Within about 72 hours of landing, I already had my first riding date arranged with Marc Walliser from the office … I have yet to receive my own bike, so he was kind enough to lend me a very nice Rocky Mountain for the task. Awesome!
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Today I landed in America. Months of theory are suddenly turned into practice, and amidst a haze of jet lag and general exhaustion from having gift-wrapped a previous chapter of my life, I am suddenly presented with such a wall of potential experience lying in wait that I can do little more at this point than shake my head and wonder how the hell it all happened to fast.
Relaxed rushing around in Taipei taking care of paperwork like ending cell phone contracts and ensuring bank accounts can be accessed, was matched with quite the most surreal experience of the year; watching a team of impossibly polite strangers pack your life into boxes and crates, with nothing but a ‘sorry sir’ and ‘excuse me sir’ to engage with. Luckily, a rather wonderful group of friends was there to scoop me up and treat me to my last bites of Taiwan, ending the culinary experience as it began; with a plate of Gongbiao Chicken in a loud and roudy restaurant, naturally washed down with some jars of Taiwan pijiu.
Hugs and rushed goodbyes complete, Yuyin and I made our way through the rain to the airport, ironically tracing the steps I made out to Hongshulin all those years ago (ie: along back roads, full of betelnut girls and dodgy furniture stores). A hop, skip (Tokyo Narita) and a jump, and before we knew it we had cleared customs and were blazing through the city on our way to our temporary accommodation. The day was full of ironies, but top amongst them is surely that our apartment friend Erick of Facebook fame can virtually see into our living room. Well, almost.
What a day to land. A photogenic city in the worst of light, today it was bathed in a clear, warm blanket of autumnal sunshine. Kicking off proceedings at Hog Island Oyster Company at the base of Market Street in the Ferry Building, crisp Napa white wine washed down oysters where zesty flavours whipped, cracked and fizzed in my mouth, the flavour experience extending beyond the tongue, into the roof of my mouth and somehow down into my belly. Suggested serving: under blue Californian autumnal skies.
A Blue Bottle coffee (the best cappuccino i have ever had?) and a banana tartlet later, and it was time to take in the Embarcadero, slowly approaching the sea. Yuyin and I were shaking our heads in disbelief all the way, but it was all we could do to stop ourselves turning back when we saw the silhouette of the Golden Gate Bridge set against a perfect graduation of oranges and reds, sliding into the Pacific Ocean. Stop this now. Leave some for later! It must be downhill from here. But keep me believing – you can see why people wrote songs about this place.
Tomorrow, the gluey bits start to come together; social security, initial apartment hunting, and meeting colleagues for the first time. But for now, I am happy to relive perfect autumnal oysters, set on the most perfectly fabulous plate I could imagine.
Seven and a half years ago, almost to the day, I arrived in Taiwan with a rucksack, a pack of CDs, a job with a little-known computer company and not a clue about what the future might hold.
I came for a year of experience in Asia, to see if I could cut it as a proper designer, and with a vague notion of getting paid for an extended period of backpacking.
I could not have predicted the depth and breadth of the experience, the amount I learnt about both the world and myself, the formation of such lasting, granite-strong friendships, and that I would form such a strong bond with this little island in the Pacific Ocean.
It is all of this and more that has given me the opportunity to be where I am right now; somewhere above Okinawa, a beautiful girl by my side, a job offer from one of the most exciting organisations in the world, and the goal to make a new home in a place that I thought only existed in the movies. Every time I think about all of this, I shake my head in disbelief and let out a little English-sounding murmur. Beautiful madness.
I’ll miss you, Taiwan. The worn-in familiarity of an old pair of jeans, the warmth and openness of the people, the love for food that is woven into the culture, scenery to make you weep, and enough crazy little details to make me laugh every single day. My secret little gem; a speck in the Pacific Ocean I came to call ‘home’.
How to pack your life into boxes, in 12 easy steps:
Voila!
A quick 48 hours in London to catch up with some old friends and reacquaint ourselves with the old city.
Man I wish I had made it to see Fiona Banner at Tate Britain though.
Final step on our super-quick European tour was Zurich, where our airplane was going to be leaving from, and where we had to return the rental car to. I had visited Switzerland a couple of times as a kid, but never as an adult, and never any of the cities.
As a place to drop into for 24 hours, it was absolutely perfect. Hook up with a local for some recommendations, strap on the boots and the camera, and prepare yourself for some preposterously cute little streets and deftly attired people in bijou cafes.
It’s been a while since I met Robbie, my flatmate and one of my best friends while at university in Glasgow. We actually managed to link up in Kyoto, while he was at a neuroscience conference (it’s not exactly brain surgery), but this was the first time I have managed to visit his grown-up home (not counting the family home in Göttingen).
Driving up from Konstanz to the northern tip of Bavaria, Wurzburg finds itself in the wine-growing region of the country. I can confirm this to be a fact, as each time we crossed the bridge from one side of the town to the other, we had a glass of wine. It was like some kind of adolescent fairy-tale.
Coinciding with Halloween, we went to one of Robbie’s PHD student’s party, and won second prize for dressing up as a pair of spectacles; photos on the way!
A lovely little excursion through the roundabout-strewn Switzerland, to Bregenz in Austria, up a cable car, down to Lindau in Germany, and back in time for dinner. Not bad!
A lovely stop in Konstanz was marked with learning to cook Gongbao Chicken with Yuyin’s grandfather; the first Chinese chef in the Bodensee area … that man has some incredible stories.
