First #100Days Update

Our new favorite park, Aozidi Forest Park

I've been a Lady of Leisure now for 74 days. During this time I have written nearly 24,000 words, run nearly 42 miles, and learned over 100 Chinese characters. Though these first #100days have turned out to be more about finding a rhythm and routine than meeting any particular goals, I still think I'm making pretty good progress against what I had hoped to achieve.

My first #100days focus was supposed to be making running a habit, which has not yet been achieved. I've run only 21 days out of 73. That's not even 30% of the time. Not good. And def not a habit. I'm hoping it's because I've been forcing myself to run in the mornings (because I've always run in the mornings so I must be a morning runner, right?). But here, the mornings are too hot for running. Most people who run in the mornings are running around 6am. Ladies of Leisure don't know what 6am is. But we know what 5pm is. So, I'm switching to evenings.

I've got another month to meet my original #100days goal. If this switch doesn't help the habit then I'll be resigned to only running in the mornings once the weather turns (which should be happening sometime later this month or in November). Because I'm not waking up at 6am to go running. That's just crazy talk.

I'm doing pretty good regarding Goal #2: write something, from start to finish. I'm working on a novel which I hope to enter into a writing competition by the end of the year. I've identified the writing competition, which provides a theme. Although I've written the most I've ever written on one project, I'm still quite a ways off from the 75,000-100,000 word requirement. Luckily, I've still got three months to complete it and, if I continue at my current pace, I should be done well before the December 31 deadline.

Goal #1: speak, read, and write Mandarin is also coming along quite nicely. I use my new language skills every chance I get and, though usually a failure, I do occasionally find success. For example, I've successfully bartered twice, I made at least one person laugh, and I also made a couple of successful inquiries. I learned approximately 100 characters and phrases in the month of September and I hope to quadruple that in October, now that I have a rhythm. Fluency happens with approximately 2000 characters, so I still have quite a ways to go but am well on my way to meeting my goal.

Sunset

My other two goals, which are writing related, will have to wait until after I've completed my novel. I never intended to jump right into a novel but I'm happy that I have. Having never had the opportunity to focus on my writing like this, it's been very interesting learning what my process is. Who knew I'd be a sober writer?

In other news, both Mike & I have now received our ARCs (Alien Registration Certificate), which means we're both now legal Taiwan residents. Mike also received his national insurance card but I'm still waiting for mine (I'm about 2 weeks behind him in processing). Once that's received, we'll be 100%. As with all things regarding Relocation 2014, this process has almost been completely painless. Hopefully this means we're getting good at this and future relocations will run just as smoothly, though we're probably at least a couple years away from having to test that theory.

Soft Landing

National Theater, Taipei

When last I wrote, Mike & I were still in New York City, at the beginning of our last month as residents. Today I write from our new home in the Fengshan District of Kaohsiung in Taiwan. As of today I can happily report that this move has indeed been the best one yet. There have been a few hiccups along the way and we're still waiting on a few things before it's all over but, overall and as of now, it has gone rather smoothly and, in some instances, better than expected. Mike's cohort of teachers have all marveled at the 'soft landing' we've all had and I can't help but adopt that terminology because it is so apt. Soft landing. Indeed.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei

As you may or may not know, with this move abroad I have begun a new career as a lady of leisure. And, while that sounds rather luxurious, please let me dispel those false ideas. While it's true my day begins when I leisurely wake up in the morning (rather than with an alarm clock) and consists mainly of busying myself with reading or writing or shopping, please note that I am indeed very busy. Yesterday, for instance, I had a very full day of exercise and laundry. See. Very busy.

Honestly though, I do hope to accomplish a few things during this year off of mine. I do have goals.

1. I would like to speak, read, and write Mandarin (at least conversationally).
2. I would like to write something, from start to finish (I'm leaning towards a short story).
3. I would like to be published (probably just an article or op-ed).
4. I would like to be paid (hopefully for something I've written but I'm keeping my options open).

Additionally, I've divided this year into #100days segments. During my first #100days I'm focusing on making running a habit. Since July 18 I have already amassed 22.29 miles and, surprisingly, I already look forward to running every day. Today, for example, is another lovely rain and thunderstorm (these are happening often) which is preventing me from my morning run and throwing my day off completely. I probably won't run today due to this weather which means I'll be very anxious to run tomorrow. Who knew that would be possible?

