Suddenly, I Get It

I used to believe that when you're abroad, you better hang out with the locals. Because that's one of the reasons that you came this far for. Maybe this attitude can still be handy when you want to improve your language or experience local culture or whatever. But, after a certain point, the nostalgia kicks in. You started to miss home, then you began to compare the positive and negative things from both worlds, for instance, work environment, and living standard. Thus, it got you to wonder if 'we' can reach or compete with the 'world class' too? We (as in Taiwanese international students) are often more critical than people back home toward issue such as education, foreign policies... etc. Not that we are being arrogant (at times we might be ignorant) because we have spent an amount of time abroad, it's purely because we know we come from a small island, but we still want our culture to be respected- to have a voice on the global stage. To own an identity. Taiwan may never be a big country, but we can sure aim to be a great nation- with great heritage, great talents, great environment, great food and so on. So, for a humble citizen like me, most importantly is to keep on working hard and enjoy life while I am away, as that's what nourish me to contribute my share when I return.

In Transit, 2011