new roommate

You've gotta check this out:


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4096586


It is so typical of Taiwan: to see something of this magnitude happen and then see everyone stand around and do NOTHING about it. Hmmmm, let's all wait around for a few hours while this whale decomposes on the street to see if anyone else will clean it up. I'm not touching it, YOU touch it!!

Hey, did you get that mass mail we sent out? We're trying to be more organized with everyone, and also trying to stay/remain in touch with y'all. Spring is in the air and it's time for a little spring cleaning and maintenance in all areas of life. Not to beat a dead horse, but it would be great if we could have everyone's updated contact info.

Our German roommate Stefanie is finally leaving this weekend to return to Germany. In her place we've found a cute Taiwanese woman. We're trading a radio journalist for a television journalist. I think that's what she does there, who knows. I totally forget her name, even though I was speaking to her not even five minutes ago. Whatever, she's cute, and maybe we'll end up appreciating this culture by the time we leave this summer. Stranger things have happened.

Juliana! Her name is Juliana... now I can sleep peacefully...

trying to figure things out

Has the countdown begun? Are you excited? Do you miss us? When are you coming back to Canada? Are you coming back to Canada? How many sleeps?

These are just a short sample of the questions you have been asking and that I have been avoiding lately. The reason for my avoidance is short and simple: I just don’t know the answers.
Our plans change so often that I was getting pretty tired of blogging about our “new official plans”, and I think it’s almost bothersome to read about it as well. For me, I’d rather know about concrete plans every so often than to hear a continuous onslaught of misguided rumours, which is all that my meanderings usually are.

For example: I was going to write and post a blog just last week detailing our great new plans and how we only have 133 days left until departure. Wait a minute, you’re thinking, hasn’t that number shot up since the last time you told us you were leaving soon? Ok, yes it has, but you see, things have changed. We decided it was silly to leave here only a month before the end of the semester, as this would be a pretty nasty thing to do to the school/kids/parents.

That post never made it to print for one reason only: the great plans changed again.
Rob needs to register as a British citizen before we can begin processing our visa applications. We had planned on starting this process here and taking a small detour in England for a week this summer to set up shop before returning to Canada for a visit. This was the new plan, however, after making a visit to the British Trade Office (the equivalent of an embassy) our plans have change yet again, in a few ways.
First, we will make no detour to England before Canada. We are applying for a settlement visa for the UK, and if we are off traveling whilst trying to get a settlement visa, they will frown on this. I think this means that we’ll be heading to England from here and then making a visit to Canada in the coming months. Christmas, perhaps? I feel ok saying that as it’s probably not going to happen this way. Second, the application process could take up to six months to complete, and that is still longer than I had counted on staying here. Yesterday we were leaving in July, today in August perhaps, and tomorrow?

I understand the argument on returning to Canada before starting all this, but that is simply out of the question. Returning to Canada for me would be returning for good, and by that I mean doing it properly, getting a job I enjoy and an apartment that is liveable and all that, which isn’t worth the effort if I’m there only short term.

Anyway, so far I’m not sure this letter has accomplished what I set out to do, which was only to inform everyone that we are still on our way out of Taiwan in spirit, but in body, we wait at the mercy of the postal system. I just hope the folks in Liverpool who process our applications are quick about it.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for a new blog post soon, this time about what we have been up to lately, other than waiting for fate to twist our path.

Ciao for now.