Four Years in Seattle

It's a few hours before my flight back to Taipei. I'm kind of glad that it's drizzling, and warm, a typical Northwest spring day.

It rains more in Taipei (annual precipitation 82.7") than in Seattle (38.25"). I never hated the rain. Growing up in an extremely humid climate, I'm accustomed to the moisture. In fact, I cannot live without it. I've visited California and the Mountain West, and my eyes got so dry that I feared I'd lose my sight.

I am glad to have spent my early adult life in a foreign country, and have made the most out of this experience. I came here as an international student, and had made intentional efforts to "fit it", understand the culture and have always been eager to seek ways to make new connections.

It is more of "what I can make out of my life" than trying to live some sort of "American dream" like many who yearn to work and live here. Seattle didn't let me down. It gave me the right kind of challenge, cultural shock, and yet a good amount of comfort with an educated, open-minded and liberal population.

It is not until I started my full time job working at the Seattle Parks Foundation that I truly felt like I love Seattle and that it feels like home. I had much more stability, strength, and felt like a proud young professional doing something really cool that connected me so well to the city and its people.

At the same time I continue to make friends. I never wanted my foreignness and accent or whatever to get into the way. But eventually I found that me not being from here, and not being American actually helped me find the right kinds of people to be friends with. They all self-selected. If I am so drawn to learn about cultures and explore the world, people around me would be the same way.

I am sad that I have to say bye at a moment where I have formed meaningful connections with a few. It is especially wonderful to have grown, learned, and explored nature, music, and food with many who have a totally different upbringing from myself. Connections are interesting; exploring friendships or relationships is just as fun and exciting as exploring a new place or culture. In fact, it is part of a cultural exploration that I've intentionally made efforts to pursue.

I discovered that I love diversity. In Taiwan, I always sought ways to get out of Taipei and visit rural places and learn different cultures. America is very fortunate to be an immigrant society where you can meet and be friends with people from around the world even without leaving the country. Too bad not enough people take advantage of that.

There are also plenty of opportunities for young people to start a career and establish a life of their own, as long as you work for it. At least in my company, independent and critical thinking were highly encouraged. Creativity and ideas were valued. I enjoy being a self-sufficient individual and can mostly be myself without expectations or judgments from others. It's a refreshing feel.

Leaving what I have here is not easy. Going back is somewhat stressful (expectations) and yet exciting since I will reconnect with many and learn about their new lives. Lots of my friends in Taiwan have also pursued and lived out their dreams in ways they can.

I will have more perspectives on things and the world. When I encounter situations, I'll think to myself, what would so and so in Seattle think? What can be different? Why can't we try things and think about things in new ways? As it had been the same when I lived in Seattle, I would think of how my existing values contradict with the new ones.

Living abroad for four years in one's early-mid twenties- how does that sound? For a long time I'm trying to find anyone who might have a similar experience. Maybe a few have but, not to the extent where I got to know the city so well and had been so involved in many ways, culturally, with my lifestyle, and with my job.

It's a valuable experience and I appreciated everyone I met along the way immensely. I learned what I like and want, and I would always seek for it in the next journey I am about to embark on. Diversity, creativity, freedom, independence, justice, progressiveness, environment, nature, wilderness, water, mountains, cultures, music, community, lastly friends and family. I want all of these.

The Korean girl that sat next to me on the airplane when I first moved here told me: Seattle will be your second home. I didn't believe that anywhere could ever be a home besides Taiwan at the time. But now I realized she's right. I had a great life here.

I am especially thankful for those who have supported through my transitions. I believe those who share a connection with me and can value it are special, at least, special to me.

A couple job interviews are lined up for next week :D I'm psyched about both. Wherever I go, I'll bring a piece of Taipei, a piece of Seattle with me. Life explorations, tbc!

你所不知道的另類美式夜生活

出過國的留學生們，你是怎麼體驗美式的"夜生活"?

大家都知道凱利來美國體驗多的是戶外活動，攀岩﹑泛舟﹑爬山露營等等。但所謂入境隨俗，周末跟朋友在一起，白天從事戶外活動，晚上就是去酒吧喝酒談天。

酒吧其實有很多種，由於是許多西方國家人們生活的一部分，所以有什麼樣的人就有什麼樣的吧。其中在美國最流行的吧之一，就是運動迷喜歡的有大電視螢幕的"運動吧" (Sports Bar)。此外還有比較低調的"Dive Bar" (不知道要怎麼翻...)，是許多人和熟人好友相聚的社區型酒吧。大城市一定會有的是雞尾酒吧 (Cocktail Bar)，通常比較高檔，有專業的調酒師 (Mixologists)，是約會的好去處。此外當然也有啤酒吧(Beer Bar)和西打酒吧 (Cider Bar)，販賣特色飲品。最好後我想特別介紹的，就是有現場樂團演奏(Live Music)的音樂吧。

