Still here!

It's been a while since I've written. Well, since I've posted, at any rate. I started an entry last week that grew and grew until it turned into something too introspective to publish, even by my standards; but it was useful and I'm glad I pursued my thoughts for as long as I did. That is one of the joys of writing, arriving at unexpected places within yourself, discovering connections that you hadn't consciously made.

In other news... there's not a lot to report. This is from a letter I sent to a friend:

Not much going on here. Earthquake last week -- maybe I mentioned that already. Nora's sick today, and I'm tired from being up with her all night. Despite all that, though, I'm feeling really happy to be here. Maybe I should blog about that today.

It's two days later, but it's all still true. Nora is asleep, but feverish and scratchy-voiced, and waking frequently (I am in for another long night). The earthquakes (two right in a row) were not huge – 4.2 – but they were centered much closer to home than usual, so we rocked and rolled a bit up here on the 4th floor.

And yes, I am happy to be here. I was having a conversation in my head on the way home from Costco today, and imagined the question, "What would you change about living in Taiwan?" The main thing is airfare. I would love to be able to go back home whenever I wanted, and for people to come see us here; but it's an expensive proposition no matter which way you're flying, so once a year is probably the best we can do (and even that takes some effort).

Certainly there are things that bug me – Kaohsiung is no one's idea of nirvana – but I'm not sure that I would change them. The further I get from what I thought my life would be like, the more I like myself for having come the harder way. That's not as eloquent as it could be, but I hope you get my point. Taiwan shapes me, refines me, and pushes me closer to the inner chasms that I might otherwise avoid. Scary, but exciting, too. And with God as your sherpa, what's to fear? If He says stand at the edge, that's where I want to be.

Hmm. Apparently introspection in unavoidable. I better post this before it suffers the fate of my last letter. I will go back to weather (84º and holding), domestic details (finally got glass for our dining table), and other mundane stuff next time. And pictures! I've got to get something new for you to look at. Maybe my crazy neighbor's fifty-odd truck loads of soil that he brought in last week. It's like Close Encounters of the Dirt Kind. Wait 'til you see.