How I ended up in Taiwan.

Time is sacred. And since I waste so much of it on my own, I try to make up for it in other ways. Like…not sleeping. But, that’s another story. After the holidays/return from Ukraine, I romped around the country visiting friends and making those all important social calls aka sleeping on couches and living out of a suitcase.

Every day I made a consistent effort to look for and apply to a reputable establishment that would pay me to do something for them. A month passed and I decided I couldn’t continue living out of a suit case (eventually, you can’t recognize which side contains clean clothes). So, I made plans to move. Most of the jobs were in D.C. so, logically, I could network more effectively and maybe I could find a room with a closet (a bathroom was also on the list). I joined a list-serv, consulted with a handful of friends already in the area and within a week had a good list of rooms to check out. Everything was looking good (besides rent prices 3x higher than what I previously paid).

But, then I got an e-mail from said list-serv about a Taiwanese school that needed to replace an English-teacher due to a severe biking accident.

This is what I read: “Do you want to ride your bike in Taiwan?”, and submitted my resume.

After a week, they asked me to come!!

However, at this time I had an interview scheduled in D.C. with American Councils (kind of fell in love with them while working at their Ukrainian and Armenian offices). So, after some prayer and counsel from friends and family…I didn’t listen to anyone and flipped a coin. (okay, someone did tell me to flip a coin…) But, seriously. You know when you have those decisions where the pros and cons balance out, and half of your friends logically tell you why one is right and the other half perfectly persuade you to pick the other - THAT’S MY LIFE! And I felt that God was taking the hands-off approach so I couldn’t blame him if I had any regrets…he’s pretty omniscient and stuff.

Anyways, I threw logic out the window…because I’m not in graduate school anymore, and decided to check out Asia.

But, that was just the start of the crazy. My passport was expiring in June, and In order to get a visa I had to renew. This required a trip to Dallas, so I could expedite it fast enough to also get a visa.

Here’s the crazy that got me in Taiwan (just the highlights - I don't want to let you know how crazy I really am...)

Feb. 8 - replied to the advertisement.

Feb. 9 - sent my resume.

Feb. 14 - accepted the position and had a great date with my adorable niece. (okay, we practically went on dates every day...but she's my favorite!) and a splendid evening at the temple.

Feb. 16 jazz night with Davis AND Ethiopian food. Oh, I  also biked 30 miles…(yeah, kind of crazy. But, the weather was finally perfect!!)

Feb. 19 - renewed my passport in Dallas; AND IT ONLY TAKES 3 HOURS so, I visited downtown and stopped at the art museums including the Crow Collection of Asian Art - getting excited to go to Asia!

Feb. 20 - bought plane tickets (technically I was supposed to have these before I expedited my passport...but, let's just say chivalry is not dead. ;) )

Feb. 21 - submitted my visa application to the Taiwanese Economic and Culture office in Kansas City

Feb. 22 - went Mtn. biking (this biking thing is probably what really sold me, not gonna lie.)

Feb. 25 - found out I forgot to pay for my Visa. WHOOPS!! (STOP RUSHING ME, I make mistakes!)

Feb. 26 - over-nighted my payment and a new application (I also forgot to sign said application…SEE, just don’t rush me.)

Feb. 28 - mad that the post-office’s guaranteed overnight delivery was fake HOLY COW! It’s already March?

March 2 - Went to the OKC Philharmonic with my music man, Davis, where we were mesmerized by the masters Mozart and Mahler.

March 3 - prayers that the post office could really guarantee overnight delivery.

March 4 - SPENT 7 HOURS ON THE PHONE WITH EVER POSTAL-OFFICE WORKER IN THE COUNTRY. WENT TO EVERY POST-OFFICE IN NORMAN, OKLAHOMA. ACQUIRED THE CELL-PHONE NUMBERS TO 2 POSTAL-WORKERS HELPING ME FIND MY PACKAGE. MADE 2 new best friends. Finally found out at 4 am from new bf, that my passport and visa were still MIA. Called Orbitz and then Delta to change my flight.

Literally, my plan was to pick up my passport from the Oklahoma City distribution office on my way to the airport. Sadly, some people are incompetent. (I, however, really respect and appreciate the sincere help I received from the Post Office and do not blame them in any way. If people actually did their jobs right, problems wouldn’t happen.) Bumps in the road.

March 5 - FOUND MY PASSPORT!!! PARTY AT THE POST OFFICE!!!

Finished packing, cleaning, and spent another sleepless night in order to catch my plane!!
It took 3 weeks from the initial e-mail until I left for Taiwan. That was crazy! But, at least I didn’t waste any time.