Almost a year ago, I wrote down my prediction for how I’d adjust to moving abroad. Knowing how I normally react to big changes, I predicted that I would hate it the first couple of months, then learn to love it, then finally reach a plateau. Now that we’ve been in Taiwan for half a year, I thought about this post and how far or close it was to reality.
When we first arrived in Taipei after a 2-month trip in Europe, I didn’t really like our new home. Compared to places that we had just visited like Florence and Barcelona, I’ll be completely honest – Taipei isn’t the most visually appealing city. 🙊 Some buildings look run-down and grubby, electric wires hang haphazardly, and the skies were grey and gloomy (at least during August when we first arrived). I even began to wonder if we should have moved to Spain instead.
Luckily, that feeling lasted for only a couple of weeks and not months. I started to appreciate how safe, cheap and convenient it is to live here, and how quickly we felt at home in this foreign place. I had worried about how the boys would adjust, but the move was like any other day to them. 😂 From when we first landed in Taiwan to their first day of school, they remain completely unfazed. I’m beyond grateful and proud of their resilience.
I already shared what we love about Taiwan so I won’t repeat that here, but it’s safe to say that my old blog post is pretty inaccurate. Six months in, the honeymoon phase still hasn’t ended for us. We are always discovering something new and fascinating. We miss the energy and comfort of Taipei whenever we’re traveling. The language barrier is still a challenge but living here only motivates us to continue improving.
Maybe one day, Taipei will lose its shine and we’ll grow to be nonchalant about it. But for now, Taipei is our home, our new normal. And I already know that when we leave this place, I will miss it immensely.
Hongs Abroad 