再見, 臺灣! – See You Soon, Taiwan!
In her last letter from Taipei, Nora Lessing muses about what she will miss.
Feb 29, 2016
Nora Lessing will miss certain amenities, such as eyebrow caregivers at street markets.
Image Credit: Private
The modern Q Square Mall is connected to Taipei Main Station.
Image Credit: Private
It’s the end of January. My bags are packed, and I’m stowing away a huge bundle of Taiwanese dollars, my deposit. I wave my goodbyes to Jeff, my landlord’s son. “Call me next time you’re in Taiwan,” he says and smiles. If I returned, I’d have a place to stay and he’d show me around the island, he promises. One last conversation mirroring the incredible friendliness of the Taiwanese people.
Huffing and puffing, I make my way to the Post Office in Gongguan where I post a back-breaking 14 kilograms of gifts and books I bought all over the island. Since it’s been raining for hours and the city is cloaked in a grey apron of humidity, I don’t feel all too sentimental on my way to the airport
She will miss some things...
Some things will be dearly missed, though. The lovely 7eleven clerk with the Hello Kitty contact lenses, for example, whom I talked (or rather: gestured) to everyday. Or the thrilling varieties of tofu sold at my favorite buffet close to the university. Last but definitely not least, I’ll miss Teacher Chen. When we were saying our goodbyes, she hugged me until we both started to cry.
... more than others
A thing I’m not too sad to leave behind is the language barrier that rendered me utterly helpless time and time again. Also, I feel a sense of relief as to the certainty that I won’t be getting lost in Q Square Mall anytime soon. To me, the huge shopping mall connected to maze-like Taipei Main Station always seemed to serve as a kind of Bermuda triangle. On the other hand, that also means that I won’t be enjoying the frequent art exhibitions on display there. They regularly made my day.
A comparable abundance of accessories in questionable taste as can be found in Taiwan isn’t going to come my way anytime soon. Unfortunately, the same goes for astrologers and competent eyebrow caretakers who can be sought out at Taipei’s street markets. However, as my palm reader stated recently, “you’re too impatient a person.” The next adventure is just around the corner. In that sense: see you soon, Taiwan!