Living a life lost in translation

Well, I've been avoiding updating for a while because I've been having a hard time. I don't want any of you to worry about me. I'm not sure what's wrong, but I think it was triggered by my Canadian friend, Bradley, leaving Taiwan. Now both he and Lindsay are gone-- which leaves me with no one to talk to. I have friends, but none of them are close with me, and don't have any real need/want to see me. Which means I'm back to a point in my life where if I want to do something besides sit at home and watch movies I have to initiate it. I find myself tagging along a lot.

I'm definitely at a low point here. I feel like my life here in Taiwan has become distorted. I haven't even left Hsinchu since that run I went on! Hsinchu is nice but it's not exactly fascinating. Quite boring after you've explored it. I'm mad at myself for not making the most of my time here, but the truth is, I'm not the type of person to travel to other cities alone. I mean, look at what happened in Hong Kong. Can we say, disaster?

I feel like a child saying it, but I want to come home. There's no way I could stay for another year. I don't regret coming here at all, but I'm just not sure I'm the type of person who can live so far away from home. I hope that I can find a job in the U.S.... I'm going to stay until August, when my contract is up with the Language School, and then move back home.

I decided that I wanted to take on a run through a scenic part of Taiwan.
I met with the people hosting it.
I said hi to Jonas, XiaoWei, Chris, and Andrew.
I got in a car with an angry guy named Eddie.
Very angry.
Swears a lot more than necessary.
We cut across a highway to help people who don't know how to get to the run.
We don't die.
We get to the run.
I am told how to follow the markings for the run.
Walkers are told to start.
Jonas, XiaoWei, Chris, and I all start walking.
Within five minutes I am out of breath.
Within ten minutes I can feel my muscles crying out.
Within fifteen minutes I have lost Jonas, XiaoWei, and Chris.
I walk through an orange grove.
I rest.
I walk through a bamboo forest.
I fall on my ass.
I find someone to walk with, who tells me she cheated on her first run and took a taxi to the meeting place.
I come to a canal.
I try to scale down the canal.
A Taiwanese guy named Robbie helps me back up to the top.
I climb down where appropriate.
I climb up where appropriate.
I am exhausted and only half-way done.
I take a Beer Check.
I meet Bonnie, Jason, and Tim.
Bonnie and Tim are Taiwanese. Jason is Australian.
I walk with them the rest of the way.
We walk through someone's yard.
We see chickens.
We walk through farming land.
A lady tells us in Chinese we're going the wrong way.
We go the right way.
We drink more beer.
We climb up.
And up.
And up.
We see the meeting point.
We climb down.
We are second to last, only to a couple who were taking pictures.
I see Jonas, XiaoWei, and Chris.
We drink beer.
We drive home.

My thighs have never been as angry at me as they are now. Dancers are not hikers. Dancers are trained to keep all their weight on the balls of their feet. That's insanity for a hike. I have learned my lesson. Will I go next month?