Half-Time Reflection

So it's just about been 6 months since I left the United States to come to Taiwan. I'm at the halfway mark of my stay (possibly) and I have been reflecting on what I have learned here so far. I have also been considering how it has benefited me to be here (I'm trying to look at things positively since I often find myself being negative about my situation).

So the following is a list of what I have learned:

1. How to drive a scooter.
2. How Chinese businesses are run and managed.
3. How the Taiwanese government operates.
4. How to teach adults (teaching children is still a mystery to me).
5. The basics of the Spanish language (yes I realize I'm in Taiwan and I should be learning Chinese, but I am tone deaf and speaking Mandarin is all about tones. I have lots of free time so I've been listening to a program called Coffee Break Spanish on iTunes, I guess to prepare for my return to North America).
6. The last 400 years of Taiwanese history.
7. Stinky tofu is the worst smell in the entire world.
8. How to make a meal entirely from items purchased at 7-11.
9. How to live on $300 for a month.
10. The probability of surviving a fall off of a cliff while hiking.
11. How to entertain myself for a week with $0 and my 8 year old laptop computer.
12. The importance of having a well-paying job.
13. The probability that I will never find a job that I love, so I should find a job that compensates me handsomely.
14. How to kill and avoid cockroaches.
15. How much I love, appreciate, and understand American culture (absence makes the heart grow fonder!)

So as I reflect I find there are several reasons why it has benefited me to be here. The first is that when I return I will appreciate almost any job I get because compared to the work system here, I will be in heaven. The second benefit is that when I return I will be more appreciative of the environment, because it's wonderful knowing/understanding/ being familiar with everything/everyone you come across. I will also appreciate the simple things such as clean air and clean water (things that are not available to me here). I have also developed leadership skills, such as the ability to motivate adults to perform a difficult task. And I now have much better public speaking skills as well. Also, having a stable work history will work in my benefit when I return to look for new work.

So there you have it, my attempt at keeping a positive outlook on my experiences here thus far. There have been a lot of benefits to my being here, although they aren't necessarily related to Taiwan in particular. If you have any questions you'd like to ask me about particular experiences, go ahead and post a comment and I will try to respond. I hope you have enjoyed this post of self-reflection!