A Look Back of 2011

When you were a teenager, have you ever imagined what your life would be when you are twenty something?   I did.  When I was young, I felt twenty something is a long time later, and I would be very different from what I was – I think I would be doing super cool research about theoretical evolution in US or Europe, speaking fluent English and French (or German), hanging out with friends from all sort of cultures and discussing scientific questions in bars, married a great guy who loves me a lot, frequently flying around the world (including home) for collaboration and conferences, and always being energetic and smart.

So here I am, at twenty something.  In 2011, the year which has just past, I left home to study aboard.  I am now working on animal behaviours, not theoretical evolution.  I based in New Zealand, neither US nor Europe, not even in the North, although I participate in a project based in UK.  I can only say Thank you and Yes in French, and I forget how to speak correct English from time to time.  Almost like automatically, I hang out with Asian friends more frequently than with people from other cultures, unless there is no Asian around (e.g. on Lundy Island).  I did have some chance to discuss scientific questions with friends in bars though, which makes me happy every time.  A happy geek.  Although many of my friends are getting married, I still do not see marriage as my first priority, and that I just start to date with a good guy.  I do fly among NZ, UK and Taiwan in a year, which basically crosses most part of the world.  I feel tired easily, compare to how I was as a teenager.  This is the first time I feel myself stupid for a whole year, and still feeling so now, even compare to the first year as a Master student when I just jumped into population genetics from animal science with only first year’s level of genetics knowledge and no background of population biology. 

Oh well, I am good at dreaming, not very practical, not even realistic I must say...

I have also noticed some other things I did not pay attention to in my dreams when I was young.  For one thing, I found communication skills are super important.  I KNEW communication is important and not easy, and luckily I had a chance to be trained to communicate among three supervisor/advisors in my Master study.  However, face-to-face communication in native language is much easier than online communication via emails and Skype meetings in English, which is what I am doing now.  How to precisely and properly express the research ideas, thoughts and emotions with people from different cultures is also one of my main tasks to work on.  Thanks to my supervisors and co-workers for tolerating my poor communicating skills and the resulting misunderstanding.   Another thing is that emotionally, I have been relying on old friends more than I expected, or say, they love me and support me more than I could ever imagined.  I love them and appreciate them a lot!  Thanks to my family and friends to accept me as the way I am!!  Especially thanks to Jamie, for always being there - for years!

As to Jamie, there is one dreamy thing happened in 2011.  When we were 14 years old, we were both keen to study aboard and to see the world, so we promised each other to meet up somewhere outside of Taiwan one day.  And it happened!!  I was so excited when I visited her in Cambridge on my way to Sheffield in March, 2011.  While there is no one else study aboard in my family – none of them had ever left Taiwan when I flight out – study aboard was like an un-real thing even though I had thought of doing it for years.  But then it became true, and gave me the chance to keep my word with my best friend!  Thanks Jamie for all the supporting and help.  Without you I could never make it!

So there are GAPS between imagination and reality.  No better or worse though.  They are just different.  I like the feeling of putting my feet on the ground, learning to take “accidents” easy, and to enjoy the scene on the path.  Although there are more difficulties in reality, the joy is juicier.  Meanwhile I will keep on dreaming how I will be in the next ten years, just because I was born to be a dreamer – dream high, and enjoy the unexpected reality!