30 December 2012

Day 6 in Taiwan

We have been in Taiwan for about six days now. Living in Taoyuan City which is just outside of Taipei. We started our observations for teaching about four days after we arrived and we are told this is a relaxed form of the way Gloria usually does things. Other teachers have told us that they started observing and teaching a day or two after they arrived. Whereas we are in the middle of a four day weekend (starting on the 29th to the 1st) and we don't start more observations until the 2nd.

But I am thankful that our transition has been more relaxed because I was a zombie when we first arrived. While Rick seemed to adjust quickly to the time change, all I wanted to do was sleep all day and then wake up at 4AM for some reason. Which worked out well for being able to to skype on Christmas with family but did not work out that well for my sleep pattern. But finally, I think I am finally adjusted to the time zone.

While I am excited to be here, I miss home terribly. I miss my mother, my family, my best friend, and all of my other friends. I miss waking up in my bed. I miss my dog. I miss snow. Never thought I would say that.

I think today this might be hitting me harder as the internet is out in our dorm. So there is a lot less to do to waste the day away. We are currently sitting in a cafe using their free wifi to let our loved ones know that we might be harder to reach in the next couple of days. Hopefully it is fixed before then but I am betting we won't have any internet leading up to New Year's. 

Our plans for New Year's are still up in the air. To go to Taipei, to stay in Taoyuan, or to stay in bed with a good book and a cup of tea. Decisions, decisions.

- Melissa

23 December 2012

Countdown: Eight Hours

Our travel plans go as follows:

Eight hours till take off. 
Our flight leaves Buffalo at 6AM to Washington. 
4 hour layover in Washington 
14 hour flight to Tokyo. 
2 hour layover.
5hour flight to Taipei and we arrive.

9PM in Taipei (local time) so we will have (hopefully) arrived by 8AM Eastern.

Exciting day. Terrifying day. Wish us luck.

- Melissa


28 November 2012

Less than a month away

I decided I wanted to post and I knew what I wanted to say but now that I'm sitting here, it is hard to put it into words. It has really start to hit me in the past week or so that we will be gone for a year. That I won't be seeing a lot of people for an entire year. I know in my last post I said that I didn't think it would hit me until we arrived but I was wrong. I am just starting to realize how much can change in a year, how different "home" will be when we return.

It is getting scarier to think about leaving and how little time I have left to hang out with friends. But it is still very exciting to think about.  The exact same things that scare me also work to make me more excited about coming back. How different everything will be when I return, not just because things have changed but I expect that I will be a different person after my experience.

Since my realization that this is actually happening, I have been trying to spend as much time with friends and family as possible. It is hard since everyone is so busy with school but I am trying. 26 days till we leave. Wish me luck.

- Melissa

1 November 2012

Getting closer..

In 51 days, 21 hours, 54 minutes and give or take a few seconds, we will be on our way to Taiwan. 

We've booked our flight. We leave December 23rd at 6AM and we won't arrive in Taiwan until December 24 at 9PM. Even though we have booked the flight, it still doesn't feel real to me. You'd think it would since there has already been a few occasions where I have broken out into tears over realizing something I will be missing back home. But it still doesn't feel real. I'm the kind of person where I don't start getting scared until the roller coaster starts to slowly ascend, and I wasn't scared when I went skydiving until he said, "Okay now put your feet outside of the plane." Maybe it will feel real when we get on the plane for takeoff and I start to freak out over the pain that my ears endure. Maybe.

- Melissa

16 October 2012

Offered a Job

So this is the start to our adventures living abroad. This blog will hopefully keep all of our interested family members and friends updated on what we're up to. 

We have both been offered a job in Taiwan for Gloria English Schools in Taoyan County, starting in December. This all happened this morning so it is still very shocking but I'm already looking up prices for flights so I guess that means it is all real.

In just over two months, we will be in Taiwan.

- Melissa