One month report

It was pretty shocking to realize today's the starting of my second month in London. Time really flies. 1/12 of my master student life is just gone.

So time to review and reflect a liitle bit.


Today is the end of my week 2 of 1st semester, and slower than expected, only until now I have the feeling of getting the whole picture of life here. For student and teachers, first week of the year is basically for "course shopping" (the whole year's courses need to be decided in the very beginning), so no real lectures and seminars are delivered. Thus, after this week of "reality shows", I finally figure out how the workload really looks like, and can start mapping out my strategy for it.

As many people might expect, studying in LSE isn't easy. However, it's not simply because of the workload, but also overwhelming information, fast decision making requirements, and challenges of being firm about your own choice. There are just too many opportunities here aiming to occupy your time. Every single day, there are at least 20 events happening in the campus: public speeches, seminars, trainings sessions offered by school, society events, internship opportunities, career fairs, parties, dorm gatherings, and so on.

What makes the situation even more stressful is how aggressive the students are. For example, there are limits of how many students each course can take, and if you don't wait in front of computer before the booking time starts, actually there will be nothing left for you. The vacancies for any useful resources are just fast gone in seconds, which makes me feeling like in war all the time.

Anyways, thanks for the training of AIESEC, I know how crucial it is to check out the key priorities and hold on to them from the very beginning, so the only difficult part is to decide what is more important than others. (By the way, the pic on the right is the poster I found in the campus, and I was so happy to know LSE LC exists. It's like having one more home, though not feeling going back yet. =P)


Among all, I guess the biggest decision I've made is about career. Because most recruiting activities here happen around October to November, so recently the endless fairs and deadlines are really eating time and keeping nerves tight, if you wanna apply. What I've made up on my mind is to simply give up all the career opportunitiies given, focus on books and knowledge, and find a job in Taiwan after finishing my studies here.

The opportunities are truly awesome - better than anything you can imagine - and it would be a lie if I said there had been no struggle, but in the end I decided to simply follow my heart again - it's saying time to be back staying with your family, and none of the positions are located in Taiwan, mostly in Eupore, with some in Hong Kong and Singapore.

I know a lot of great opportunities are once in a lifetime, but what the past two years taught me is they're not fundamentals of a happy life. I still don't know if this is a right choice or not, however, at least it ensures me following what I believe in. We can just wait and see how promising this faith can be. C'est la vie, as people always say.

Without the pressure of seeking job and running society, my life here is far from hectic as it used to be in the last five years. Nevertheless, to an extent the life pattern remains the same as what it's like in Jordan: walking 50 minutes to school every day, shopping mostly in the grocery store next to my dorm, preparing my own meals in order to save money, enjoying staying at home, and being super happy while receiving any message from friends and famliy members.

Due to the Thames river, the walking to and back from school forms the most enjoyable moments of each day. The view from the bridge simply conquers me. I still remeber what appeared on my mind upon seeing countless stars above Wadi Rum desert in Jordan: "that's already worth it all."

Since young, I have been feeling more or less bound to find the meanging of life, and to achieve, and there are always gain and loss, pain and confusion along with the pursuit, no matter what waiting in the end is the realization of dream, illusion, or lie. Hence, I'm grateful for every small thing telling me "it's simply worth it all". Just as the shepherd in the novel "The Alchemist", eventually he gets the treasure under the old place, but everything experienced along the way proves its value by no words upon seeing the pyramid.

That's how I feel right now. Life has its own path. I follow, react, and learn. There is great uncertainty waiting for me, and even now there are still ups and downs in my life here, but in general, I do enjoy the current status, and keep seeking ways to to make the best out of it.

Okay, I guess it's time to stop the super long and fluffy monthly report. (Sorry guys =P) Hope you all enjoy the pictures, and as usual, your words are always greatly welcomed.

Settling down in London

Both physically and mentally.

It's really nice that now I can say "am settled", since I didn't have a very good start here in this city.

