Written by Bayani Pascual (Bowdoin College), Student Correspondent for CET Taiwan, Spring 2023
It was a surprise the other day, when my roommate asked for some advice while fiddling around with her seating options on her return flight from Taiwan. I obviously knew that my time here would soon be ending, but there was something about the stress of travel logistics that really drove home the idea that I would soon be leaving, that in 10 days, I would simply be gone.
That logistical stress has, in turn, triggered a daily stress of wondering whether I am making good use of my last days here. Admittedly, it is hard to justify sitting inside and writing a final paper when the whole of Taiwan exists literally right outside the door. But this stress has also ushered in something somewhat less annoying but equally involved: reflection.
![A view of the outskirts of Taipei from a gondola up to the tea fields of Maokong](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Blog_Taiwan_Spring-2023_Bayani-Pascual_Gondola-ride-up-to-Maokong-tea-fields_700x933.jpg)
A view of the outskirts of Taipei while riding a gondola up to the tea fields of Maokong.
As troublesome and prolonged as reflection usually tends to be, I believe that I have come to a few conclusions about my time spent here. Specifically, what has been the greatest gift of studying abroad: the ability to approach the mundane with wonder.
Living an everyday normal life has an annoying habit of dulling my joy in the world. I would not say that I live a boring life exactly, but there are few things pleasingly peculiar about a daily routine. Studying abroad here in Taiwan, on the other hand, has allowed me to approach the world and its contents with a genuine curiosity and silly joy that I have not felt since I was a child. Maybe it is the freedom, maybe it is the new environment or perhaps it is simply the regression in my ability to communicate, but something here has inspired a revelry in my daily life that makes something as simple as walking down the street an adventure.
![A little bowl with a spoon and chewy desserts inside of it](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Blog_Taiwan_Spring-2023_Bayani-Pascual_Chewy-dessert-from-street_700x933.jpg)
![A cat laying on the dirt ground and looking away to the left](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Blog_Taiwan_Spring-2023_Bayani-Pascual_Cat_700x933.jpg)
![A street people walking and buildings with many bright neon signs in Taiwan](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Blog_Taiwan_Spring-2023_Bayani-Pascual_Street_700x933.jpg)
(Left) One of the wonderfully chewy desserts that can be found on the streets of Taipei. (Middle) A cat, previously frolicking in tea fields, takes a rest. (Right) A neon street view enjoyed while having dinner.
There is also simply joy in knowing that I do not need a plan to have fun. When I leave class, I can grab a bite to eat, hop across the street, and my adventure begins. Whether it be discovering a new color of baked sweet potato, available hot and mushy, from a 7-Eleven or sampling the exercise equipment of a small neighborhood park, I am incredibly grateful that something so incredibly mundane to the people that encounter it every day can spark such an interest in me. I can explore underground malls, new desserts from street stalls, arrays of potted flowers, trees flowing over walls, cats sitting on motorbikes, and the genius of a book disinfecting machine in the library. I have found a simple joy in the world here, and it is one I hope to keep with me, even as I return to a place I find familiar.
Beyond keeping the spark alive, of course, is figuring out how to say goodbye. I have enjoyed my time here since I first arrived, but lately, the phrase “love at last sight” has seemed to creep up more and more in the back of my head. I suppose it is simply easier to appreciate things when you know soon you won’t be able to.
![A lantern floating up to the sky covered with good luck wishes, takes off from the train tracks of Shifen](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Blog_Taiwan_Spring-2023_Bayani-Pascual_Lantern-woth-good-luck-wishes_700x933.jpg)
A lantern, covered with good luck wishes, takes off from the train tracks of Shifen.
So, in these last few days left to me, I intend to revel in the mundane as much as I can. To spend time with my new friends as much as I can. For me, it is sometimes hard to remember that I am actually already living my life. I think Taiwan has helped me to realize that. So, while it is far too early to say goodbye— to the people and places that I have had the privilege to meet, thank you.