Saying Goodbye

The hardest thing about leaving any place has to be saying goodbye to the people we've grown to love. We've had to do it more frequently than I would prefer. In addition to the five major moves we've had in our six years of marriage (the two years in Taiwan being the longest I've lived anywhere since I graduated high school), expat life supplies plenty of goodbyes on its own.

At the end of every school year, the Taiwan ward has a mass exodus, and the beginning of every school year brings a mass arrival (my understanding is Hong Kong is the same). Although it is always hard to say farewell, I wouldn't change the experience of meeting so many incredible people. I've learned so much from each person and truly appreciate each interaction.

The Taiwan ward is unique in that the members seem to bond together quickly and rely on each other as a family away from home. A lot of us are new to living in a foreign country, but we immediately have a network of friends who share the same beliefs and standards--and I think it's safe to say--would do most anything to help one another.

I found this to be especially true as we were preparing to move away.

The Millwards and Hedquists obliged my request to try Korean BBQ with Young-Ae as our guide.

My yearning to know how to make Tsong Yo Bing and Jua Bing were fulfilled by Chiu-Yi.

I felt so loved as the girls ensured we have one last girls' night before I left. Admittedly, this only made it harder. I'm pretty sure it is nights like these I will miss the most about Taiwan.

Young-Ae watched Jadyn while the movers were packing our apartment, which also allowed Jade and her BFF, Mary, to have one last play date and say their final goodbyes.


Many of our dear friends showed up for our last dinner in Taiwan. Even at this point, with our bags packed and our apartment empty, the impending moved didn't seem real. It just felt like another fun night hanging out with good friends. Maybe I was still in denial that this was really goodbye.


The bishop's wife was insistent she come help us clean our apartment. She saved the day when it came to scraping off the double sided tape I used for decorating. Oops!

Last, but by far, not least: The Jensen's.

They saved me time and time again during the year we spent together in Taiwan, in more ways than I'm sure they know. As if they hadn't already done enough for the Rowland family, they let us stay with them for two nights after our apartment had been packed. Then they continued to pour out generosity by watching Jadyn, feeding us, and fulfilling any other last minute need. Seriously, such great friends. After about two days of packing and cleaning, and not really spending time with Jadyn, my guilt fled as I watched her play with the Jensen children. She did not miss me in the slightest.

Without all the added help during our final days, the moving process would have been exponentially harder. And without the friendship from these people--and those who moved on before--living in Taiwan would have been unbearable. A sincere thank you (as tears are welling in my eyes writing this) to all you wonderful friends. We really do love and miss you. ♥