One of the main reason is, I've chosen the wrong way to transport from the airport to my dorm - the subway. (I really should have chosen the coach.) London subway (or as how they call it here: the tube) is indeed convenient, but not when you have luggages in total exceeding 30 kgs. The tube is a very old system, which means it's not originally designed to be user-friendly as a whole, espeically for travellers with luggages changing between different lines for several times.

Anyways, after 2 hours of struggling, finally I successfully reached my dorm. The first sight of the place is really enjoyable... it's a little bit like the area I lived in Jordan - almost purely residential, peaceful, without skyscrapers or modern buildings. And I also like my room very much, which is a cozy place to live, perfect for studying.

(p.s. The picture is from my window. And after a weekend I just realized that the "black horse" is a bar, lol.)

However, the nice feelings don't sustain long since I caught a pretty bad cold the next day, and even now I still havn't got rid of the coughing completely. It was a little bit miserable situation to recall: knowing no one in the city, being sick on the bed, health insurance not yet registered, and without sources of cooked food. Well, it's not that bad situation (at least not the worst situation I've in), but what pushed me really down was the emotional weakness along with the sickness. I found myself extremely homesick, and even feeling like to give up (though definately not possible.)

What's hard for me to accept in the story is to find myself weaker than expected... though often to be said as gentle or sensitive, normally I know there's still a sort of persistent will inside. But not this time. However, I'm lucky there's no way to retreat this round, so the only solution will be: what doen't kill you, make you stronger.

Now sitting happily typing at my desk, I can say what's often told: it's just a process. However, it's indeed amazing 10 days. I thought the process would be much alike as what I've experienced in Jordan, but it proved that there's a lot of differeces between having AIESEC hosting and dealing everything alone in the city.

Now since we're around the city part...I guess the story about London just can't be ignored. =) Well, the biggest fast conclusion is: it's indeed international, while remaining the features of an European city. In the very beginning, I even couldn't get used to the fact that it's normal to be an Asian in this city, just like in my born town. No extra attention, no discrimination (maybe not felt yet =P), and there are just thousands of people with different colors of skin, eyes, and hair mixed up on the road.

Or just another small example: in a small grocery store next to my dorm, I can easily find Mexican Tortilla, Dates from Tunisia, ginger (normally used for Chinese cuisine), Indian Nam, plus a whole wall of alcohol (which provides extra shocking especially after Jordan. =P)

I believe there's much more to explore, after all, IT'S LONDON. As long as you're in the city, immediately you're just overwhelmed by history, history, and histoy, without knowing them in detail.

However, what makes me mostly satisfied now is that I can feel myself already establishing a good routine here. I know where to shop, how to get to my school, how much to wear to fit into the weather, and best of all - I can cook for myself. =P I've also started to study, with good steady progress (which is so hard while in Taiwan, well, my mom and I just love chatting with each other too much. =P)

Great thanks given to the people who helped me survive the settling period through the internet. Though mostly random chats, it would be really difficult to make it through without them.

My semester would start next week, and I guess it will become a totally different chapter of the story. Well, let's wait and see. =)

First 20 days of transitting in Taiwan - ankle recovery story

After 7 monthes of internship in Jordan, today is my 20th day of 11-weeks staying at home in Taipei. Though I didn't plan much, the re-integration life has come back on track in a really quick and smooth way, which was unexpected from me.


In the first two weeks, nothing has changed much in life since I still have the same routine as holidays in Jordan - wake up around 8-9 in the morning, have breakfast and small talk with parents, start dealing with the to-do list every day, and go to bed around 11. Still, very steady and peaceful life.


In these 20 days basically I'm occupied with the following priorities:

- Treating my twisted left ankle
- Preparation for studying master in London
- Preparation for one-month working in my father's company
- Meeting family members and friends
- Mentally adjusting back to Taiwan


Actually, the treatment of my left foot is a pretty interesting process. First of all, since I didn't inform my parents of the injury in advance, my father basically went mad when picking me up in the airport, seeing his daughter having difficulties walking. ^^" Therefore, I was IMMEDIATELY taken to a traditional Chinese medical clinic (it's a little bit sad that the first place to visit on arriving homeland is clinic rather than the sweet home...), and that was just a start of my daily visit to the doctor, or you can say daily fight between the doctor, the ankle, and me.

