fancy a cuppa?

Quick update on the new job in Japan: forms have arrived at the Tokyo office, and new ones now need to be sent. It is a slow-going process. I'm going to do my best to make sure I keep things moving on my end!

In the mean time, I have grown so bored and lethargic that I have taken a part-time job at a local second-hand clothing store, which will fill my hours with much-needed activity, and fill my pockets with much-welcomed extra cash.

But that's not what I'm here to talk about. I'm here to talk about how much I miss Taiwan, and what that has inspired me to do.

There's a tea website called Adagio Teas that I've discovered recently. The teas are loose-leaf, they come in a wide variety, and are quite good. They're also wonderfully cheap for loose-leaf teas.

One of the best things you can do on Adagio is create your own blends for others to discover and buy. You don't make money off it, but the activity itself is massively fun; you can even customize artwork for your tea if you're feeling extra creative.

Because I love Taiwan, and because I took so many brilliant pictures while I was there, I decided to create an entire line of customized blends inspired by places and things I loved in Taiwan. So if you like tea, or just want to see how else Taiwan has inspired me, take a look at the blends! All the art for the teas use pictures I personally took in Taiwan.

Jiufen
Ximen
Danshui
Da'an
Da'an at Night
Street Market in Summer
Maokong
Xinzhuang
Mango & Strawberry Ice

It continues to surprise me how much I do miss Taiwan. I don't remember the bad times, the "growing pains" of adjusting to a new country, climate, and culture. I remember the things I loved tremendously, like the efficiency of the MRT system, the mini-worlds of the night markets, the glorious color and extravagance of the fashion, the sweetness of the fruit, the cool refreshment of juices and teas, and the tomato rice at the restaurant by my apartment in Xinzhuang. I remember how much I loved the constant movement, the hum of human activity, the scooters overflowing the streets like schools of fish. I remember bike rides along the river, and nights spent in restaurants with friends. I remember discovering hotpot. I remember going shrimping. I remember the wonderful people who made Taiwan a home to me.

The one thing I hope for myself when I go to Japan is that I'll discover the same love for Japan as I found in Taiwan. I hope that once I move in, get used to my classes, adjust to the climate and the culture and re-orient myself to Japanese instead of English, I'll feel like Japan is a third home.

I know that the United States will always be my first home, and that I'll always love the food, climate, and culture here best simply because it is the most familiar and reminds me of family and childhood. But I want to find new homes everywhere, new foods to call "comfort foods", new occasions to look forward to, and new places that are familiar because of happy memories. I want to make Japan another place where all its corners are filled with memories of life, memories I call up with fondness and love.