Lessons from the beautiful island, pt. 3

Being in Taiwan this year has pushed me from growing in the greenhouse to being transplanted out in the open, leaving me to learn how to grow on my own and face the elements without them being climate-controlled. There was a lot to learn and the place God planted me was a perfect place to learn them. Essentially a part of growing up is discovering who you are as an individual; for me much of it had to do with discovering I could make decisions for myself (I am a chronically indecisive) and realizing the issues that I am passionate about.

But these last two weeks have illustrated to me more than anything else the progress I've made. My sister came to visit me and help me pack up/organize my stuff before leaving. Originally it was to help me move back to the States, but since I am coming back, there thankfully isn't as much I need to bring. In spite of the heavy rains and typhoons, I was still able to take her on a few adventures. I bought train tickets, booked hotels, and did other things that I otherwise would not have done alone, which proved to me that I could do it. And after all this time, I took one step forward towards becoming more like a native:

Bargaining.

I never bargained before. Never could. I was always too shy or scared and let others do the talking. But this time, I was that "other" for my sister! And knowing all the shopping we'd be doing, I had to ask for lower prices. This was a big step for me. But I took it. And found it's not so bad after all. :D

The bargains I drive are still quite soft, but hey, one step at a time. The next goal is to learn how to do it in Taiwanese. :)