Ex. 1: evidence of heat and humidity

Speaking of weather, Taiwan is currently enjoying its typhoon season. While in Taipei last month we witnessed a 'typhoon day' which is equivalent in our experience to a 'snow day'; businesses were closed, people stayed home, streets were deserted. It was pretty cool, the novelty part (not the perceived danger part). Today, I believe, we are experiencing remnants of a passing tropical storm, which poses no danger but does provide lovely rain and thunder to ease the stifling heat and humidity. FYI, it is HOT here in Taiwan. If ever I have complained about heat in the past, please know that I have never experienced this level of heat before and all past experience which yielded said complaints pale in comparison. In other words, please transpose all former complaints of heat and humidity to my current situation and replace in former scenarios with adjectives such as lovely and enjoyable. Except for El Salvador. That experience would probably be on par with Taiwan. And Manila. Sweet Jesus it was hot there.

Teacher Mike

I'm also happy to report that Mike is enjoying his new job as English teacher. He officially started yesterday with his very own class of kindergarteners. He's going to start picking up a few other classes, with older students, throughout this month but he'll be teaching kindergarten every morning Monday through Friday. He was concerned, and is still a bit concerned about the other classes, but if you know Mike you know he will excel, as he does. Excel and thrive. Because he's awesome.

Birthday Month

my birthday balloons

Even though both Mike & I celebrate our birthdays in April, the entire month used to be just for me. Mike would get his day but I would have the whole month for my celebrations. In recent years, for some reason, I've become much more generous and have begun ceding more and more of my month to Mike for his celebrations. This year I gave him the whole latter half. You're welcome, Mike. And happy birthday.

Even with only half of the month dedicated to me, I still had a great time! Celebrity sightings, dinners out, a boozy brunch, the zoo, bowling, a cruise; it was a near constant celebration.

Cruising NYC

Mike's half was fairly celebratory as well, though we both got sick this week and have kind of sputtered to a rather unimpressive end. Still, I bet if you ask him he'll tell you he had a pretty great time.

Now that birthday month is over, and we're fully ensconced in May, we are officially less than a month away from our big move. We've given our landlord notice and I've given my employer notice, we've bought all our tickets, made arrangements with family and friends, and are now getting ready to start purging our possessions. Soon we'll be on our way and this whole experience will be in the past tense.

Happy at the zoo

Before we go, however, there are a few things we'd still like to do while based in New York. Because we've lived the last year with this mindset however, our list of items still unaccomplished is fairly short. Still, we've kept our May rather empty to allow for last minute additions and adventures. The list so far:

1. Run around the reservoir in Central Park.
2. Day trip to Montauk. (Where Revenge takes place and, also, just to see the Hamptons.)
3. Ride the Cyclone at Coney Island.

If we're able to accomplish these before we leave then this will continue to be the best move experience we've had since we originally moved to Seattle in 1999. After recent move experiences, that's not a bad position to be in at all.

Brutal Cold, Old Friends, Travel, and Taiwan

Viejo San Juan, PR

We've been very busy over the last few weeks. Looking back, I can't believe everything we've done since my last post. But, even with this buzz of activity, this winter is just not progressing at all. Honestly, we had thought the brutal cold would be balanced out by the presence of the sun, since the darkness is what bothered us most about Seattle's winters, but we were wrong. Brutal cold is just as bad as darkness and New York's polar vortex is tied with Seattle's dark and dreary winters for most unbearable in our book.

Freedom Trail, Boston

Happily, we were able to escape from New York a couple of times over the last few weeks, to help take our minds off of our misery. Over Presidents' Day weekend we took the bus up to Boston, where it was indeed somewhat colder but, for some reason, so much more bearable. We now have a crush on Boston and continue to love all things Massachusetts.

More recently, however, we got to spend a whole, blissful week in Puerto Rico. Thanks to my friend at Valise Magazine, who clued me in to a glitch on the Delta site (which had a very short window), we were able to score two first-class tickets for only $85/pp.

