Since I made the decision to leave academia and South Africa, I’ve wondered whether I am brave, daring, or crazy.
Back in November 2021 I met up with a former classmate from my undergrad days (technically, from the second time I was an undergrad), with her husband and two kids (read more about that talented and fascinating couple here). It was great catching up after not seeing each other in over 15 years, but one of the things she said to me was somewhat surprising. She said I was “brave” to do what I was planning; to leave my job, homeland etc to move to a country I’d only ever read about or seen in YouTube videos. I understood what she meant but I didn’t give it much thought. I honestly wasn’t convinced that my life choices were any braver than hers; maybe it was just less common.
A few other people said similar things during the weeks and months that followed and, to be totally honest, I usually thought they were making too much of how “brave” or “inspirational” my plans were. Then over this past weekend, I had an unexpected conversation with a Taiwanese father and daughter who had also spent years in the USA. When the father heard where I was from and what I’d done he called it “daring”. As usual, I brushed it off.
Then, as I was heading home I gave it some more thought… was I selling myself short (again!)? Had this actually been daring or brave and not simply unorthodox? I admitted to myself that perhaps it was… (by the way, this isn’t some kind of faux modesty, but probably something that can be chalked up to a well-developed case of imposter syndrome thanks to my years in academia.)
That said, this is not the first time I’d done something like this. I’d moved to England when I was 26 and about 18 months later to Peru (followed by a few months in Argentina, with quick visits to Bolivia and Chile included). I honestly think THAT move was arguably more daring, because I had fewer qualifications, as well as less life and/or work experience back then. So, in a way, my current adventure is a long-awaited sequel… Also, I’d recently read the book Vagabonding: an uncommon guide to the art of long-term world travel by Rolf Potts and after reading some of those stories mine seems tame by comparison… perhaps that’s another reason this didn’t feel all that daring.
In any case, I’ve been asked by numerous people why I made this move and/or chose Taiwan. There are various reasons and/or motivations, all of which are true, such as: I was unhappy in academia, I want to travel and/or live abroad again, the fact that I planned on moving here after leaving Argentina in late 2008, as well as the flexibility of the Taiwan Gold Card…
In the end, I think it’s best summed up in one of my own personal mottos (related to some of my thoughts on “The Rut Race“), which I came up with while living in London in 2006/7… “I don’t want to spend my whole life simply preparing to die comfortably.”
I don’t want to spend my whole life simply preparing to die comfortably.
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Great story. Keep telling them – both of bravery and fear. We all want to die – not comfortably but fulfilled. Wherever that may be in the world.