If there’s anything I’ve learned from the things life has thrown at me, it’s that people have their own reasons for making the choices they make. Moving to Korea as a foreign language teacher is no different; we’re all here for our own reasons, at varying stages in life, and with diverse intentions.
Another marvelous day has come and gone in 2015. March 8th marked International Women’s Day, and its significance isn’t lost on us females who are exploring the world on solo journeys. In honor of the beautiful day and celebration, I’d like to present some of the top fearless female bloggers who are out making a name for themselves as solo travelers. These women to me represent courage, ambition, and fearlessness.
So what makes Taiwan’s tea plantations so special? For one thing, the climate is perfect for growing tea. High mountains provide the cool temperatures needed. Combine that with high humidity and fertile soil, and the tea leaves have the exact conditions they need to grow slowly and develop their flavor.
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.
Singapore has a reputation for being quite a pricy place to visit, but this isn’t always the case. Stephanie Long brings us this amazing article about 10 things to do on a budget in Singapore.
Living abroad is one of the most exhilarating and life changing experiences a person can have, and those of us who are lucky enough to have the experience can attest to the positive changes expats can go through while living in another country.
Having the ability to speak the language in Taiwan, or in any location, will open up your experience so much more. I have lost count of how many times I have felt on the outside of a conversation being had in mandarin by my friends or people I know here. Jokes will be told that I don’t get, plans will be made that I hear about afterwards, locations exist that I cannot find. Worse than all of this is feeling like a burden to a group who want to speak mandarin but they have to keep explaining everything to me in English. I hate being that guy.