It's been two years

I can't believe it's been two years. (Two years exactly to the day for me.)

Even as a proud planning-obsessed organization freak, I know that life isn't something you can truly plan. Things happen for a reason. And let's be honest, no matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to plan things as perfectly as God has put this beautiful, crazy life together.

We planned to stay for one year. But we planned that knowing there was an option (and a good possibility) to stay longer (or shorter for that matter).

Two years.

That is a long time. Maybe not in the greater scheme of things, but it's a long time. Two years is 730 days. It's 17,520 hours. It's 1,051,200 minutes. That's a long time. Especially when the idea of a new adventure, of any adventure, is to soak up, experience, live, breathe every      single       minute.

I have to say, these past two years in Taiwan, I have fully lived every one of those million minutes. Each one isn't always perfect, and granted, some of that living includes vegging in front of the tv, but I haven't regretted or wasted many of the minutes I've spent here.

I think I'm speaking for both myself and Colton, but I'll let him speak his piece. (hint hint colton - your turn to post! ahem)

My love for Taiwan is something that can't really be explained in just one blog post, maybe not even in one blog, period. But I thought I could quickly explain a few of the reasons we keep extending our apartment contract every few months, and re-signing at our jobs.

If I'm being completely honest with myself, one of the first things that pops into my head when I think of why I love Taiwan is safety. I've never been anywhere where I feel so safe, so...joyfully unafraid. As much as I want to live that way at all times in the States, it can be difficult with the things that happen and the media the way it is. It's obviously not perfect here, but it's darn near it when it comes to safety. As most of you know, I'm a major night owl, I can't help it. Well, now I know why - I was born here, it's in my blood. The nightlife thrives here, if you want something, don't go out before noon to get it, nothing is open, go at midnight though, you'll have no troubles finding what you need. And being a night owl, you can see why it thrills me that I can walk around all by myself in the middle of the night (and I mean MIDDLE of the night - like in-the-middle-of-your-3am-rem-cycle kind of middle), I can walk around by myself with zero fear, not a hint of apprehension. This topic could also lead to a veerrryy long post, so I'll just stick to the fact that not once in the past 730 days have I felt threatened or in any sort of danger. It's a feeling of relief and freedom, it's more time to live in the moment.

Another reason is, very simply, it's an adventure! Everything is new, everything is different in some small (or big) way. I know there are new things to see and do back home, and I am constantly reminding myself that one day, when we move home, to never lose the sense of adventure just because we're "back home". Don't get too comfortable on that couch, or in my own backyard. I've always loved exploring, and new adventures, and to say I love to travel is an extreme understatement. Living here is like I've been traveling for two straight years, with the benefit of having a home to come back to to recharge! People ask us all the time when we'll start a family - and believe me, I'm ready, we're ready - but in this moment, at this time, in this place, this chapter is titled "Adventure". One day, probably not too long from now, it'll be "The Next Adventure: Kids". But for now, I'm grateful for this chapter.

There are a ridiculous number of reasons we have stayed in Taiwan - all the obvious reasons are still a factor: food, culture, easy access to travel, learning the language, and so on and on and on. But the last thing I'll leave you with here is...

The people. The Taiwanese and the expats alike - they inspire me in many ways. The Taiwanese are some of the most generous people I know (I knew this before obviously, but it's worth noting!). They are also possibly the hardest working, most honest people. The foreigners - what can I say? I've never met so many different cultures and beliefs in one area before, and to see everyone come together like they've all known each other their entire lives. There is a connection with expats here...and other places too I'm sure. There's something about being the "different ones" that bring us all together to be the same. It is not exclusive or elite or condescending. The foreigners you meet here have some of the most mind-blowing stories to tell, some of the most talented art, and each one brings something new and different and inspiring into your life. I can't find enough words to express how grateful I am that God has blessed me with this opportunity to meet these people. And let me add that this aspect of staying, the people, feeds into the Adventure chapter directly - these amazing people I am so grateful to call dear friends are all generally down for something...anything. There is ALWAYS something going on, some event, some dinner, some hike, some gathering, some random drink in the park, some adventure. There is a mentality of living this moment to the fullest...a mentality that I try to grasp every single minute. These people understand me - understand my sometimes ridiculous need to just DO something...anything. It's an amazing thing to find a group of people who are always down for adventure. The people who have dropped everything they know to come live in a foreign land - you KNOW they are always going to say yes to going somewhere, doing something, trying something new. You wonder why it constantly looks like we're having so much fun? It's because we are! It's because of the people we've met. We're not taking it for granted, that's for sure. We are going to live up every minute and be grateful while we do it!

I can't believe it's been two years. I remember how fast it all happened, deciding to move here. I remember packing (a LOT of packing). I remember getting to the airport and freaking out. It's been two years. One of the most terrifying, unbelievably awesome decisions we've made...ever.

Traveling and living abroad changes you, in small and beautiful ways. You leave your footprints on the world, you leave a mark, and something about that simple act changes you.

A lot can happen in two years...and it did.

-j

We're coming home (to visit)...blog post to come.

Story.

There's an anniversary post coming soon.

But for now, I wanted to share some incredibly wise words from one of my favorite writers, Donald Miller. Sometimes it scares me how he seems to take the words right out of my head, but with more eloquence.

While jotting down thoughts about this adventure we're on and why, some of his quotes kept coming to mind. (Definitely read his books!)

"And so my prayer is that your story will have involved some leaving and some coming home, some summer and some winter, some roses blooming out like children in a play. My hope is your story will be about changing, about getting something beautiful born inside of you, about learning to love a woman or a man, about learning to love a child, about moving yourself around water, around mountains, around friends, about learning to love others more than we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God. We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and the resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it?

It might be time for you to go. It might be time to change, to shine out. I want to repeat one word for you: Leave.

Roll the word around on your tongue for a bit. It is a beautiful word, isn't it? So strong and forceful, the way you have always wanted to be. And you will not be alone. You have never been alone. Don't worry. Everything will still be here when you get back. It is you who will have changed." - Through Painted Deserts: Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road.

Word.

-j