Tag: advice for living abroad

Today’s interview is with Sara Keyes, an American teacher in Taipei, Taiwan. Sara shares her story about teaching in Taiwan and traveling to nearby destinations.

After a while in your new country though, you start to realize little tips and tricks that make life easier. You know all the short cuts on the subway, and you can recognize a phony western food restaurant from a mile away. In Taiwan there are little truths to be had that all expats come across eventually.

It has been three and a half years of a journey since you sat there that day on your bed looking over everything you were packing to head off on your way to Bali. As you sit there looking over your whole life in a bag for the next year, the buzz of excitement mixed with anticipation and a healthy dash of fear swimming around in your stomach, you never could have foreseen the ups, downs, twists and turns, and general direction your year abroad would take.

My first Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) in Taiwan has been exciting and confusing to say the least. From being gifted new exotic fruits by my landlord to being handed red envelopes at every bank I pop into, there’s a whirlwind of new customs and traditions I’m being exposed to daily.

Teaching abroad can be one of the most rewarding experiences in your life. But it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and forget to step back, take a look at the bigger picture, and make sure that you are getting the most out of your time abroad.

Our latest teacher to agree to interview with us is Amy Harper. She left her life behind in the UK to pursue a teaching position in South Korea. Not satisfied with just one location in Asia she set her goals to make the move to teaching in Taiwan where she currently teaches young learners.

I’ve come a long way from those first few weeks, and looking back on the things I wrote down in my journals that confused me now make me laugh. A few of them are a bit embarrassing to share since it’s so obvious what a naïve traveler I can be at times, but this is all in good fun and you promise not to judge me right?

I knew from the beginning that it wasn’t going to be an easy year living abroad and one of the biggest challenges was going to be homesickness. But it was something that I just knew that I not only wanted, but needed to do for myself.