“I wonder how many people I’ve looked at all my life and never seen?”
Tonight, I met a person named Fred. We both signed up for an online expat site at the same time, and I messaged her after seeing that she was a recent graduate, native of California.
She had just finished a six week tour of Taiwan, Japan, and Thailand before making the decision to stay indefinitely in Taiwan to get in touch with her family roots.
Growing up, she was hardly exposed to Mandarin and instead learned Taiwanese instead. Politics 國民黨. 我當然瞭解. She’s looking to improve her Taiwanese and Mandarin speaking abilities during her stay here.
She’s a cat person and is looking to get two cats one day. Despite being anemic, she has also donated blood ten times! She’s practiced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for a year. She’ll probably destroy me if we roll. Speaking of that, I need to inquire about her interest in watching Mixed Martial Arts. Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman II, December 28?! (WAR SILVA).
She’s keen on staying fit, which we both agreed was difficult amidst the unhealthily delicious food in Taiwan. Come to think of it, I won’t be cooking a single meal until the beginning of March. I miss cooking.
She has an older brother who is 1.5 years older, and they have a decent sibling relationship. She enjoys browsing (but not buying) goods. She also likes outdoor-sy stuff.
I think she was brutally honest: “I think we’re both desperate [to have someone to relate to culturally.]” This would explain why we had both registered on an expat community. She’s spot on, at least with me. It was comforting having someone to speak English to that was not business related.
Fred has been met, but I wonder… how many people have I looked at all my life and never seen?
Andy Cheng 