Friday, March 13, 2015

Some recent reflections (NOT in the mirror)

I realized we arrived in Taiwan this year ONE YEAR after my last Blog......

It’s easy to say we’ve had some great winter months in Kaohsiung Taiwan. 

When Melissa opened International Friendship House in the late summer 2006 we could not have dared imagine what 9 years later looks like.  She is leaving Taiwan after 13 years and us after SEVEN winter sessions. 

Five of those I have helped many weeks with our church youth here.  It’s good and tough to see the youth in Saskatoon and Kaohsiung get to be POST High School. I think the youth leader connection is what is giving me the most difficulty saying goodbye.  Facebook helps maintain a type of connection but cannot replace the face to face.  Which is curious because I have just started connecting with some 2nd, maybe 3rd cousins over Facebook this winter.  Most I have never or seldom seen since we were children!

Last summer we sold the house we had lived in for 27 years.  Melissa might not see it again and certainly not the same as it was last time she was home.  A couple young brothers bought it and our family room will become there JAM SESSION room, neat.

We bought a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment in an over 55 Condo (in which you cannot age discriminate).  It’s nice we like it but we have lived in our Kaohsiung apartment longer than we have lived in it!!   This year we were in friend’s apartment while they were in USA for the winter months.  We’ll have a week in an executive stay hotel before flying back to Saskatoon. 

So a few years of housing changes.   Downsized Colleen’s Mom in 2008 and again when she had her stroke in 2012,  Then we downsized in summer 2014 and here in winter as we moved from our apartment of 3 seasons into one as a guest.  We kept a few things…….but few of the things that made it OUR place.  A VERY nice neighborhood and close to the church so no risky bike riding for me on youth nights.

I didn’t REALLY care if I went anywhere special, just let me live my last winter in Taiwan…… Colleen and I spent 3 days sightseeing in Macau and finding Lord Stowe’s original egg tart bakery.  Interesting place even with all the casinos and gambling.   There like most places is also affected by the general economic downturn (or clampdown on dishonest money).  Colleen and Melissa spent 4 days in Singapore and then I cooperated with the 3 of us spending 4 days in Borneo (Kota Kinabalu) a nice resort Beringgus Beach Resort and Spa.  Again, just let me live my last winter in Taiwan.  I know I’m a jerk or at the least UNUSUAL.  It is OKAY with me to just live some ordinary daily life in a foreign country.  I wasn’t a grumbler but I wasn’t the life of the party either.

I have been asked where we will go next winter ……. Don’t know, sort of don’t care, sort of wait and see, sort of ???????  We’ve got a new apartment, summer, all our family in Saskatoon for the first time in 15 years……..and a job offer under investigation AND 65 in July!
 
More to follow, maybe