上班族必備軟實力

[Richard grew up in the city of Tulsa in the state of Oklahoma, but has lived in Taiwan for the last 18 years.]

Taiwan is in the Far East. We call it the Far East because it is far far to the east, but not too far. If it was too far to the east, then it would be in danger of becoming the Near West. The Far East is so far away that the culture, language, and religions are mostly different from those in the USA.

I have been in Taiwan long enough to start seeing my hometown as a foreign land. My old Tulsa neighborhood is basically the same as when I was there, but there are enough little differences that it has become oddly strange, and strangely odd. I’m used to Taiwan, which is my home now.

Quiet streets outside the front window of my old house.

Tulsa seems to be larger than it was. Houses seem farther apart. The old neighborhood has become a bit more run down. We were always too close to the airport. There is much noise from the airplanes. The city grows to the south and the east, not to the north. For all these reasons, there has been little change. It just feels like it to me.

Crowded Taipei makes Tulsa look empty and spare. It is almost like in a movie about the end of the world where only a few people survived. Some people even act like zombies when the weather is hot. There are not many cars driving through the neighborhood. When we go shopping, it is easy to find a parking space.

High school was so long ago that I hardly know anybody anymore. It is still fun to visit; I enjoy traveling to foreign lands. Thank you for reading.