2 minute read
Wow Taitung!
By Janet Amoranto Cheng From the Philippines
2016 was the year when I fell in love twice... First was when I met a (Taiwanese) man, with whom I felt a deep connection. He visited me almost every month in my home country, the Philippines, but before the year ended, I flew to Taiwan to meet his family and travel and and that’s when I fell in love again!
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My then-boyfriend (now husband), Will, wanted me to see the place where he grew up with his grandmother so he took me there for a vacation. Having grown up in the city, I thought it was going to be a dull, uninteresting trip in the countryside of Taiwan, but I was wrong. This land lies between the gorgeous mountains and the blue ocean. The people are warm and friendly. The air is fresh with nothing but the smell of salt water, soil, trees, and flowers. The environment brought me an inner peace that I've never felt before. It was love at first sight. This tropical paradise that I fell in love with is called Taitung.
Moving to Taiwan and Having a Business in Taitung
Never in my life had I dreamed or imagined of moving to Taiwan, but meeting my husband and seeing Taiwan changed my plans entirely. If you’d asked my younger self, my dream was to work as a nurse internationally and aim high in that specific profession. My parents emigrated to the US and I had just passed the exams as a UK nurse, but wait what happened?! I chose ‘love’ over ‘career.’ Yes! I know some people would say I'm crazy but it was the best decision I ever made!
After getting married, we lived with my parents-inlaw in Kaohsiung but we promised ourselves to move to Taitung. We had no idea what to do for a living as I couldn’t speak any Mandarin then (the only word I knew was ‘xiexie’), but it didn't take long to find an extraordinary opportunity.
Will and I both love cooking and baking, particularly Western food. In 2017 we moved to Taitung and had training with an Italian chef on how to make traditional pizza and Italian food, and the following year we officially owned "A Mano Pizza,” an Italian restaurant in Dulan. In Italian "A Mano" means "by hand.” As per the name, we hand make authentic Italian food. Imagine, from being a nurse to teaching English, and now owns a restaurant in the most charming place in Taiwan! What a crazy-fantastic couple of years I had! Will and I both had different backgrounds and it was our first time having a business, so we were both scared, but at the same time ecstatic. Many people admired our courage for this big decision, giving up the life and career we were accustomed to and moving to Taitung with nothing but ourselves.
Having Fun in Taitung
Taitung is the perfect place for work-life balance. It gave me the best experiences and adventures in my life. There are numerous reasons to live here and several ways to have fun, not only for singles and couples but also for families and even pet lovers!
Can you imagine waking up to a stunning beach sunrise and ending your day seeing the beautiful night sky filled with stars? What about just walking to the beach and swimming anytime you want? Or spending a day hiking to a waterfall or river tracing? The list goes on and on! I have plenty to share but there's this one extraordinary and memorable experience that I would like to highlight.
Sometime one summer, Will and I, together with our restaurant work-exchange helpers from Japan and Canada, decided to go on an adventure to a hidden wild hot spring, Lisong Hot Springs. I've been to other wild