The doctor uses a very traditional way of treatment, meaning that he would readjust the bones, muscles, and tendons of my ankle by hand. However, the doctor can't deliver any treatment when I'm feeling nervous, because that makes the foot stiff so the treatment may cause second injury... Unfortunately I'm famous for easily getting nervous (especially taking into consideration that the treatment DOES hurt), as a result the patience of the doctor was being eaten really quickly. To deal with this, the key challenge of my ankle's recovery lies totally on how well my meditation before the treatment works, which enables me to be relaxed and prepared for the whatever kind of pain coming along with the curing. Only with this, the treatment would be effective.

Well, you never know how many usages meditation can have.


What's more, because after two weeks of treatment my foot insists not to be fully healed, I was forced to visit the modern, or normal hospital by my grandmother, but came home only with a pack of pain-killing pills and an appointment of supersonic examination TWO WEEKS AFTER. (Also along with a bill, of course.)

Great. Now I have a valid reason for disliking the modern medical system.


After all of these, my uncle finally decided to take me to a doctor speicializing on Chiropractic today. I would say it's a truly miracle. The doctor asked what happened, then asked me to bend over on a special chair, and then he make ONE push on my neck. Then the feet started to function totally well and normal.

It's amazing. One push on NECK heals the twisted ANKLE.

I expressed the appreciation to my uncle, but he says it's luck and attitude deciding if someone can get to know good doctors while being sick, since not everyone can believe or even be willing to try this kind of unusual treatment. Then I'm kind of being reminded about how lucky I am to have so many people helping me out with the injury this time, especially the support from all the friends in Jordan.


There're still so much for me to reflect and write about the internship experience, but I think one of my biggest lessons learnt from it is indeed how the positive connections worked out between people, based on character, attitude, curiosity, good willings, and so many other things.

The most inspiring part of sickness is getting to know how much oneself is being loved, no matter if it's the so-called random acts of kindness or consistent care. Just as what is written in the song :

I know some have fallen on stony ground
But Love is all around


Love is all around, and it's really a privilege being able to know that.
Thanks, my dear family and friends. :)

New Stage of Life

That's the only thing I can make sure right now - I'm in a brand new stage of my life.
Almost everything else is uncertain.

This feeling of uncertainty came along with the end of my internship in Aspire Services as well as my last AIESEC conference as an official memeber - an intern. Though there are still 11 days left in Jordan for me, I'm already clearly aware of my entry to the last stage of AIESEC Experience - heading for the future.

We're always heading for the future, but this time it's out of AIESEC .


I've spent 5 years in AIESEC, and when I'm trying to look back and review what I've accumulated in these 5 years, I was pretty much intrigued by the fact that the answer has nothing to do with profession building, but more about self-awareness.

However, by taking my Asia-Pacific background into consideration, this answer suddenly appears to be so reasonable. To be honest, the lifestyle for Taiwanese students almost doesn't provide any exposure to self-understanding and self-awareness, while they are so crucial and basic for leading a good life.

I think that's why when I entered my university, I was also feeling extremely uncertain about how should I plan and spend my university schooling, but at least I knew I wanna change into a more confident person, who can happily survive in the life after university. Though in the end most things happend during uni weren't following the original plan, which is always the case in life, the key desire was always there, so the path was also determined in a consistent way.


Now comes the turning point of the path again.
Then, what are the key desires there in my mind?

The following is the current answer:

- Putting family and close friends into the highest priority in life.
- Profession building.
- Financial sustainability.
- Upgrading of my religious commitment and pursuit.


Well, seems not very integrated, but I'll figure it out. =D At least I'm sure they're very different from the previous stage. New desires, new choices, new era of life.

Here I am.