home again, home again

Getting my visa was the easiest part of my Chicago/Indianapolis trip. On Monday, I went to the office and turned in the papers, and on Tuesday, I went back and they gave me my passport with my visitor visa in it. Just like that.

View from the Taipei Representative Office on the 57th floor.

This is not to say, however, that the rest of the trip was somehow difficult or trying. It was in fact incredibly liberating and enjoyable. This was the first time I'd gone somewhere where I was totally on my own in everything, from booking places to stay to finding where to park my car, to figuring out where I needed to go and what to bring. I had to do everything on my own (although a shout-out goes to my family who provided me with tips and helpful information during planning stages).


And the really cool thing was, I didn't fail. Like, not at all. I never got lost, I got everywhere on time and without mishaps, I stayed fed and hydrated and didn't lose any of my stuff or have it stolen, and I never got ticketed or towed for parking in the wrong place. It may seem like a small thing, managing your own life competently, but I've done very little of it on a large scale and I'm proud of how well I did it. It makes me feel like I can manage this Taiwan thing, too.


Which, by the way, I kinda have to now, since I booked my plane ticket and will be flying off on July 4th at noon. I need you guys to all enjoy Independence Day for me, okay? :)


Driving away from Chicago, I remember pining for it, wishing I could stay longer. I was sad to leave. I loved the activity, the authenticity, and how despite being such a large city, every corner of it felt open and within reach. Anywhere I wanted to go, I could--just hop on the train and wait for the right stop. A few blocks over, and voila, instant adventure. I love that about cities and crowded suburbs, that when there are so many people living and working in close proximity the streets and roads and railways start to feel like veins, the people like blood cells circulating through a body of bricks and steel and cement and paint. Everywhere I went, there were new people, new foods, new fashions, new perspectives of how to experience and express individual life through dress, speech, food, architecture, music. Every step was an enrichment.


I hope to find this kind of thing in Taiwan, circulating through the streets and railways of Taipei and Hsin Jhuang and anywhere else I go. I want to be an international human blood cell, hopping from geographic body to body and learning from each new ways of saying "I am human and alive!" through personal expression, whether it's dress or food or speech or where we choose to live.


I'm scared of the change, but I can't wait to see what I learn about the human experience from Taiwan.


Chicago Trip: Concluded!

Day 1, Saturday June 23

Drive to Indianapolis. (Check!)

Day 2, Sunday June 24

Play "tourist" in Indianapolis. (Check!)

Drive to Chicago, arrive that evening. (Check!)

Day 3, Monday June 25

Submit visa application at Taipei Representative Office that morning. (Check!)

Play "tourist" the rest of the day. (Check!)

Day 4, Tuesday June 26

Pick up visa. (CHECK!)

Drive home. (Check, and Done!)