Taiwan 台灣

(It's a good place!)

You know when you need to do something that won't be pleasant, so you keep putting it off, but the longer you put it off the harder it is to do? This blog post is kind of like that. I've been meaning to write this for a couple weeks now, and finally... well.

Last post- last month (sorry)- I said I had some news for everyone, and the news is: this is the final post of the blog. I've been in Taiwan for 19 months now. Over a year and a half! I remember before I left California, before any of this happened, telling my parents that I would only be gone for six months, maybe seven... I had no idea I would like Taiwan this much.

Taiwan really is a beautiful place. If reading this blog hasn't convinced you of that, I don't know what will. The people are friendly, the scenery is great, the food is delicious, and the culture is really interesting. The ministry is fruitful- there aren't even 10,000 baptized publishers in the country yet, but last year over 600 new people were baptized as servants of Jehovah. And here in Taipei especially, the atmosphere is just about perfect for foreigners coming to learn Chinese, with lots of support coming from both our Taiwanese friends and those foreigners who have been living here a bit longer.

And so I'm a little bit sad to consider that I'm leaving soon. In fact, this time next week I'll be on the plane! Taiwan has been nothing but good for me, and I hope the feeling is mutual- but, things change. Life is change, and just because one good thing is coming to an end, doesn't mean there won't be even better things in the future. So, there it is. I'm leaving Taiwan, and therefore this blog- Tang's Taiwan- has to come to an end. After all, it wouldn't really make much sense to have a blog called Tang's Taiwan if Tang isn't actually in Taiwan, would it?

I know I've been putting out updates more and more infrequently as time goes on, and I apologize for that. I hope you all enjoyed my pictures and stories. I hope you were encouraged by the news from this little corner of the world. I hope you'll look at my story, and think, "Maybe Taiwan isn't so bad. Maybe I could learn Chinese. Maybe I should go visit Taipei for a month or two and see what happens." Since I've been here, I've seen probably fifty people come and go from different countries all over the world, and I can honestly tell you only two of them genuinely didn't like Taiwan. Give it a shot. Step on over into Taiwan. You've got a 96% chance of being happy you tried it out.

Of course, I'll miss many things in Taiwan. These last few weeks, I've been on a kind of farewell tour, revisiting some of my favorite places and seeing some things I didn't have a chance to before. For example, I finally visited the old mining town of Jiufen.

Fog rolling in from the sea...

Jiufen is in all the tourist brochures. People who only come to Taiwan for a week go to see it, but it took me a year and a half before I finally got to check it out! Jiufen was a really big deal back when Japan controlled Taiwan; they struck coal in the mountains not too far away from Keelung, and sent people to begin working on the rich veins. What they didn't know at the time, was that beneath the coal there also lay gold! So in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Jiufen was a Japanese-style boomtown, and just as quickly as it grew, it was abandoned just as soon as the gold ran out.

I find the history fascinating, but that's not the reason most people go to see Jiufen- it's the unique look of the town, especially at night, that draws crowds.

Old streets

Many famous movies- at least, famous in Asia- got their set inspiration from Jiufen, and not only is it beautiful, their tea tastes great. Seriously, just walking around the village was really nice. I can see why people travel so far to see it.

Old Japanese houses...

Beautiful gardens...

Mountain views...

To be honest, there wasn't all that much to do there; they have a mining museum, which was interesting to me at least, and lots of tea shops selling delicious snacks, and of course the scenic views of the city, but if you want excitement you should probably go somewhere else.

But then, in the end, it is all about who you're with, isn't it? Even the most exciting thing can be ruined if you go with the wrong people, and even boring things can be made fun if you go with good friends. I think that's what I'll miss most about Taiwan; my good friends. I have made so many friendships in the last year and a half; it's unbelievable how easy it is to make friends here. I mean, take Joe for instance:

Seen here stylishly holding a large snake

I had no idea who he was when I agreed to let him move into my house as one of my roommates. All I knew was, I had an empty room, and there were two English brothers- Joel and Joe- arriving in Taiwan in a few days. So, they moved in, and we became really good friends! Even after Joel left Taiwan, Joe stayed (to the relief of all our Taiwanese friends, who can't hear the difference between "Joel" and "Joe"), and has grown to become one of my closest friends. He's staying here for a few more years, he says, and then maybe he'll go to Malaysia.

Really, this congregation is very close, and we're always doing things together; it's hard to not have lots of friends!

Scott, Melissa, Ayaha, 吳姊妹，林姊妹，Ashleigh, Chatham...

Alix, Yunya, Brandy, Yunmei, Joe (again), 圤弟兄姊妹，Eddie, Marco, Hyunjik, Jingwen...

I can't make a full list of anyone, because I know I'll forget people and they might be sad. I'll miss all of you, and I hope we can keep in touch!

Even working in Taiwan wasn't too bad! I mean, no one likes to work; that's why they pay you for it. Still, I was fortunate enough to have mostly good relationships with all of my students and their parents, and I'll miss some of them, too!

Like Don and his mom Kate- not just English students, they actually attended Memorial this year!

It's a bit unfortunate, actually- I've been giving away all of my private students and handing over all of my jobs, so now I only have one last class before I leave, and that makes me suddenly have lots of free time; my friends, however, have to keep working, so it's been a little difficult organizing times to meet with them before I go! We still have a week left, though, and I hope I can see lots of people before I do finally take off.

Rounding out my farewell tour, I went to a beach in northern Taiwan called Baishawan- (白沙灣White Sand Bay). I still haven't gone to Kenting, the famous Hawaii-esque beach in southern Taiwan, and at this point I don't think I'll be able to before I leave... but that just gives me another reason to come back for a visit! Even though it was cloudy the day I went to Baishawan, it's been hot in Taiwan for about two months already, and it was a nice day to go play in the surf.

Glorious!

Baishawan is also, apparently, a good place to surf, and they even have all-day longboard rentals for NT$500- about US$15. I don't know how to surf, to the disappointment of everyone who knows I'm from California, but I have always wanted to learn... it's a shame the friends I was with didn't want to get some lessons while we were there! Still, beautiful clear water, nice surf, warm sand and nice trails make for a good day trip.

Speaking of trails, after hanging out on the beach for a few hours we found a trail that lead us out onto a little cape north of the beach, so we went to check it out. 

Off we go!

Apparently this cape was made the last time Yangmingshan, the volcano just north of Taipei, erupted- about 14,000 years ago. Incredible to think that a mountain over fifty miles away could affect terrain so far away, and so strongly! (Don't worry; the volcano is still active, but the scientists at the National Taiwan University say it won't erupt for another 100,000 years.)

Not as nice a beach, but a nice walk

As we walked, we talked about the past, the future, Taiwan and our lives. It's hard to not get a little nostalgic when making such a big change, but having friends can make everything better- even if you have to leave those friends behind. But nothing is forever. We'll see each other again. And although I'm going off to live my life, it's not like their lives will stop just because I'm not around, so in a way you could say they'll be leaving me behind.

I will miss them, though.

Although this is the last post I will make on this blog, I'm considering starting a new one- I haven't decided yet. If I do, it will be primarily pictures, without so much text. I'm not going to take this blog down, and as always, I get notifications when you leave comments, so please feel free to drop me a line whenever you want. I know that a lot of people who read this blog don't live in America, but if you want to know more, and you know her, talk to my mom.

If all this seems a little sudden to you, maybe you might feel comforted if I told you it seems sudden to me too. Although many things in our future remain nebulous and unknown, one thing is for sure- as long as we continue pursuing Kingdom interests, our future is bright. May Jehovah's blessing be with all his people.

Until we talk again.

I'm on a rock!