Reconnecting

It's been 10 years since I was in highschool.
One month until I turn 27.

This is a pivotal point in one's life.
I didn't expect or plan to live past 27.
I was a negative/chaotic-minded teen.

Surrendered not empowered.
But now we are moving onward and upward.

I think I have figured it out.
To deal with trauma and emotional turmoil I gained the habit of avoidance.
Avoiding reality. Not dealing with things. If I can heal these things then I will be able to move past a lot of unnecessary anxiety burdening me every moment of my existence until I bandage up the feeling with avoidance.

The importance and meaning acquired from travel

So I feel I must write this

The importance of waking up to the world and all its wonders

Encountering different communities and ideas

Stepping beyond our boundaries and our ideas

This is the future we can create with out choices now

Take that step

Be awakened

https://www.amazon.com/Work-Your-Around-World-Globetrotters/dp/1780591837

this book got me started :)

Living Alternatively

I would like to briefly discuss what I feel it means to 'Live Alternatively'.

There are many ideas and ways to do this.

Everyone has their voice and I really want these voices to be heard and remembered. So perhaps that should be my goal or medium.

Grassroots.
DIY culture.

These reign true to me on all levels.

I just can't understand popularized washed down western garbage media.

Even being a psych major I don't understand how people swallow this pill.

But I suppose i've been out of this world for so long that of course I can't relate..

To be finished..

(Firstly my transition to Taiwan and how I got here) then What it is like to teach at a cram school in Taipei..

As many of you are probably curious to my current experience I will thus relay some information.

So.. You want to know perhaps what it is like to teach at a buxiban (cram school) in Taiwan, specifically Taipei?

Even if you don't hopefully you will find some interest in this article anyway ;)

So I have been in Taiwan about 4 months now.

My story is I always knew that I wanted to teach English in asia at some point. Ideally Japan, Korea, or not China.

And as I made my way to this eastern hemisphere I had the same notion.
To teach English somewhere NE, Complete a Working Holiday in Australia (yet to do), and travel around somewhat aimlessly to discover the land and the people of Asia.

So far I have only discovered a bit of Bali, Indonesia, briefly western Malaysia, Borneo Malaysia, and Luzon Philippines.

My accidental life in Taiwan happened due to wanting to spend Christmas in a celebrating country. So for asia that limits the choices to the Philippines. I had a flight already to Thailand that I missed due to not wanting to spend Christmas there. So I cut my loses and extended my Philippines visa another month to enjoy (which I did and can write about in another blog if wishes) Christmas in this very festive country!

So of course I was lacking money from missing my flight (which I never do, but Christmas meant that much to me oddly enough). And I noticed the cheapest flight from Manila is to Taiwan.

I thought.. hm I have like one friend there from college in Oklahoma. I know it will be more cold and expensive, but let's use couchsurfing and do it. See if we can experience Chinese New Year and make a trip around the island by bike (also a goal) or an English teaching job or two.

I knew basically nothing about Taiwan or Chinese New Year but am used to jumping into the pot and when the water is boiling you learn quickly.

I expected Chinese New Year to be a showy festive holiday.

Then the reality of how 'boring'(different) this culture can be compared to it's expressive loud Catholic neighbor. So basically for CNY there isn't the assumed dragon parades everywhere and parties in the street. Instead it is quite the opposite. Everyone leaves the city to do their family obligations and goes indoors.

If you don't have an invite this can feel terribly boring as everything closes for a bit and there isn't much of an open festivity that I am used to. But I was lucky enough to get invited to a CNY celebration near Taichung from a friendly Taiwanese pharmacist business man and a friend of a friend from North Carolina.

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A life best lived

A life best lived is one that is not being held captive.

To be renewed and allowed to flourish.

Oftentimes I have come to be reminded that we are often policing ourselves due to past experiences, feedback, and cultivated idea from our care-givers and our society at hand.

In this day and age we have so much powerful tools to work with, but it is up to us to use them wisely and to benefit our daily lives.

I grew up in the 90s. The first wave of technological babies, Then the millenias.. and that is a different story.

I often have due to projected pain from others stored a lot of dis-ease as an empath.

I have gotten some apologies and clarity since then, but I still have to fight the stubborn demons of the mind.. Plaguing me with false concerns.

And we get the visit from the peril of sloth often as well.. or the opposite of hyper tension.

Anyway I am ranting with background but just would like to release that I want to begin a journey of healing myself with words.

So often I am a standby contributor and I feel this isn't my place anymore.

We all have a voice and I believe should encouraged to use it and thus encourage and empower others.

Well hello blogging worlds. I am going to give this a try. To be open, honest, and raw.

This is a start to a new beautiful self expression which I believe is much needed.

I hope you all appreciate my efforts, but even if you don't I am doing this most importantly for myself.