anonymous writer

As the dark sky turns orange, the roosters crow loudly and old men go to the park and practice Tai-chi with traditional music playing. I rub my eyes and yawn in my comfortable bed, listening to the morning routine. This is the city of Taipei, with a population of 2.64 million people, where ancient meets modern, where east meets west and where I work as a writer/editor. The area where I live is Taipei's older face; temples, traditional markets, and parks, where local people abide, gradually draining cups of tea as the day passes. Just across the main street is an area filled with chic, modern high-rise buildings, including the business building Taipei 101, the second tallest building in the world.

After completing my Bachelor's degree, which included with an experience as an SU exchange student in the United States, I went to a Japanese graduate school to major in pedagogy before coming to Taiwan. During the graduate school, I went to the United States, and observed a case study where an elementary school and an NPO collaborated to improve the students' and their caregivers' self-esteem, as well as the academic achievement of the students. I deeply admired the work I saw done there which was making a difference in people's lives, and my experience inspired me to get involved in NPO management, so I found a job in Taiwan as an NPO employee, in the education field.

Unfortunately the reality of working in an NPO turned out to be quite difficult. After a few months, the weight of financial necessity was becoming heavy upon my shoulders. The pay was probably enough for a person who lives with their family, but not for someone that lives alone. I was enjoying my work, and found the job quite effort-worthy, but financially I was left with no choice but to look for another position.

I considered looking for a job at an NPO in another country, but I found a job at a Japanese language school in Taiwan, and decided to take it because in the long run I thought that being able to speak Chinese would be useful. The requirement for the school was that the teacher should hold a language teacher's certificate, preferably in Japanese. The salary was 1.2 times the average for a Taiwanese graduate fresh out of college. I regained financial stability, and spent life with Japanese linguistics books in hand.

It was only after a couple months of teaching that opportunity came knocking at my door; a job offer from the publisher which provided the teaching materials to my school. The conditions were better than I could have ever expected. The salary they offered was handsome; almost twice what I was being paid in my current position. And they offered two weeks paid holiday and an annual bonus. I like writing and education, so I snapped up the offer.

Although I had a very difficult time when I started, I now love my job in many ways. For the most part the job involves writing a monthly educational magazine which introduces Japanese culture, current affairs, and trends for those who are studying the Japanese language. I love creating an article from scratch, and gradually building it up and seeing it take on a life and personality of its own. The articles which I have created are used by many students for their study and entertainment. I get a lot of feedback and praise from the students, who often convey strong appreciation for the up to date information on Japanese culture and trends as well as Japanese language learning which they say they couldn't get anywhere else. Their praise is an indispensable energy for me to pursue my job.

It has been three years since I came to Taiwan. I have settled down enough to take stock and consider my options for the future. Although I love my life here, Taiwan's pension system will not provide sufficient security for me as I get older. Therefore, I've been considering moving to one of the South Pacific countries where I could enjoy the benefit of a solid pension system in later life.

Of course, there are other reasons why I would like to move to the South Pacific. Some groups there are implementing schemes which would make good case studies for my research. And in New Zealand it is easier for me to transfer credits that I have gotten from my university and graduate school to higher education institutes so that I can continue down the post-graduate education/research path, especially to learn NPO management.

The most important thing that I have learned from my experience about moving to a foreign country is to make sure of three things before you go: The first is to secure the basic necessities for your life in the new country. The second is to make sure of the career options that you may want to pursue. And the third is to make sure there are practical paths available in the new country to pursue the career options you have in mind.

I am writing this article outside in my garden, looking up at Taipei 101. I hear the old ladies washing dishes and chattering intently. I am thinking about my future. Spending time considering one's life plan is not only the privilege of college students! I remember John Steinbeck's words in The Grapes of Wrath, "The last clear definite function of man―muscles aching to work, minds aching to create beyond the single need―this is man."

The lights of Taipei 101 are off, which is the sign for me to head for bed. The friendly sounds of old Taipei will rouse me from sleep tomorrow.