My departure to Taiwan is closer day by day and you can imagine that I have many things on my mind. Some of the most essential questions are how will I like it there and what will I miss from here. And by here I mean my home in Slovenia. It's hard to say, really, but since this is not a scientific blog, I'll try to speculate a little. It's my 5th big trip to Asia, so by now I pretty much know what to expect. On the other hand, it's my first trip to Taiwan, so I can only assume some things. So far everybody says it's a great country and that I will have a lot of fun. But we'll see.
Let me tell you first about the things I will definitely miss while going to Taiwan:
1 My mum and my sisters: I'll definitely miss my family, which is small, but we only have each other. I know they'll miss me, too. They're used to me being in Asia, so it's not a new things to them, but it's still not easy to them and to me. I'm happy that my mum just recently got a new boyfriend and I know he'll take good care of her. My sisters are busy with their boyfriends, so they already don't have time for me. I'm totally fine being so far, if everything here is alright.
2 My cat Miša: This little kitty is 5 years old and ever since she was born, I claimed her as my own. I gave her the name and I was the only one who liked her first. She didn't like to cuddle with others, only with me. At that time, we had 5 cats and my mum and sisters had their own favourites. 5 years later we only have 2 cats and my Miša has become everyone's darling. Now she cuddles with everyone, but I must say we have a special bond and she knows that. I know I will break her small heart: Sorry Miša, but there's a girl waiting for me. I need to leave and I know my mum will take good care of you. Soon there will be spring and you can catch mice and birds and enjoy the warm sun. I will think of you and miss you and I know, you will miss me, too.3 Some food: I generally love Asian food, especially Chinese specialties, so I won't really miss anything from home. Maybe some of my mum's dishes she makes so well. The pizza is better here, the chocolates, too. And we have different kinds of juices here, but well, I miss so many Asian things like soy drink and all kinds of noodles, that's a real compensation for everything I might not be able to eat or drink in Taiwan.
4 German TV: I'm used to watch German TV since I was a little boy (we didn't and still don't have Slovenian TV, because of the weak signal). I know all the things that are going on in Germany, be it politics, sports or entertainment, so I'm used to watch some of those channels daily. Switching to Taiwanese TV won't be so easy. I've watched Taiwanese channels while staying in Malaysia, so I know what they're all about: Drama, talk shows and music shows. Not bad, but I need to improve my Mandarin significantly to be able to enjoy them.
5 My mum's coffee: I almost forgot about the coffee I drink here sometimes three times a day. We cook Turkish coffee at home in Slovenia, which may not taste good to most of you, who are used to Starbucks or Italian coffee with all its variations. So I really need to find a good coffee place in Taipei. If I don't, I'm gonna make my own at home.
6 My car: I inherited my car from my grandpa, who [by the way] died exactly today one year ago. I know how he loved his car, he always washed it and took good care of it. I didn't really use this car a lot, but I really cherish it. It's a Renault Clio 2002. It's small, but cosy and reliable. Recently my little sister is using it much more than me, because she rides to school every day. I think I'm gonna leave it to her, if I really manage to stay in Taiwan permanently. I don't have the heart to sell it, she really needs it and it would be unfair. I hope she keeps it well.
That's about it when it comes to things I may most definitely miss when I'm away. Now let's see some things I definitely look forward to in my upcoming trip to Taiwan:
1 My dear girl: She's really one of a kind. I haven't blogged about her much, so let me tell you few things about her. She's everything I always wanted in a girlfriend: She's intelligent, hardworking, kind, polite, beautiful, funny and sweet. She's flexible and adaptable, open to new things. And she always keeps her word. That's what impressed me most. Ever since we realized that we like each other, which is quite a long while ago, she chatted and still chats with me every day at the same time. Imagine that! If she couldn't make it, she'd apologize. I'm same like her in this regard, so I also always kept my word and always talked with her at the same time, too. And we grew closer and closer, as close as two people can be by meeting only online and living in two different continents. I must say, it wasn't always easy. We had our ups and downs and days, where we were lost. But we faced all our challenges and we always sorted things out. And the past two months were some of the happiest for me in a long time. We're so close now and we're strong and excited. All we can do now is to wait. But luckily time flies. And so will I, soon. And I know that she's really worth every penny I invest in this trip and every second I spend chatting with her. It's a pity that I won't be flying to her on Valentine's day, because then it would be the most romantic thing a guy could ever do on that day, don't you think? ^_~
2 People: I really look forward to meet many awesome people in Taiwan. I hope I can make a lot of friends, be it locals or foreigners. I will be there with an open mind and with the valuable experience of my previous trips. I may need some time to understand all the local customs and rules, but I have my girl to help me out with that. I hope that major blunders won't happen. Oh, and I might add you in this group of 'people'. Yes, I'm talking about so many of you dear bloggers/readers, who said you'll come to Taiwan this year. If I'm there and you have spare time, I'd definitely be happy to meet you. We'll keep in touch and discuss the meetings before you come. Looking forward to that.
3 Food: Everytime I say I will go to Taiwan, people tell me: Oh, you'll love the food! The food is amazing! We'll see, hehe. I wonder how the stinky tofu will taste and other Taiwanese specialties. I wonder, if the food is really that different than what I ate among the Chinese Malaysians in Penang and Batu Pahat. We shall see. But all this food talk makes me very excited, hehe.
4 Nature: Taiwan is a beautiful island with a breathtaking landscape. Ok, lets be romantic and forget the typhoons and earthquakes and focus on the beautiful mountains and beaches. I hope to make some unforgettable memories with my girl there.
5 Climate: Taiwan is hot most of the year. They have a winter now, but there's no snow and it doesn't go below zero Celsius. That's enough for me to make me happy already, hehe. And I expect not to have that horrible hay fever I have here every spring. It will be so much better for my health to skip another spring here, which would have been yet another unpleasant time of sneezing and itchy red eyes.
6 Mandarin: I love Mandarin and I hope I can learn it well. I need to be around Taiwanese and then I'm sure I'll be speaking it well by the end of year. It's my dream to speak Mandarin (besides Slovenian, German, English and a bit of Swedish, Italian, Croatian and Malay), because I'm awesome like that ^_~
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Ok, I'm gonna wrap it up here. I could go on with much more things, but it's ok for now, these are the most important ones and the post is too long already. Before you leave, please check the short video of me and my kitty Miša. You'll see how close we are and how she likes me.
Ok, one last thing before I go. My dear friend Wenny wrote such a touching post about me, if you have some spare time, please check that post, she wrote a brilliant piece about me and my love story with the name: My Bubble: Where is Slovenia? Thank you so much, sis! ^_^
- How do you like my things I'll miss and look forward to?
- What things would you miss or look forward to?
[Photo on top: by MKL 2009, Lily 2009, Miša photo: MKL 2010]
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