Erin – Page 23 – Six Abroad

My Moment of Glory

This afternoon, as is often the case, I was running late. I was late leaving the house to drive down the mountain to pick up my 14-year-old daughter from school. I had to pick her up and take her to the mall to find some very, very, very important Spandex shorts that she could wearContinue reading “My Moment of Glory”

A Couple of Embarrassing Experiences

Since arriving in Taipei I’ve had my share of embarrassing experiences. Most of them involve my very sad Mandarin skills or other communication issues. Here are a few of the many: Once, while trying to say “I like to eat delicious shrimp” I told my Mandarin teacher, “I like to eat delicious children.” Her reactionContinue reading “A Couple of Embarrassing Experiences”

Leaving my Comfort Zone

My new life living abroad has caused me to leave my comfort zone in a big way. When I think of my life back in Utah, it’s like I was wearing a huge, fluffy, fleece blanket. It was warm and comfy and familiar. I loved that fleece blanket. Moving abroad has meant throwing off thatContinue reading “Leaving my Comfort Zone”

The Object of a Point and Laugh

Yes, today I was the object of a classic Point and Laugh. Our children attend the Taipei American School. TAS is considered one of the most prestigious international schools in the world. Ironically, over 90% of the 2000 or so students at TAS are Taiwanese. The Taiwanese, like most Asians, place a heavy emphasis onContinue reading “The Object of a Point and Laugh”

Christmas, Sunday School and Pinching Myself

Our first major holiday in Taipei has come and gone. We weren’t sure it would actually come, but grateful it did. Our air shipment miraculously arrived on December 23rd, just in time to put up the tree, a few decorations and wrap the presents that Santa (using the magic that only Santa can use) addedContinue reading “Christmas, Sunday School and Pinching Myself”

First Impressions of Taipei

We have been in Taipei about 40 hours now, not enough to get a huge feel for the place, but enough to form some first impressions. First of all, it’s colder than I expected. The last two days have been cold and rainy. Cold enough that we have had to turn on our heaters. IContinue reading “First Impressions of Taipei”

A Tribute to my State and Community

Yesterday, an unexpected, but inevitable thing happened to me. For the first time since we started this Foreign Service process I actually teared up. I ran into an old friend of mine named George Durrant. We talked for a few minutes about our move. He asked when we were leaving and I said in justContinue reading “A Tribute to my State and Community”