Plots
I realize I've been remiss in my blogger duties lately. It has been such a chaotic time that I don't know where to begin. So, I'll begin with coffee. Just a second, let me grab a cup. I'm at an internet cafe in Taipei. I had purchased a carton of Fresh Caramel Pudding Milk, but, as I'm sure you're aware, you can only drink so much caramel pudding milk before you can't take even one more sip.
Since I last wrote I...
...spent about 2 weeks with my mother and family.
...spent a lot of money on stuff I thought I might need in Taiwan.
...had a tearful goodbye with my sweet puppy.
...left my mother at the airport in Spokane.
...flew to Seattle.
...had an informative conversation with a Vietnamese man in the Seattle airport about his experiences in the Vietnam War.
...flew to Tiapei. The seats were very cramped, and I was next to the bathroom.
...struggled with a taxi driver to find my new apartment.
...drank a lot of beer and ate a lot of fatty meat.
...watched the South Africa vs. Australia rugby match.
...took a bus to Taipei for training.
...have experienced total communication breakdown several times.
have had training stalled for 2 days because of typhoons.
That brings us up to today. This was a barebones plot of these past few weeks. Margaret Atwood wrote a short story called Happy Endings. In it she says, "That's about all that can be said about plots, which anyway are just one thing after another, a what and a what and a what.
Now try How and Why."
Odds are 10 to 1 in my favor
It seems that a chapter of my life is ending. I've quit my job, said my goodbyes, reserved my U-Haul and packed my life into boxes. I will leave for Spokane early Friday morning to spend some time with my family before taking off for Taiwan.
In numerology, 10 is considered the number of completion. It is the end. By adding the numbers in 10, however, you come up with 1, which is the beginning. Therefore, every ending is also a beginning.
It does not make farewells any easier, however. I cherish the many relationships I've established in Billings, and it is difficult to imagine what life will be like without them. They have provided support, laughter and occasional honest feedback. I will miss my friends, and ex-family, in Billings. It is tempting to look backward for awhile, and I anticipate doing a lot of reminiscing about the people and memories I've treasured.
The gifts I've received from my Billings friends will not be forgotten. I'm beginning my new life now. I will be in Taiwan in a little over a week. I have an exciting job and a new life of adventures awaiting me. I wonder what the future holds. I guess only time will tell.
Farewell, my friends. "Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again."
Do you take your coffee with one hump or two?
I went out on Saturday night to celebrate my departure with the co-workers who are more gifted at celebrating with shots than with cake. Bars are surreal to me. People change their personalities as they walk through the door. Suddenly everyone is more sexualized and gregarious. I guess the alcohol, whether consumed or just in the air, gives them an excuse to let themselves express their ids more freely. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with people being sexualized. Heck, I like sex. My grandmother says that she'd rather have a cold cup of coffee than sex any day. I don't see why I should have to choose. Just pour that old Sanka over my body and clean me up however you see fitting. But I digress. What I do struggle with is that many patrons seem to actually be grocery shopping. They talk about a place being a "sausage fest" if there are a lot of men present. "Brown sugar" is of course a reference to the good looking African-Americans. We mustn't forget "melons," "six-packs," "nuts," "buns" and the occasional "red snapper." We use these words and phrases to make natural but taboo topics more palatable. I can't deny that reading that list makes me hungry.
Now that I think about it, maybe "cold cup of coffee" was my grandma's reference to something particularly brazen. Maybe if I knew the code, I'd prefer cold coffee to sex too.
