今天就是我在全球疫情的時候跑到世界另一端的一週年。感覺就像是昨天我才有點感傷地，剛搭了一趟單程的飛機到台灣，前往一個未定的未來。
你能相信這個疫情已經在我們的人生裡過了兩年了嗎？在這段時間，全世界也繼續發展、人們也適應了新的環境，我自己的人生也變了很多。之前疫情變嚴重的時候，我正在思考我人生的【下一步】可是不確定那步到底會這麼顯現。幸運的事，有一個出現的時候我就快速利用那些機會。從那以後，我沒有往回看、或者有什麼後悔。
Today officially marks a full year since I officially made my great escape journey to the other side of the world in the midst of a global pandemic. It still feels like only yesterday when I was hit with a flood of sentimental feelings and underlying guilt boarding a one-way flight to Taiwan towards an undetermined future.
Can you believe that the pandemic has been present in our lives for nearly two years already? Not only has the world evolved during this time but my own life has changed monumentally. Just before the pandemic escalated in the States, I remember speculating next “big move” but was uncertain of how it would manifest. Fortunately, an opportunity presented itself and I seized it and ran without looking back.
去年全世界還在隔離的時候，從國外跑回來台灣的朋友們應該會同意，這兩年是很特別、也很難忘的時光。如果我能表達出去年的感覺，就有點像是大一那年，因為新的環境，有很多冒險、自我探索，還會遇到不同的人。我剛來的時候沒有什麼計畫，只有一個目標，就是要利用我在台灣的這段時間，還有不要有期望，我會見到誰還有我的路上會有什麼計畫—我覺得我成功了。
回顧這年，我真的很得意我完成今年的目標。搬來一個完全不一樣的環境真的不容易。我剛來的時候我中文不太流利，認識很少人，還有不太理解台灣的文化。雖然，我還是覺得我還可以在進步不同方面，我很幸運這年有見到很多不錯的人，交到新朋友，我的中文聽力還有寫的能力有進步，還有現在很了解台灣的文化和地理【我現在可以當導遊了】。
Anybody that found their way to Taiwan while the rest of the world was in lockdown will probably agree that this past year will go down in the books as the most memorable year ever. If I could best sum up what this past year felt like, it was a bit déjà vu and reminiscent of my freshman year in college where everyday was filled with new adventures, exploration and new groups of people. I arrived in Taiwan with only a single objective to leverage my time and not have any expectations on who I’d meet, what journeys would lie down the road and its potential impact on my future decision making — and I feel I did just that.
I’m honestly proud of what I’ve accomplished this year. Moving to foreign country with a limited language proficiency and adapting in an unfamiliar environment is no easy feat. Even though there is still much to accomplish and improve on, there have definitely been some wins: my Mandarin has improved a ton, I’ve met and made some amazing friends, and can confidently say that I know enough about Taiwan where I can be a tour guide.
今年我對我的人生的看法變得很多。我很興奮我的未來會有什麼 – 有時後好像需要一個全球疫情會推你去跳還有那個機會變你的人生。我真的很幸運，能有這個機會搬到這世界的另一端。當大家在世界的另一端不能出門、還得在房間裡過得不開心的時候，我還能有彈性、到台灣交到新朋友。有時候我性情不太好的時候，我會提醒自己別人不一定有這個機會像我一樣，所以我不會把這件事當作理所當然。我很興奮我的未來會長得像什麼 好像有時候需要一個全球疫情才能推你去信仰的飛躍。
This past year has been eye-opening in that I have have a clearer vision of what’s important to me, the type of lifestyle I want to lead and what concrete steps I need to take to get there. I feel incredibly fortunate to be in a position where I can move halfway across the world without any burdens, work remotely and be able to experience as much as I did this past year while the rest of the world was confined to their apartments. Sometimes when I have the occasional rough day, I remind myself that not everybody is in the position or has the flexibility to have this sort of lifestyle and I should never take that for granted. I’m so incredibly excited for what the future lies in store for me – I guess sometimes it takes a global pandemic to push you into taking that leap for faith and making a change.
