Living in Asia over the past four months has taught me to never underestimate the kindness of strangers. From sharing meals to climbing mountains, so many folks met my eyes with a smile and an introduction during my travels in Tokyo, Bangkok, and across Taiwan.
Thank you Luke, a fellow Vancouverite who made the trek out to Big Rock Hiyoshi in Kawasaki to do some top roping and share some good conversation after several non-verbal days in Tokyo - and cheers to the Japanese gentleman in the red polo shirt at the bar in Shibuya we went to after who bought us both a beer and, with a big grin, said “enjoy Japan”.
Thank you to the young lady in Bangkok who’d just got off work and was still willing to stay with a desperately lost foreigner to help them navigate from BKK to DMK (after dropping off my friends at the opposite airport from where my own flight was scheduled).
Thank you to the squad from the Stranger Bar for chatting me up, sharing your cigarettes, and forcing me to talk to the Chinese boy in the Louis Vuitton bucket hat at our second club of the night. Begrudgingly, I’ll admit it was the right decision to drag me to the Banana at 4AM, though we definitely made fools of ourselves voguing up on the stage with our shirts off. A special shoutout to one of the most stunning queens in the world, Ze Pee, and her fellow performers for making me feel like a star for an hour.
Tommy, thank you for being my queer bestie in Taichung. Us delicate, petite little girls need to stick together. Thank you for taking me exploring at all the night markets, buying me papaya milk, and for driving our scooter over those two wonderfully relaxing days in Kenting. No thank you for talking my ear off about you-know-who (I can’t wait until you get over his ass). As I promised, let me know when you get together with the French man, and I’ll find a date in solidarity. Remember: Germany, then Spain - that’s our plan (forget about the USA if you’re going to go for longer than one year).
Thank you to Grandma Lin and family. You taught me how to make sure rice doesn’t stick in a pot and made sure I was eating as soon as I got home from work. Thank you for taking me to the Taoist temple for lunch, for a wonderful vegetarian meal with your daughter and husband, and for all the 苹果 and 香蕉.
Shaun - thanks for taking a chance on a random Canadian who cold-emailed you in January. I’ll never forget your wild stories from your 20+ years in Taichung, and our insightful conversations on the state of RCI and how to increase the value we give as consultants in experts on sustainable buildings on the car rides to and from those Taoyuan IAQ projects. Your ability to empathize with people’s personal values and advice on being confident and true to one’s own path has helped me stay focused on taking steps to realize my dreams.
Austin, Billy, Ivan, Christopher and Louis - thanks for introducing yourselves to me and your group at Fairy in Taipei after recognizing I was both the youngest and only foreigner present, and was in need of a friendly face. Tony, two things - one, thank you for a wildly good time at GStar, and two, I still don’t believe you’re 40.
Many, many thanks to SJ and the RCI team for giving me the opportunity to learn from your expertise, help out a little with your projects, and hopefully inspire the LEED team to challenge how they think about sustainable outcomes. Oh, and Adam - you’ll always be my favorite POC.
Thanks for posting about needing a climbing partner, Riley. Our evening excursions to DaPro were the perfect way to relax and stay in shape after a long day of work. If I’m ever in Boise (and you haven’t moved on by then), I’ll be sure to look you up.
Thank you to man who sold me a bike outside Taichung Airport, and then proceeded to buy me me an oolong tea and some bread from 7-11 and hold an engaging half-hour conversation, all while speaking zero English. My Chinese has gotten maybe 0.001% better since then, if it’s any consolation.
Kathy - thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart, for making my experience in Taichung 1000% amazing and wonderful (and easy, la)! The two things I looked forward to most during the work week was TeaTop at lunch, and some excellent beef noodle / dumpling / wonton / dry noodle dinner experience at the end of our workday (throw in a Costco hotdog for good measure). While I have my Canadian brothers, your kindness and unwavering generosity made me realize how important it was to have an older sister. Your silliness and the laughter we shared pretty much every single day of my Taiwan experience is something that, no matter where I am in time or space, will bring the largest, happiest smile to my face.
Thanks, Perry, for making a three-hour wait at the immigration office into a lovely lunch. Keep rocking that chill personality, but don’t sell yourself short - you’re a deep thinker who sticks to your personal values, and that counts for more than I think you give yourself credit for.
Doris - thanks for kicking my brain into high gear during our conversations at VB and in Taichung central park, holy cow! I seriously love your energy, how intent of a listener and questioner you are, and I have literally zero doubt that you’re going to be able to accomplish whatever you set your mind to - whether that’s a working holiday in Australia or becoming a free-diving master like your older brother. If you’re ever doubting yourself, just think of me clapping my hands and cheering you on behind you.
Evan, Ah-Fung, Jiang Jiang and the rest of the B-plus climbing crew - thanks for being awesome. Simple as that. Evan, I’m not sure how you have the bandwidth in your memory to keep up with a climbing group chat of more than 27 members, let alone add a foreigner struggling to climb your crazy-difficult routes on a hot May evening. You introduced me to LongDong, rice milk breakfast, and probably shaved five years off my lifespan drifting through the roads leading to the temple dormitory overlooking Jiufen.
Jessica, if Kathy is my big sister, then you’re Kathy’s big sister. Thank you for sharing your insights on modular construction in Hong Kong, telling me to not stay at the office too long, and for always being ready for a gab-session about EPDs. Jesus!
Eddie, Ian, Lana, Mina, Julz, Daiby and the other expats in Taichung (looking at you, Allan) - thanks for the memories. From the moment you guys let me win at my first game of Mahjong, I knew we’d be fast friends, and after introducing me to Uptowner, JSpot, and the legendary Philli Disco, I feel like a master of the socio-topographical landscale of the Chungle. While we may not have completed the Uptowner challenge in reality, I maintain we crushed it in spirit.
