Last Day of Taiwan

So I know this isn't debate related but tonight's my last night in Taiwan before I head back to Canada.

It's been a long, fun but also arduous month due to all the students I've taught and befriended as well as all the sights seen, memories made, the souvenirs bought and friends made. It's also been painful and hard too due to homesickness, missing my family and some quite rude and downright antagonistic  co-teach assistants. But I won't focus on the negative stuff here... it's my last night and I might as well enjoy all the good memories and lessons learned in the past four weeks.

In the duration of my stay in Taiwan, I've fully realized how big and diverse the world is and how one culture can be both at the same time so familiar and so foreign. I've met wonderful wonderful people and seen the world from a new perspective as well as experiences exactly how cruel people can be. The sights seen- from YangMingShan Mountain and Shilin Night Market to Beitou and Taipei 101 - have shown me how beautiful the world is and how deep the culture is in Taiwan and the people of Taiwan I've observed during bored moments waiting at the bus stop have fully ingrained in me how everyone has a hidden story and how rich their lives are in history and in their hopes, dreams and ambitions.

This place feels almost like home to me - mostly due to the fact that their culture resonated deeply with mine and the traditions, superstitions, festivals, behaviour and way of life are so similar to my normal way of living (since I have Chinese heritage) and I feel that I've spent infinity in this place and that I truly belong here. I recall the moment when I said to myself: "Someday I will live here" when walking the bustling streets of downtown Taipei filled with flashing billboards, people of all ages and classes streaming by and sleek glass buildings shining by me. I truly meant that.
Once I get the language down (I'm fluent in Mandarins but my reading and writing could use a bit of work) and the necessary qualifications/degrees/job skills down, I do intend to work at Taipei.

In the four weeks here, I feel that Taipei is more of my home than Canada - I fit in with the people more, the traditions and sense of cultural identity are stronger not to mention the ridiculously cheap food, clothing and transportation - and for a few days, I thought that I never wanted to leave.

I know it sounds so silly, wanting to stay in a country for the rest of one's life just from a few days of tourism there but truly, everything resonated.
I felt that I was in manga or anime in Taiwan - perhaps it's the Asian atmosphere which is reminiscent of the Japanese setting in most animes - with the bustling streets and vibrant nightlife of Shilin similar to Ikebukuro in Durarara and the modern but sterile urban setting like in Steins;gate similar to daytime Taipei and the private school environment and urban ordinariness of Canton in Death Note. Given that those animes are my absolute favourite (as well as Shingeki No Kyojin) and the settings in Taiwan are strangely similar - of course I'd like to live here as it is akin to living in an anime.

Before I'm taken as some sort of impractical star struck dreamer, I'd like to add that the anime and culture aspect isn't the only reason for me wanting to live in Taiwan. There are the obvious low cost living benefits as well as the higher status that Western educated graduates get in the job market and also the fact that soon, businesses  and the economy will be turned in the favour of Eastern countries and that as China, India and etc. grows in economic prospects and political power, one can be wise to invest in Chinese lessons in preparation for future business prospects.

I know I'm ranting about how awesome Taiwan is and all that but truth be told, I miss my family and Canada a bit too much to stay.
The past four weeks have had me skyping them almost every night for hours at a time and I feel that I couldn't leave them behind. When my dad showed me a video of what my house looked like and what the view outside of my house was like (he was showing me the weather) I almost teared up from the familiar sight of white walls, airy space and calm and peaceful suburbs.

I've always thought my Canadian lifestyle was slightly boring due to the middle class suburbs thing and the difficulty in getting access to malls, libraries and in using public transport (it takes me about 30 minutes to commute to school and almost 45 to get to the closest library) as well as the lack of excitement in mg rather sleepy and tranquil neighbourhood and continued that judgment of my Canadian life in the first few weeks of the hustle bustle of urban Taipei life but now, I've kind of grown tired to the neverstopping noise and the constant busyness of everything. I want back my calm afternoons at home, my airy room where I don't have to share with two other people, my parents' amazing cooking and lazy days spent with my sister and sleeping in until noon (we get up at 6 in the morning each day in Taiwan).

I miss having information at my fingertips, an intellectual challenge at every turn when debating with HP, solving brain teasers, studying for next year's courses and planning the club strategy for MUN. Here in my teaching job at Taiwan, it's amazingly fun and all due to the new experiences but there is no intellectual challenge at all and as a result, I was mind numbingly bored for a majority of my time here. As a teaching assistant, yes I do teach a portion of the lessons and also go around translating and help in the students during projects and all but a large portion of my time is also doing menial labour such as handing out classroom supplies and turning on and off the lights whenever there's a presentation. I don't mind the work but at the same time, I've never been less intellectually stimulated before in my life unless you count that pointless summer in an inner city summer camp back in elementary school where everyday consisted of playing boring games in the blazing sun. As a result of my boredom and the feeling of depression I was starting to get due to lack of meaningful conversation and learning - I've grown slightly obsessed with playing Chinese chess on my phone and in solving brain teasers on the web as well as learning trouble shooting and IT. During break times I'd end up composing debate resolutions in my head and mentally debating the round while flowing my notes and reading ip on world issues for MUN but even with all that, oh goodness, I was SO bored. And there's the guilt too of being counter productive. I had meant to study for my SATS during this period and review my math for next year but due to the amount of time everyone is dragged out to go hiking in the mountains, I've never gotten enough time.

Argh, in the last two weeks before school I have to accomplish these goals:
- Study SATS
- Study Math both 10 and 11
- Study Biology and Physics for grade 11
- Make a promotional video for MUN
- Make a promotional video for Filmmaking Society
- Get MUN stuff for next year ready and set up the orientation day booths
- Get Filmmaking stuff ready and set up orientation day booths
- Get History Council stuff ready and set up orientation day booths
- Get in touch with and create mind map for my position as Social Media Specialist at a feminist organization (sorry can't name it for privacy reasons) 
- Spend time with my family
- Back to School shopping (I think I've done enough shopping in Taipei to last a lifetime... I might have acquired a whole new kawaii wardrobe here)
- Finish my debate seminar
- Train in Debate with HP
- Train in MUN with my MUN family
- Relax (how am I supposed to do this with all this stuff piled on me??? I'm feeling stressed just writing this list)

So yeah.
I have a busy two weeks ahead of me.

Anyways, it's about time to go to sleep now and recharge from all the activity and stuff gained in the past month.

Good night and I'm praying for a safe flight back to Canada tomorrow.