I don't like change. The most obvious proof of this is staring you in the face: my blog, which has gone roughly unchanged for the past 5 years. I found a layout I loved, and I've stuck with it, despite the fact that it doesn't really cooperate so well with the "new" (or even "newest") version of Blogger.
Other examples to follow suit:
When my BFFs KyleandFelix quit working at Disney. I didn't like that. It's not because I suddenly found myself with out an "in," but because it hit me that, hey, things really have changed and we will never go back to the way we were, hitting up B&N, snacking on Sprinkles, and gossiping about various cast members that we all associated with (even though I had already Moved On).
When my friends, any friend (not limited to the BFF category), move. If it's just down the street, or a few miles away, fine. But when I suddenly find my friend moving to a completely different city or state (or, heaven-forbid-but-it-happened-anyway) country, I don't like it. I don't like that there is suddenly more distance between us and the difficulty this distance causes me in being able to visit my friend whenever I want to.
And, finally, changes that involve saying Good-bye, possibly forever. This last one has been a pretty constant Theme in my life over the past two or three years, but this time feels different. This time I'm leaving another country that has come to feel like home to me. This time I'm leaving all my students that, while it took a lot of work on my part, I have really fallen in love with. This time it means leaving friends that have helped me to find doctors, fix my watch, and solve a variety of other problems. Friends that speak one of the most beautiful languages on the planet, yet were kind and loving enough to speak to me in my own language while, occasionally, trying to help me learn their own. It means saying goodbye to the nine other girls that I have shared a kitchen and a bathroom with, the girls that I have lived and been frustrated with from (but only frustrated from time to time, not often), the girls that I have stressed and worked with, and the girls that have had to endure a never-ending amount of rants and complaints from me. Some of them are staying on for another six months, some of us are returning to the States, and one of us is heading off on her next great adventure (Bulgaria!).
It's not so much Change itself that I don't like, I guess (change happens, it can't be helped; I mean, thank goodness for it, too, otherwise we'd still be living like the 80's with the big poofy bangs, and those blinding neon colors), it's the part where changing means saying goodbye to one thing so that you can move on to the next.
When they say "Taiwan will touch your heart," they're right. It has truly touched my heart. It has (ironically) changed me in many ways. It will always be a part of, me and the time I spent living here will always be one of my most treasured memories. Here's to hoping that, this time, it's not "good-bye" forever, but "until we meet again" on the beautiful Ilha Formosa.
P.S. Merry Christmas! This year, I'll be celebrating just with my Dad, and, when this posts, traveling around the Southern part of Taiwan before heading off to Hong Kong for adventures galore. If there are two weeks without you hearing from me, it's because I'm having far too much fun with my Daddy (and possibly no internet) to bother with blogs and things like email. If that's the case, then I'll catch you again sometime in January!
Guys, this is why I'm here. (P.S. Sorry for the dis-jointed music videos. Also for my voice.)
These were all taken last Wednesday. For some reason, Coco did NOT want to be on camera.
Also, there are pictures!
HA! You were not fast enough this time, Coco!
This is Tim skipping (hence the blurriness of it all), and it makes me laugh every time I look at it.
Coco and Jack during Eliminations. They were the only two left in the game
I gave everyone a balloon to try to blow up by themselves. Sam was the only successful one by the end of the day, but their facial expressions in the attempts? Classic.
I told Ray to stretch his balloon some more....
THERE WILL BE GREAT, SOBBING TEARS WHEN I LEAVE THESE CHILDRENS!
Dear Future Teachers of the Berhan Language Institute in Taiwan,
If you happen to find this blog before you leave the States/start packing, then you should send one of the current teachers (or myself) an email. You won't need half of the crap things ILP suggests that you bring.
Dear everyone else who is interested in my life,
The semester ends in 19 days. My dad will be here in 19 days. I will be home in 33 days. How has this happened so quickly?
