Above: Mom took a little snapshot over Alaska from our window.

After two flight delays, we finally arrived in Taiwan around 9:00 p.m., last night.

Right now, we are waiting for my uncle to pick us up from the hotel.

A few people have asked me if it’s my first time in Taiwan — and considering that I have a PR degree, I have put together a very boilerplate response,

“This is my third time here. I am older this time and think that I will appreciate it a little more. I’ll see it with new lens and perspective.”

The Trip

I have a few, random observations. So, for organizational purposes, I’ll break this down topically.

Reading material:

I am currently reading “I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t)” by Brene Brown. Brown has received recognition regarding her take on vulnerability, shame and empathy as it applies to personal and professional relationships. During a 20+ hour flight, I had a few minutes to read. So, here are a few thoughts from the book I would like to share:

“Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor—the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant ‘To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.’”

“Real power is basically the ability to change something if you want to change it…Real power is unlimited—we don’t need to fight over it because there is plenty to go around. And the great thing about real power is our ability to create it. Real power doesn’t force us to take it away from others—it’s something we create and build with others.”

A major point that Brown made later is that empathy is powerful, because it allows compassion and connection to empower others. She says that “We’ll never know how our stories might change someone’s life…” —I will keep this in mind as I struggle with understanding how personal blogging isn’t just talking to a wall.

Airplane food and etiquette

Not having a personal TV on your international flight is really a game changer. I’m acting a little spoiled, but I have to say that it completely changes your experience. ZZZzzzz

Regarding food, I have come to the conclusion that vegetarian option is usually the way to go. The meat is pretty creative when it comes to the food. Nevertheless, I had to make this a topic, because I had to brag about Japan’s airplane food and etiquette. I have never seen someone so happy to serve you. I have a habit of mirroring whomever I am speaking to. So, because they were so excited for drinks and food, I was so excited for drinks and food. If I had to describe our flight from Japan to Taiwan, it would look like this: ☺!!!!!!!!!!!! haha! Also, they gave you a menu with so many options with food that was actually delicious.

Energy conservation

Something that blew my mind was that everything in the room (lights, air conditioning, electronics, etc.) will shut off if you don’t place the room key in this slot next to the door. This helps conserve room energy. Of course, we left the card in the the slot (even when we left the room) and I for sure ran a bath and took a shower. Typical.

Breakfast with my boos

Here are a few more shots at breakfast:

Goal of the day: overcome jet lag