virtualberta

My brother Galen leaves on Sunday back to the U.S. The seven weeks he has been here have swept by so quickly. I'll be sad to see him go, but I'll also take the next week to rest and recover.

This is not to say that Galen has ever demanded much of me. I've just felt the need to spend as much of these past precious seven weeks as possible with him, to entertain him, to make sure he has a good time as I try to cram two years of experiences into a summer. Have I been a good older sister? Have I taken him to different restaurants and holes-in-the-walls to taste what is rare in the States? Have I exposed him to the country's different cultural aspects? Shown him Taiwan's gorgeous natural beauty? Taken him to the hippest nightspots in town? Have I been too overprotective? Am I acting like his mommy, and not his sister? Have we caught up on each other's lives?

Maybe this is my way of validating my decision to live in Taiwan--see how much fun Taiwan is! Don't you want to join me? And Taiwan is a fun, warm place to live with--for me, at least--great career opportunities. I hope he's been able to feel that himself.