Parting -- NOT so sweet.

I just recently saw my wife get on a plane bound for home, and I won't see her for at least a couple of months. For some reason, right now that pithy saying in Romeo&Juliet (of all things) is one of the first things that comes to mind, and it really bugs me. I'll grant it to Juliet that she was young and naive, and 'parting' for just one night, so what does she know about sorrow (at least, up until the last act). Right now, I don't feel anything that could quite be considered sweet. Even though we knew this was coming, and was a recognized possibility even when we were dating, it doesn't make it any better.

In case you're wondering why YT doesn't just stay here with me and the rest of her family, well, it has to do with her green card. We applied early this year, and were really hoping to receive it before we left to come to Taiwan. It still hadn't arrived by the day we had to leave, so we'd made arrangments with a friend to send it to TW through the mail when it came, which would have been a big worry and an extra headache. But, fortunately, as it turns out, we realized half an hour outside of Pittsburgh that we'd forgotten the plane tickets, so we went back to get them. Guess what the mailman had delivered just after we had left that morning? Yep, the green card. So we didn't have to have it sent to us. I like that story, but it's not my point.

The point is that it's a conditional green card, which means we have to be married for at least two years before we can apply to have the conditional status removed, at which point it would be unconditional and/or permanent (yay). If we don't succeed in having it removed, it's very bad news. We'd have to go through the whole application process from the beginning, which is now even more expensive and a bigger pain in the tuckus than it was before. Officially, it's okay for her to be abroad through the duration allowed by her travel documents, which is about a year. However, we were counselled that if she is gone too long, regardless of having the proper legal documentation, the government could think she might abandon her residency and isn't serious about living in the US. They could make that claim at least, and that would likely mean the conditional status would not be removed. We were told that she could still go abroad, but the total amount shouldn't exceed a certain number of months. So, she'll spend part of her time here in Taiwan, and part of her time back in the US finishing up her dissertation. That's the plan, at least.

So now it's just me and the in-laws, which is going great except for the part where my wife is no longer here too. It's like (perhaps) when you were a kid and your best friend, your favorite person in the world, had to go away to camp for the summer. Things just aren't as fun anymore. I now just have a few articles of left-behind clothing and ticket stubs and pictures, and needless to say, it's not quite enough. We will, of course, also have the telephone and internet chats and webcams, and almost all that the magic of the digital era can provide, but you can't put your arms around a digital picture, even if it's uploading at 30 frames per second. It is much better than nothing, granted; however I do hate the feeling that, as it may come to seem, my wife flew to Pittsburgh and somehow ended up getting stuck inside my computer. Strangely enough, she only comes out at certain times of day, and somehow, Oliver is there, too. I guess it's a good thing I never saw the movie Tron.
This is now my wife, sort of:


We do know that my work here will also allow me to (among other things) understand her cultural background and language much better and be a stronger part of her family. So we both think it will have many positive effects in the long run. But for now, though, I have to say, sorry to disagree with you Juliet, but parting is just sorrow. You'll learn that too soon enough, though. If you want some advice, don't pay too much attention to the Friar at the end of Scene 1 in Act IV, but, I'm no literary theorist.

Okay, I've got to go. Till next time, BB

PS: For what it's worth, I should say it does feel really good to be able to communicate using the webcam. It's not as good as face-to-face, of course, but it does help a lot.

It's a Small (Mennonite) World

There is, actually, a couple more thoughts about the funeral I have been experiencing (it will last several weeks). Since I had lived in China for several years previously, it is very interesting to see these kinds of services being performed at all. It is not controversial (in my opinion) to state that traditional Chinese religious practices are much better preserved here, as Taiwan did not witness the Cultural Revolution that took place on the mainland.

In my understanding, Taiwan has also been more open to practices of other faiths, including evangelism from foreign missionaries. Though this had been active in China as well, with different levels of acceptance and rejection through the ages, the church is now supposed to be more indigenous, or at least more independent from foreign influences. There is really only one Chinese protestant church in China, which I attended while I was there. So, it is different to be here and witness the presence of different denominations. The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan is by far the most prevalent.

Yesterday, YT and I went to a Mennonite church in Taiwan that is in a nearby neighborhood. The church was started in 1975 by a couple from Lancaster (?? Sprunger), and we found the church through the internet. There were about 30 people there or so this Sunday. The hymns were in Taiwanese, though the sermon was in Mandarin and translated into Taiwanese. For the hymns, I had the choice of either trying to follow the same words as everyone else through the Taiwanese hymnal, or knowing more of the meaning through the Mandarin hymnal, or choose one and just sing 'oo' to the right notes. Most of the time I chose the latter. I'm not used to translations being given, so I found it hard to stop paying attention when it is said in Taiwanese. That means I was still trying to follow what was being said in a language I can't understand, no matter how hard I concentrate, and it got very tiring. YT was suggesting during the service that I try to go to an English-Chinese church in the city, and I was thinking that would be a good idea.

We were, naturally, introduced during the guest-introduction time, and there was a sound of general approval when I said I am a Mennonite. After the service, everyone was very welcoming, and we were invited several times to stay afterwards to have lunch with them, sort of a weekly potluck. We at first declined, since I wasn't sure whether I'd keep coming in the future, and we said we had things to do. We kept talking with people, though, and several did speak English pretty well. It also turns out that the pastor's son had studied at Carnegie Mellon, so he was familiar with Pittsburgh. A lot of others had at least one child studying in the US. Someone soon announced that lunch was ready, and we had no option but to stay : ) Everyone was very welcoming, and it really did have a similar feeling to the small Mennonite churches I've attended or been part of in the US. So, I'll likely go back, whether I can understand well enough or not.

Anyway, tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Festival, so no classes today or tomorrow. There is already a small gathering of family out on the porch getting ready to barbeque, and I fear being anti-social if I keep writing right now.

So, till later, and happy harvest time! BB

台灣補請的照片

我知道我很懶
補請已經過了一個月,我居然還沒有把照片po出來