Goodbyes

The Taiwanese expat community is a weird one. So many people come to teach for short periods of time that it's constantly evolving. This can be fantastic, like when some jackass you keep running into says he's leaving town, or sad, like a when a friend goes home. Relationships here are, by definition, transitory. You make a good friend, but then two months later they are leaving the country. This same effect happens at colleges across the globe, but generally friends can be counted on to stay there for at least 2-4 years. The friendship shelf life in Taiwan is markedly shorter. So, after a super blow-out, singin' all night at the KTV, followed by an evening of TV watching (those lucky kids have cable so we could watch the Australian Open and this fantastic show called "Extreme Change" or "Super Change Change Change") Jennifer, Adrian, Charles, Jay, Claire, and I wished Christine a good trip back to Australia.

I'm beginning to think about how weird it will be to say goodbye to all the people I've met here. And if I sign on for another six months, how weird it will be to see all the folks I started with leave. At least I'll have people to visit in different places...