Leaving Taipei

It's early on my last morning in Taipei. I've had an incredible couple of nights and an amazing couple of days. I have met people who exhibited kindness that makes me want to become a better person. I have had the opportunity to share and participate in peoples' lives for mere hours, yet come away from those encounters with a feeling of such happiness (and hope for the happiness of others). By the time I board my plane this morning, I will not have slept for 24 hours. But the missed sleep has nothing against the great moments of these past few days.

I am grateful to my friend M for calling me from Osaka and suggesting we reunite in Taiwan (almost a year after our first meeting there). I am indebted to my new friend C who invited me along to the PingXi Lantern Festival, included me in her group that evening (despite the unlucky occurrence of my debilitating headache), and met up with me and friends tonight. I am thankful for D and S, two awesome people who hosted me via Couchsurfing.org last year during my second trip to Taiwan and welcomed me back today like no time had passed. Another thanks to R for taking me around Taipei last night and helping me find all the little things I promised to get for people back in Higashi (and for the help picking out some good Taiwanese music).

So I leave in a few hours. But I know I'll be back. Maybe as soon as May. Maybe not until next year. Whenever it is, I know for sure, just as I knew a few years ago that I'd be living in Japan now, that I'll be living in Taiwan a few years from now. It's a feeling I can't explain. And it's these feelings that have always worked the best for me.