Playa Azul, Luquillo, PR

This was our first proper holiday since Playa del Carmen in 2008 and it was sorely needed. Plus, not only was it a sun and sand vacation, which by itself would've been sufficient to lift our spirits, but we got to hang with old friends from Utah, which honestly made our holiday exponentially better. These old friends, family really, gave us excellent insights and were very generous with their time. We've been home now for just over a week and I'm still emitting a vacation bliss glow. (Though before looking at the calendar, I thought it'd been at least two weeks since we returned. God damn you, slow moving winter.)

Lunch with Kraig

Other activities which have helped take our mind off of this brutal winter included two visits from Seattle friends. We had one friend in town for the Super Bowl and one in town for business. Both are close friends who we've missed dearly and it was great to spend a couple hours with each of them.

Probably the biggest thing to happen over these last few weeks is that Mike scored himself a job teaching English for Hess in Taiwan. He's signed a one-year contract and we've already booked our tickets. We'll be leaving NYC on May 31, travelling to other parts of the US, El Salvador, and the Philippines, before arriving in Taipei in early July.

Drinks with Jason

This move to Taiwan is shaping up to be our best move yet. Not only do we have savings enough to allow for some much needed travel before Mike begins an intense year of teaching and to help get us on our feet upon arrival, but the fact that Mike will have an income immediately is immensely helpful and eliminates so much stress from the whole process. Additionally, Mike's new employer will also be helping a bit with the relocation details, including visas and apartment searches. Seriously, best move ever.

Though this winter has been moving at a snail's pace, we can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that spring will be here faster than we think and, shortly thereafter, our new adventure will commence. New York has been a bitch but she's soon to be in our rearview mirror and the way our next relocation is currently shaping up makes me think we might be doing something right this time.

New York State of Mind

As Mike begins applying for jobs abroad and we begin planning our escape from New York I can't help but reminisce about our move to New York and the plans we had for this place. We've been here over a year now and, in our current state of disenchantment, it's hard to recall our excitement at the prospect of calling this city home but, even with the sadness we had about leaving London, we were genuinely excited about moving to New York City.

I remember being so excited about our move here that I would force my officemates to listen to optimistic New York tunes on our shared Spotify playlist ad nauseam. After one too many Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind" plays my buddy introduced me to LCD Soundsystem's "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" to balance out the vibe. Perhaps I should have adopted his perspective then because, while I still enjoy the occasional "New York, New York," I'm finding my current empire state of mind is more LCD Soundsystem than Alicia Keys; more Ray LaMontagne's "New York City's Killing Me" than Frank Sinatra.

We had grand plans for this move, believing New York was going to be our permanent home. We were going to be so happy here. We were going to put down roots, become members at a few of the museums, volunteer at a few others, make amazing friends. Mike was going to be an artist. I was going to work at the Clinton Foundation or United Nations. After a few years, maybe Mike would open up his own gallery.

Perhaps, amidst all our hopes and dreams, we briefly considered that New York City might not work out but we never fathomed that our perception of New York City could be so wrong. I guess, "if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere" is actually less optimistic than we had perceived. Damn you and your catchy tunes, Frank Sinatra. Damn you.

Summer Volunteers

Columbia University campus

Mike & I are starting our summer by making a couple of volunteering commitments.  I've been hankering to volunteer since our Dundee days but pickings were a bit slim in that small town and we were far too busy being super popular in London to even contemplate the idea (except, early on, we did volunteer one day in the Carshalton lavender fields).  Now here, where we seem to have nothing but time, we decided to see what was available.

Well, as I suspected, opportunities abound and everyone wants a piece of us.  After a few interviews and inquiries, we've selected one long-term commitment, teaching English as a second language to adults at Columbia University's Community Impact program, and one shorter commitment, working the beer booth at the Governors Ball music festival for Doing Art Together.

We had our first teacher orientation at Columbia last night.  It was a lot of fun and we're both really excited to get into the classroom.  Classes start on Wednesday.  We chose ESL because we expect Mike to spend at least his first 9 months in Hong Kong teaching English and we want to make sure it's something he enjoys.  We chose Community Impact's adult ESL program because it's Columbia University and will look great on our resumes.

