上班族必備軟實力

*Richard is an American who is quite settled in Taiwan and not as anxious to get away as he used to be.

My hometown is on the other side of the globe. Vacations must be planned carefully. Tickets must be bought in advance. Time away from the office must be approved and coordinated. Relatives in America must be notified. It’s a huge, expensive, and complex undertaking.

I enjoy it, because my family and childhood friends are there, but the trip is a titanic voyage—13 or more hours in cramped airline seats, looking at movies, and having the air pressure pop my ears. Sitting in that cramped seat, waiting for them to bring my next meal is boring and tedious and it is too uncomfortable to sleep very much.

There are a few items are of paramount importance. They include the passport, ID card, return ticket, and a few bucks. These items need to be kept safe on my person. I wonder if I forgot something. I turned off all the lights at home and unplugged everything.

The money that I grew up with looks strange to me now.

And then when I get there, even though it may be morning,but it feels like it is past my bedtime. I go around and visit people, and then sitting on a couch, I will start to fall asleep.

I also have to get used to the money again. I don’t remember dimes being so small. They are tiny. Little bitty dimes; I can’t get over it. It’s amazing.

Returning from time abroad, readjusting to life here and forgetting the life I left, is an uncomfortable period. I suffer from jet lag, my sleep pattern is disrupted, and I am susceptible to falling asleep early in the evenings. I have to get my MRT legs back, and learn how to stand up on the trains again.

In spite of all the inconvenience, I am looking forward to my next trip abroad. I’m also looking forward to my next article. Thank you for reading.

【作者介紹】

Richard 是一位台灣女婿，在台灣生活15年，喜愛台灣文化，以風趣幽默的文筆，細膩獨特的觀點，介紹在台灣生活的趣事，一起跟著Richard探訪外國人的台灣世界吧！