I kept up with my studies, but I also loved trying out new things without worrying about whether or not I was good at it yet. By the time I was ready to graduate with my Bachelor's degree, I had several past experiences with music, film and travel that taught me much about the world around me. However, I was not sure about what the next step for me would be.
Shortly after my final year began, I found out about a program called Fulbright that would help me attend a graduate school program on the island of Taiwan. I didn't know too much about Taiwan at the time, but I had already begun to study Chinese/Mandarin - the first language of Taiwan - in college that year. As I considered the option, I thought about my stepmother who unfortunately passed the year before. Though her side of the family was of Han Chinese ancestry (which makes up the majority of Taiwan's population), they were as immersed in the Caribbean culture as the rest of us. Part of me was just eager to discover a new experience in Taiwan, but something else inside of me considered the opportunity to be a chance to learn about a culture that connects some dots in my own heritage.
I won a scholarship from Fulbright to come and study in the city of Tainan here in Taiwan, and I haven't looked back since! So far I've studied alongside a talented and friendly group of classmates and traveled the east coast of the island watching and playing gigs with musicians and DJ's I've met. I've challenged myself with learning a new language for the first time and have been practicing new sentences I learn to speak every day. What I look forward to the most is the chance to explore the other side of the island before my program ends.