Doing Art Together is a short commitment, just this weekend, and gives us free entrance into the music festival on the days we volunteer.  I'm not a huge fan of music festivals (see this post) because they're crowded and there are long lines everywhere but I might enjoy myself if standing safely within a beer serving booth.  For charity. Also, it might take me back to the good old days of helping The Cascades Conservation Partnership at festivals throughout Seattle during the summer of 2001.  I saw Billy Idol, Lyle Lovett, Burt Bacharach, Chris Isaak, plus many others that summer, and all for free while volunteering for TCCP.  It was a great summer.

Although this weekend is supposed to be ensconced by Tropical Storm Andrea, and there are flood warnings and thunderstorms predicted, I'm sure we'll still have a good time.  It's a rare event that can surround us with beer and music and not produce a couple of happy Furnesses.  Make it free and it's damn near unheard of.

Hong Kong Calling

It's been a week since we started considering a move to Taiwan.  We had settled on Taipei but then we spoke to Mike's brother and he planted another seed, why not Hong Kong?  We briefly considered it before returning to the idea of Taipei.  But, upon further consideration and after exploring visas and housing, it appears as though we've settled on the idea of Hong Kong as our next move.

As you may know, ever since our trip there in 2010 I have been promoting the city as one I would move to "in a second".  It is easily one of our top 5 favorite cities (though, as we've discovered with New York, visiting a city as a tourist is very different from living there as a resident) and we're really looking forward to this next adventure.

picture in The New York Times

Recent events have made us realize that we had considered London our home, though only there for a short time.  As we approach the 6 month mark for our time in New York (equivalent to the last stretch spent in London) we are nowhere near the feeling of home we had there.  To that point, I saw this article in today's New York Times and was reminded of my post from about this time last year.

Besides the picture, the article talks about the emerging art scene and otherwise just speaks to me.  I think if you played it backwards it would say "Mike + Desi should move to Hong Kong" (and, maybe also, "Paul is dead"). Hong Kong wants us to move there.  Clearly.  And we will.

The Adventure Isn't Over

enjoying a pitcher whilst conversing

Last night was a lovely spring evening in New York City and, due to Mike's work schedule, the first opportunity we've had to really talk in a long while. We don't often discuss our personal struggles with each other because they're rather rare and usually temporary, gone with the day, but we really should change that behavior because when we do have real conversations they're very therapeutic and often enjoyable.  Last night we were able to have one of those real conversations.

One of the things we discussed was my recent sad post and my belief that the adventure is now over for us because we're back in the US and that we're just supposed to pick up where we left off and carry on as before and how I'm having a real hard time accepting that.  And, because the fight in me comes back every once in a while, why do I have to accept that?

Adding to this new idea that I don't have to accept that the adventure is over, Mike's new job isn't working out.  He's tried his hardest to make it work but the guy he works for is a maniac and treats him terribly.  Additionally, my job isn't working out either.  Of course, mine isn't as bad as Mike's but it was supposed to be my dream job and is instead just a huge disappointment.  We both still love New York as a city but the professional culture here is light years away from what we have experienced or expected and it's just not a good fit.

Earlier this year, when we were pretty sure New York was going to be another failure for us and we were about a month away from packing up and moving to Mike's parents' house, broken, weary, and poor, where we would be ensconced in their safe arms and be able to forget about the cruel world for a time, Mike's brother suggested an alternative: why not move to Taiwan (where he has lived for most of the time I've known him)?  Though we didn't seriously consider it at the time, because burying our heads in Mike's parents' house sounded so much better than trying and failing yet again, the seed was planted.  Now that we're a few months removed from those dire days and have found that we can survive in New York but we're questioning whether we want to, we're revisiting the Taiwan idea.

Taipei 101, circa Jan 2010

If we did decide to move, this might be our smartest and best move yet.  We'd probably target the latter half of next year, so we'd have at least 14 months to prepare.  Mike would have a job prior to our moving (teaching English), so no mad rush to find employment upon arrival.  We've also been there before (we visited Mike's brother there in 2009) and would have family nearby, with plenty of experience to help us navigate.  Seriously, this just might be our best move yet.

Having just started this line of thought last night, I'm already feeling so much better about everything.  This possibility has given me a new perspective on our last few years.  If we hadn't given up everything to move to Scotland then Mike wouldn't have his degree and moving to Taiwan wouldn't be an option.  If nothing else, I'm no longer feeling like a failure.  I feel like an adventurer again.  It's a good feeling.