Jessica's Magical Journey
Words by Taichung City Government
Photos by Jessica Hopkins
Translated by Naomi Lai
The story of how Jessica discovered Taichung via friends she met during a trip is as dramatic as a movie plot.
When the economic recession hit global markets back in 2009, Jessica was among one of its many victims. After being laid off from her job in New York City, she spent the summer travelling to Phuket in Thailand.
"I met some great people during my trip in Thailand. One of them, a Swiss person, knew that I had some experiences with English teaching and recommended that I come to Taiwan to teach English. These friends told me some wonderful things about living in Taiwan," Jessica recalled.
This out-of-the-blue suggestion got her interested. She did some research at a Thai Internet cafe and ran across some appealing information about the "Heart of Taiwan"--Taichung. Through the Taichung City Government's English website, she learned more about the city's cultural atmosphere and, not long after, cancelled her return ticket to New York City and flew to Taiwan instead. Now she's settled in Taichung.
Upon arriving, she met some friendly people who helped her find an English-teaching job in Taichung. These happy encounters and the mild local weather made her very happy with her choice. Through her job as a teacher, she also observed the diligence of Taiwanese students and the high pressure they endure because of school assignments and parental expectations. Often, she finds that she lacks the heart to increase their burdens with even more English assignments.
"My co-workers took me out to have some local tea once. I used to only drink Coke, but now I'm getting to know the Taiwanese tea culture!" she notes.
Her other local food favorites include beef noodles from the "Wei Dao Xiao Chi" restaurant in West District; local-style fried chicken from the Fengjia Night Market near her residence; and the delicious stinky tofu that doesn't just stink but also tastes great. If it weren't for the endless lines in front of the "small sausage" (meat-filled) and "large sausage" (rice-filled) stands, she would also like to give them a try--maybe the next time. Jessica also often visits the Yizhong Commercial District on weekends for its unique shops and youthful accessory stores.
Out of curiosity, Jessica picked up a Taiwan Easy Go card at a Family Mart convenient store and has gotten to know Taichung City better via the Taichung TTJ Bus system. In one heart-warming experience, a group of middle school students--who had been staring at her for an entire bus ride--finally asked for a photograph with her in English after they all got off the bus.
Living in Taichung is a new stage of life for Jessica. What started out as a vacation turned into a change of time and space, bringing her from New York to Taichung, Taiwan. Undoubtedly, this magical journey to the "Heart of Taiwan" is adding new experiences and new pages to Jessica's life.
Name: Jessica Hopkins
From: New York, U.S.A.
Job: Maryland American School
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March 2010 
