I thought I would share a little bit about what
daily life in Taiwan is like.
Have you ever gone somewhere and thought to
yourself “I could do that job” or “If I ever switch careers, ____ might be fun”.
I know I have. One of those jobs was florist. Whenever you see a florist making
pretty bouquets, all you see is the ease they do it with. I have recently
learned, I can NOT do this as a second career.
Here
in Taiwan, when you go to buy flowers there are shops where you can pick out
the flowers you want. I had done this once before with a friend and was glad
she valued my input on which ones to pick. However, I went a couple weeks ago
by myself and found I could not make a decision. I was buying for the same
friend that had taken me just a couple weeks earlier. All I could think about
were comments she had made before. Things like “We need more variety.” and “What
about color?” The pressure to get it right felt unbearable. Here I was in this
tiny little store surrounded by large plastic vases of flowers attempting to
pick out a good bouquet in my Chinglish. Well, my friend appreciated the
flowers and I think it turned out ok.
Today,
I decided to try again. This time, I was buying for me. Since flowers are so
cheap here I figure why not brighten up the house. I went to the florist with
my mind set on daisies. I love daisies and you can’t go wrong with only one
flower, right? Well, like always there were tons of choices including 4 types
of daisies. I narrowed it down to 2 colors and told the lady I wanted both. She
asked me how much I wasted to spend. I have not been asked that before so I
said 200 (about $6.50) thinking I could always add if it wasn’t enough. Turns out
I picked the right amount. I don’t think I could have fit the $10 bouquet in my
vase.
Multiple
trips to the florist, but I have learned that 1) being a florist is harder than
it looks. 2) I should stick with what I know (teaching) and 3) It is easier to
shop for yourself, even in Taiwan.
Here is today's success.