(在西雅圖聽Quantic的現場演奏)

西洋音樂其實分很多種，在這裡我大概只能介紹美國當下流行的所謂的獨立搖滾 (Indi Rcok)，當代民歌 (Folk/Bluegrass)，電子音樂 (Electronic Music)，拉丁曲風 (Latin Music)，和所謂Jam Band (不知道要怎麼翻...)，是和許多音樂節文化相關的樂團演奏。

踏入音樂這塊文化都是透過身邊的友人。然後我都會在偷看人家臉書愛好中尋找個人的音樂品味，然後透過Spotify和Pandora電台去尋找其他類似曲風的歌手。目的就是要認識除了耳熟能詳的流行樂曲之外，美國的知識青年喜好的音樂類型。

在2012年我一個人獨闖沙漠之旅上認識了許多喜歡另類搖滾 (Indi Rock)的朋友，其中許多是戶外咖，比較活潑"愛玩"愛耍酷的知識青年。簡單得說有點像是台灣的地下樂團，曲風各異，其中比較大的樂團像是 Imagine Dragon, Bastille, Capital Cities, Foster the People, Of Monster and Men, the Black Keys...

(the Black Keys)

當代民歌 (Indi Folk)的部分則是許多森林系和大自然友人的偏好，許多也成為流行歌曲，例如Mumford and Sons, the Lumineers, Florence +the Machine等等，是普及於中產階級白人子弟的樂團。去聽著這些現場音樂的演奏時，通常沒有是少數族裔面孔的。

(Mumford and Sons)

另一種民謠歌曲是所謂的"Bluegrass"，是鄉村歌曲的一種，源於阿帕拉契山區，眾多的弦樂器是其一大特色。這類的曲風相當清新，聽起來很舒暢，讓人想翩翩起舞。我所知的樂團包括Hot Buttered Rum, Yonder Mountain String Band, Trampled by Turtles, Alison Krauss等等。

(Trampled by Turtles)

電子音樂 (Electronic Music)是許多科技新貴或是都會青年喜愛的曲風，比較"不自然"，但充滿節奏感，聽的時候也會讓你想跟著搖擺身體。每個的電子音樂的DJ都有自己合成音樂的特色，我比較喜歡的音樂家包括Little People, RJD2, Gramatik, Nightmares on Wax, Wax Tailor等等，這些是聽起來比較輕鬆有節奏感的就幾個例子。此外還有一些受不同民族音樂影響的像是Kayla Scintilla，富有一種詭異的異國風情，我所看過的現場表演有舞者搭配，感覺魔幻神迷。

(Wax Tailor)

拉丁歌曲(Latin Music) 有很多種，大家耳熟能詳的包括Salsa, Bachata, Tango, Cumbia等等，充滿節奏快感和多種樂器的合奏，許多音樂都相當熱鬧歡愉。我所喜歡的歌手包括珍妮佛羅培茲的前夫Marc Anthony, 還有去哥倫比亞時聽很多的Carlo Vives, 還有比較另類有現代感的Quantic.

(Quantic)

最後要介紹我最近才開使發掘喜歡的Jam Bands. 如果你看維基百科的定義，它是一種混雜各種曲風影響，很音樂節文化以及嬉皮文化緊密相關的音樂類型。它有固定跟團的粉絲，在這些音樂節場合裡，許多人追尋完全放縱感官及音樂聲光效果的刺激，搭配抽大麻和請其他藥品例如魔幻香菇的使用，去感受"無法控制"的身體和情緒上的刺激。這樣的體驗是無法透過電台廣播或是網路去體驗的。這些現場音樂表演的氣氛充滿感染力，是在比較追求極限感官刺激的文化脈絡裡比較可以理解的場景。有名的樂團包括The Grateful Dead, Pfish, The String Cheese Incident等等。

(The String Cheese Incident)

 

我其實都是透過朋友去認識和喜愛在美國的不同音樂類型。在美國四年多了，一直很喜歡這裡的多元種族和文化。有許多探索是在台灣比較無法接觸到的，尤其是所謂的少眾文化。很可惜，傳達到海外的美國文化多是好萊塢式的大眾文化，所以才會想在此透過近幾年來的探索，跟大家分享我所了解的音樂類型。在此當然無法全面介紹所有的音樂，這些只是在我的朋友(美國中產階級知識青年)之中流行的音樂類型。此外像是爵士樂 (Jazz)，鄉村歌曲(Country Music)，嘻哈音樂(Hip Hop)，雷鬼(Raggae)還有以上所列的音樂種類裡面更細的分類，就要靠有興趣的讀者們自己去探索囉!