’t think that I will realize that I am in a different country till I wake up in my host familie's house.

My host family

One week left

Today marks my last week in the United States. This time right now, in Eastern Standard Time, will be 5:21am in the morning Tuesday in Taiwan. I will be sleeping in my bunk bed in a hostel in Taipei. I have been trying to get ready for my coming trip. I have bought clothes and ordered New Taiwanese Dollars from the bank because I have to pay for the hostel in cash. I don’t really know what I will do when I wake up that Tuesday afternoon in a strange, new and exciting new place. But then again, that is why I wanted to travel; to explore a new place and to challenge myself like never before.  I feel that I will be jet lag and might sleep the day away since my plane ride is almost 25 hours (not including layovers)!

When I was in middle school I went to Colombia and stayed with my family for 2 months. I remember how much I changed during that short trip. I wonder how much I will change when I return from Taiwan.  I  think the thing I look less forward to is having to ride a bus for 2 hours going from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei and then to my hostel. I will get to the hostel very late and I hope there will be someone to let me in that late. To my dismay, I found that there are no hostels in Taoyuan country. I have looked and looked but I can’t find any of them online. So I cannot stay in one for a night and the hotels are very expensive.  In my worst case scenario If I get to the hostel and can’t get in I will take a taxi to the nearest hotel for the night. I will be on my own from the 4^th up to the 22^nd when I have to go move in into my dorm. I hope to enjoy this time to the fullest! Maybe I can make friends with others in the hostels and travel in groups with them or I will just go solo.

I will now try to enjoy my mother’s home cooking and my girlfriend’s company before I leave. I am very excited for what awaits me half way around the world

T-minus 2 weeks and counting

I am trying to enjoy my last two weeks in America before I leave to Taiwan. I have already bought my ticket to leave on February 3. I am very excited to leave but also very nervous. I sadly could not find a host family for the first week of February. I E-mailed my advisor in Taiwan and she told me that I need to apply 6 weeks in advance. I will still apply for a host family maybe for a weekend stay but spending Chinese New Years with a host family does not seem possible. I have not let that damper my spirits! I have taken a more adventurous route and am going to stay in a hostel in New Taipei City before school starts at the end of February. I will spend Chinese New Year with how many friends I can make in a week! I am still waiting for my visa which I sent off last Friday. I feel like time has slowed down since school ended in December I can’t wait to go to Taiwan. I have picked my classes and this is my schedule.

Monday-no class : D

Tuesday- Consumer Behavior and International Human Resource Management

Wednesday- Global Industrial Analysis

Thursday- Mandarin Chinese (II) and Classical Music Appreciation.

Friday- no class : D

 I also still need to fax more paper work to Yuan Ze. It is hard to find a fax machine in this small town that I live in. Right now I feel sluggish right now I have so much to do!