Since the rapture didn't happen, it means we all have to get back to our responsibilities and commitments. I'm actually kind of happy about that. I'm in the middle of a lot of interesting things, and if the world had ended, I wouldn't have been able to go to Hong Kong to see my mom.
Time to be honest about some things, I think.
I haven't been completely happy here.
That's a bit of an understatement.
I really hated it here for a long time.
It's no one's fault. I'm not blaming my program, the friends I've made, or even Taiwan. But this experience for a long time was none of what I was expecting. I complained pretty extensively to my mother and close friends and left it at that. I had work to do, classes to go to, and projects that needed to be completed on time. Making deadlines has historically been difficult for me, and when I leave here, I leave. That's it.
So, I figured if I didn't have anything positive to say, then say nothing at all. I beat myself up about not posting because not everyone gets to travel, so I didn't have the luxury of being unhappy.
This is not to say that I spent every moment of my time in abject misery. There were moments where I found satisfaction, and I sucked those moments dry to find the strength to keep going. And I threw myself into my research here: working with my advisor, refining my topic, working on my proposal, and steeling myself not to give up. I could have. The temptation was there; there were a lot inconveniences and obstacles, not the least of which was that I couldn't take books out of the library, and I needed a bibliography. So I needed to get creative.
And then, like magic, everything came together for me. The end is in sight, all I have to do is complete my research, take a final, write a couple of papers, complete my online job training, and I'm on my way.
Life is glorious. Living often isn't. But the unromantic moments (or days, or weeks, or even longer) help us enjoy those romantic moment when they hit us over the head.
I'll talk more about my research project on Tuesday. Enjoy not being raptured.
Time to be honest about some things, I think.
I haven't been completely happy here.
That's a bit of an understatement.
I really hated it here for a long time.
It's no one's fault. I'm not blaming my program, the friends I've made, or even Taiwan. But this experience for a long time was none of what I was expecting. I complained pretty extensively to my mother and close friends and left it at that. I had work to do, classes to go to, and projects that needed to be completed on time. Making deadlines has historically been difficult for me, and when I leave here, I leave. That's it.
So, I figured if I didn't have anything positive to say, then say nothing at all. I beat myself up about not posting because not everyone gets to travel, so I didn't have the luxury of being unhappy.
This is not to say that I spent every moment of my time in abject misery. There were moments where I found satisfaction, and I sucked those moments dry to find the strength to keep going. And I threw myself into my research here: working with my advisor, refining my topic, working on my proposal, and steeling myself not to give up. I could have. The temptation was there; there were a lot inconveniences and obstacles, not the least of which was that I couldn't take books out of the library, and I needed a bibliography. So I needed to get creative.
And then, like magic, everything came together for me. The end is in sight, all I have to do is complete my research, take a final, write a couple of papers, complete my online job training, and I'm on my way.
Life is glorious. Living often isn't. But the unromantic moments (or days, or weeks, or even longer) help us enjoy those romantic moment when they hit us over the head.
I'll talk more about my research project on Tuesday. Enjoy not being raptured.
Soe great insight in this post, Marjorie.
ReplyDelete"Life is glorious. Living often isn't." - that is a great line.
Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. I look forward to following your journey!
-Shannon
In the lead up to being where you need to be (emotionally, professionally, physically, etc) lots of bad stuff tends to happen. You're right, living often isn't sunshines and rainbows. But finding the little moments that are like a warm blanket helps the sucky ones go by faster.
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