Talkin’ the talk
Hello everybody. It’s been a while.
First of all, I have to apologize to all of you dedicated followers of the patchesweaver.com blog. For the past 6 months (wow, really?), I have adopted a one-track mindset and a healthy case of tunnel vision. I have been living under a rock up here and have only come out from my self imposed isolation to run, drink an occasional beer[s] with friends, and to meister it up every day. This monk-like approach to the daily grind has afforded me the ability to get quite a bit done. I have to say, I’ve been working my ass off.
The fruits of my labor? A one way plane ticket to Taipei on June 15th. I am proud to announce that patchesweaver v2.0 will be released shortly thereafter.
It's official
So for the details:
The Taiwanese government kindly extends the opportunity to study ANYTHING at ANY of their schools to ALL foreigners for AL[most] free. There are 2 scholarships that they offer, one is for learning the Mandarin language, and the other is for pursuing a graduate degree. I have chosen to do the first one. The scholarship includes tuition, housing, and living expenses. Not a bad deal if you ask me.
I’ve been awarded 9 months and have chosen to do summer school out of pocket. 1 full year of full time Mandarin study. Nose to the grindstone and brain melting through my nostrils.
As for the school, it is in a cheap/artsy area, has one of the best architecture programs in Taiwan, and is conveniently a little more than a half an hour from Melissa’s house and job. This is all good. I’ve already set up an appointment to meet with the chair of architecture. Vamos a ver que dice.
I’m going to go over and live in a private ensuite (hole in the wall apartment) for the first month or until Melissa and I find a place.
For those of you who would like to point out that this seems like a crazy plan, please hold that thought for a moment, you are not alone… I’d have to say that I agree with you. However, moving to Guatemala without having a job or even a solid plan beyond the first few months (or even weeks… wait… or days) was also a crazy plan. Yet, behold, it was absolutely without a doubt one of the greatest experiences of my life. With the GT experience tucked tightly under my Q40 counterfeit Nike mercado belt, I have to humbly admit that I have learned a thing or two. This time around I have done my homework and plan to come out of the gate running. I can’t wait.
So that’s that. T minus 2 weeks.
For those of you who’d like to hang out before I peace out for an indefinite amount of time to the opposite side of the world, please email me and we’ll work something out. I plan to get into NYC on the 11th. I fly on the 15th. Let me know.