What I will miss and not miss about Taiwan this summer!

I'm heading back to the states for 6 weeks this summer and as I wind up my school year and prepare to head home, I've been thinking about the things I will miss/not miss about Taiwan while I'm gone.

First I'll start with the easy list...what I won't miss.

1. The weather - It is so freakin' hot and humid here. The past few days have been in the high 80's to low 90's but with the humidity, the heat index is in the 100's. Not a fan. I never knew I could sweat so much. Gross!
2. The traffic - I'm still not riding a bike yet so I'm walking everywhere (yes in the freakin' heat!) and even then I have to dodge traffic. Scooters come up onto the sidewalks to not only park but many drivers use it as their own highway to bypass the traffic up ahead. Royally sucks. I've had to jump out of the way on many occasions as they fly by on their scooters. Also, pedestrians don't have right of way so crossing the street is an adventure all on it's own. Won't miss that even one little bit!
3. Being stared at - I'm good at ignoring it and going with the flow but I will not miss having all eyes on me as I stand waiting for a train or at a crosswalk. It's ridiculous. I recently went to the movies with a bunch of my students and the couple sitting in front of me literally turned in their seats to take a good look at me. Then they tried, not so discretely, to take my picture while pretending to take a selfie. Come on! I eventually just made a
   
   face, they snapped a picture and left me alone.
4. Juggling living alone with an injury - Let's face it, it sucks! I am still on the road to recovery and being here without a support group has been a challenge. I'll be happy to relinquish some of my independence while I continue the healing process at home.

That's it! Short list right? Now let's get to what I WILL miss while in the states.

1. The food - I love the food here. There are so many different things to try and discover just walking down one block. I've had many food adventures here and I can't wait to have more.
2. Tea - grapefruit green tea, bubble milk tea (just plain on milk tea frankly), honey lemon tea...the list goes on. I am not a coffee drinker so for the first time in my life, I'm living in a country that's all about the tea. Happy me!
3. Taiwanese people - I am so lucky to work with and know some incredible people. Included in this list are locals who have made my life here that much more enjoyable. Taiwanese people are kind, generous and fun. 
4. My students - Okay, I'll admit it. I won't miss ALL of my students but this is one of the best groups of students I have ever worked with. I really love middle schoolers too!
5. The cost of things - overall the cost-of-living here is so much less than in the states. I can go to an amazing dinner here and pay less than $10. On Sunday I got two huge bags of groceries (enough for the week) and the total cost was less than $30. That's not happening in the states. 
6. Outdoor markets - I love walking around and buying all of the local fruits, veggies, meats, etc. and the cost is incredibly low. 
7. Fruit - I know we have fruit in the states but not Taiwan fruit. I've never been much of a fruit eater but I've completely changed that here. Mangos, dates, pineapple (the best ever!), little bananas, guava and a long list of tropical fruit I had never even seen before. I will miss this each and every day.