What is it like?

Hey everyone!  So a lot of people are asking what it is like here in Taiwan.  But, my answers have been lacking, normally I say, "good," "fine," or "interesting," none of these words really answer the question, "What is it like?"  I would like to address that question with a better answer.

It is like nothing I have ever experienced before.  Everything is new, the smells, the buildings, the scenery-some trees I have never seen before in my life, the people, the culture, and the language.
Here, I am away from just about everyone and everything I know.  It is very easy to get homesick if you focus on how strange everything is instead of looking at it as a amazing adventure.  Sometimes I do get homesick, but not for the reasons some people back home thought I would.  I do not miss American food.  Particularly because in the cities, especially in Hualien where I am living, there are many American restaurants; as well as, German, Italian, Indian, Japanese, etc.  I can even get American snack foods and chocolate here, like Oreo's and Hershey's; they are just really expensive. What I miss are people.  Not people who speak English, although that would be nice to have, but family and friends.  Back in America and Canada I have family that I miss talking to face to face.  I have some friends that I use to see a lot, and I miss seeing their faces and hearing their voices.  This will be a little off track, but if I had to lose either my sight or my hearing, I would choose my sight, because I would miss hearing the voices of my friends and family.  Thankfully, someone invented Skype, so I am able to talk to some of my family and occasionally a couple friends, but it is still not the same.  I will even admit I miss my old job.  The work atmosphere was deteriorating by the time I was hired, and by the time I left it was pretty awful.  However, I did enjoy what I was doing, it was a lot of fun on some days and I do miss it.  I also miss most of my coworkers; I wish I could say I missed them all, but unfortunately I am human and far from perfect!

Something else I miss is my church group, I miss the Gospel Hall.  I miss singing hymns during the service, and I miss breaking the bread every Sunday instead of just the first of every month like it is done here in Taiwan.  I have not been to a place that has followed the instruction of the Bible quite as closely as the Gospel Hall.  A few years back, I did some digging into the scriptures to see for myself what the Bible said about how the Church should be conducted, and what I found I saw done in the Gospel Halls'.  I do particularly miss the Jackson Gospel Hall.  I met some great fellow believers there when I was living in the area, and I had planned to move there by this coming summer.  But, the Lord had other plans.
Here in Taiwan, because of the culture and the way the people were raised, the set up of the Church is very different.  However, God sent me here to serve the people not to tell them I think they are wrong, because everyone has a different opinions and each person is allowed to make their own choice, and each person will answer to God for the decisions they have made.  I will not answer for others, only myself.  So, in my opinion, it is easy to get along with others even though they have different beliefs, because it is not my job to judge, I am not God. Sorry, I kind of went of on a tangent there; it is bound to happen once in a while.

It seems like being here is more negative than positive, but I do not think it is possible to describe how amazing the good parts are.  I am both introverted and independent.  So I really like alone time and I do not like clingy people.  I was afraid coming here, I would have to do everything with another person, you know the buddy system, but to my delight I was wrong.  Here I can go walking buy myself to get breakfast, or go into town for grocery's or shopping, and I can choose to do it alone-which is usually what I end up doing.  It is nice to travel buy myself to another city and not have to worry about being with another person, allowing me to fully enjoy the time I send in that city. Otherwise, I would have to be sensitive to the other person and careful about what I say.  Which is not too hard to do, but it is nice to have a break and be able to not say anything almost all day. Another bonus is I can practice my Chinese more, because no one is with me to immediately assume I do not understand and then translate everything for me.  I guess the word I am looking for is Freedom.  I am free to decide where to travel and when to travel.  I am free to be independent and be adventurous alone.  I plan my own budget, which I guess is not that new, because I started that before I even came here.  I have been able to have a routine sleep schedule.  I get up at 0600 every day when I am in Hualien; except on weekends, because I permit myself to sleep in until 0630-0700.  When I moved to Jackson for a year to do my schooling, I did experience independence and being responsible for a lot more things, but living in another country is reaches a whole new level.  So while I do miss home sometimes, I find myself feeling the way I did in Jackson but more so, I am happy to be on my own, and just be myself.  I have found I am growing more in my personal convictions, learning more about God than I ever had before, and learning to rely on Him for everything, everyday.  I guess another way it could be put is: I am more independent by being dependent on God.