just wanted to update about what's been going on lately. been back to work now for a full week, but prior to that got to enjoy a two-week break from the grind. we decided this year to just stay put and take in the city...lounge in her parks, eat in her restaurants and explore the hidden corners and well-known favourites. so that's exactly what we did. slept in every morning, took in different areas of the city, napped, swam, went to the beach, and even went for a bike ride. all in all, it was a great two weeks off and nice to be one of those people i envy when taking the bus to work. you know those people, the kind you think to yourself how come they get to hang out in that cafe? well, i was that guy for two weeks. of course, it would have been fine to get away for a couple of weeks to some tropical locale, but honestly it was great to reconnect with taipei rather than racing through the day and regular routines.
now it's back to work and of course, feels like i never left. the good news is that my summer schedule is ending after this week which means a shift back to reality once more. i've really enjoyed the hours this summer but i also enjoy my usual schedule. just more results from students and more that i can do with them...overall, just being more effective.
in other news, we've had a friend both leave and another come back into our lives. kind of juicy news for the friend who left so i'll start there. this couple we have known here (foreigners) have been together for about 8 years and got engaged soon after we arrived. they ended up having a wedding ceremony and we meant to be heading home to the states to get married this week. turns out, the wedding is off and one of the couple has left taiwan for good to return to the states. it was shocking to hear at first, but after some consideration it wasn't too big of a surprise. even though i didn't know them all that well, there were certain telltale signs that things weren't really working out between them...what i mean to say is that they were growing apart and seemed to be leading very independant lives. anyway, that's even red hot gossip and i do feel pretty bad for the both of them. but time as they say, heals all wounds.
on a much better note, a good friend of ours has returned to taiwan once again. steph arrived on thursday night and we basically picked up right we were left off. hung out on friday night with some drinks in the park and caught up in the four years that we've been apart. we have her back for a year and it's nice to round out the social circle a little more.
