You’ll Never Walk Alone
I’m comfortable being alone. Prior to arriving in Taiwan decades ago I often walked or biked the streets of California communities where I grew up and went to college in joyful solitude. During my first months here I was in a residential language teaching for a summer, and I soon found myself wanting “solo time” on the streets.
One evening I made my escape, but was only a few hundred meters from the hostel” when one of my students emerged from the crowd, called my name, and fell in beside me. I was annoyed, thinking that he was trying to get in some extra English practice outside of class hours or that he thought me too stupid to find my own way back Eventually, however, I learned how important it is in Taiwan both to have a companion and to BE a companion.
Over the years since, I’ve found ways to be alone and to walk alone when I really need to. I’ve also learned to welcome unexpected companionship when polite folk are doing what comes naturally to them.
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