From There to Here and In Between

And so... I made my way to Taiwan for a year of adventure. Departing the United States on August 12, 2006, I arrived in Taipei in the early morning hours of August 14, Taiwan time. My first impression upon disembarking the plane was that I had entered a sauna... an exciting and stimulating sauna, but a sauna none the less. At a little after 5 in the morning, I was expecting something a little cooler.
It is now September 23rd and I have learned much about "expectations" and quite a bit about myself. Although only a short 6 weeks have passed since I left my country, it seems light years away from my old Victorian house on the hill in Mansfield, Ohio and my job as a teacher at Treca Digital Academy.
The first 10 days were spent at the National Academy of Educational Research in Sansia, Taiwan. There were 4 teachers sent there by the Ohio Department of Education, myself included. Altogether there were about 50 foreign teachers who arrived during the 10 days of orientation. These teachers came from the United States, Canada, the UK and Australia. We formed fast friendships and have remained in contact since being sent on our separate assignments to various locations in Taiwan, including the islands of Penghu, Mazu, and Jinmen. My assignment is to Chiayi City in the western central area.
While in orientation, the Ministry of Education made sure the new foreign teachers experienced a bit of the culture of Taiwan. One of those cultural forays was a temple within walking distance of the research center where we were staying. It is the Sansia Zushih Temple, an elaborate example of high standards of Taiwanese temple art. Although temples compete with 7-11 convenience stores in abundance in Taiwan, this particular temple is one I am fortunate to have seen. Although it isn't my first temple to experience, as I entered one in Shanghai earlier this year when I visited my daughter in mainland China, it is quite different from what I saw there. Both will help me gain a better understanding of Asian culture as well as an understanding of what I left behind in the United States.
On a particularly hot and humid evening earlier in the month, I met another foreigner in the computer lab of my apartment building. Even I, was surprised at my delight in hearing a native English speaker as I cornered her to chat if only for a few moments. It reminded me of the excited rush I had the time I discovered a convenience store nearby stocked familiar little bags of M&M's. I didn't have to speak slowly or evaluate vocabulary before talking. I didn't have to watch closely for signs of comprehension or listen carefully to make sure I could translate spoken Chin-glish in a way that made sense. The woman is a Christian missionary from Canada, a very decent and friendly sort of person. She's lived here in Taiwan for 9 years. Nine years! With the temperatures soaring that evening and the humidity especially high, "9 years" seemed like a very long time for an adventure in what felt very much like a sauna where people dressed warmly. So I asked her why she had stayed here so long. She explained that there are still a lot of people here in Taiwan who are not yet Christians and it was her mission to try to change that. I didn't know what to say in response. My mind was stuck in a time warp and I thought I heard her say, "There are still Asians here and it is my mission to change that." My image of god must have been a blue eyed, white skin, thin man with a beard and medium brown curly hair. But, at that moment it was very difficult to visualize ripping down the temples in Taiwan and erecting Baptist churches along with the collection plates and shifty eyed preachers with diamond rings on their fingers. Don't get me wrong... I've believed in God all my life and have a strong sense of spirituality...was baptized in my teens and have read the Bible about 3 times. Still, this life has given me enough opportunity to recognize good in people and to evaluate what values make a person an asset to the world. So there I stood, in the presence of an English speaker for a change, and I had nothing to say that could be put into words.