Well dear readers, this new blog starts with a bit of blatant thievery, i.e.: it's title "...And so it goes." This, of course, is the continued refrain from Kurt Vonnegut's classic book Slaughterhouse Five used whenever life's weirdness becomes apparent. I find it an apt title for a blog and, unlike the title of my previous blog, one that is general enough for me to be able use it no matter where I go or what I do.
As most of you who read my other blog know, I have left The Land of the Morning Inconvience for the supposedly greener pastures of Taiwan. I've been here for almost four months now and things are, if not exactly what I had expected, going well enough.
The greatest surprise coming here has been, despite tons of anecdotal evidence to the contrary, my difficulty in finding gainful employment. Before I moved, I was told by a lot of folks that finding a job here would be a piece of cake. All I had to do was get here, throw my resume around, and, voila, get a job. Well, it seems that I hit Taiwan at the perfectly WRONG time to seek employment even as an English teacher. I hit the internet, beat the pavement, and put out resumes where ever I could. However, days turned into weeks and weeks into months without so much as a nibble. This did nothing for my state of mind. I was bleeding money and not seeing any serious prospects. As November came to a close, I began to really consider the possiblity of having to go back to Korea. Not something I especially wanted to do, but I knew I at least had a job waiting if I needed it (thanks Jonathan). I did finally find a job working for a company that contracts English "trainers" out to companys in and around Taipei. Getting hired was a relief, but the financial problems remain as I haven't actually started working yet. Things are a bit desperate.
All is not gloom and doom; however. I like Taipei quite a bit. I have a great girlfriend here, Rebecca, and have met quite a few very cool people. The immediate thing that I like here more than Korea is that the locals don't stare at you like you have three heads. Nor do they make snide comments behind your back. In fact, they don't seem to care that you're a foreigner at all. You get the odd kid on the subway who gives you the boggle-eyed stare, but for the most part folks just leave you alone. Once I get settled in and the job is rolling along, I'll have more opportunities to actually explore different parts of Taiwan. I'm also going to make a concerted attempt to learn some Chinese (at least make more of an effort than I did to learn Korean, lol), which will make Rebecca happy and my life a bit easier.
...And so it goes.
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