It’s already been about six months since I came to Hamuya back in April! And guess what… I’m finally graduating this month…!
When I first arrived, I was totally keeping my guard up and playing it sweet, but Hamu-san and everyone gradually peeled all those layers right off me (lol).
So this time, I’m going to lay it all out and write down every raw detail of the past six months I spent at Hamuya and here in Tainan!!! (lol)
TOC
Hamuya
The reason I wanted to come to Taiwan in the first place was that I wanted to study Chinese.
At first, I was casually thinking, “Maybe I’ll move to Taipei, go to a language school for a year, and do a quick part-time job on the side~”
That was right around the time I found Hamuya. I was really drawn to the words on their website—“Work like you live here”—and before I knew it, I had decided to work at Hamuya, right here in Tainan.
Looking back now, considering I would struggle even if I was just studying full-time… expecting myself to work at Hamuya, hold down another part-time job, AND attend language school all at once was total madness (lol).
はむ
Honestly, did I even plan on studying in the first place?
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Teehee…. (;^_^A”
But at Hamuya, I learned so many things that were way more important than studying.
I met all kinds of different people, made a ton of mistakes, and through it all, so many people kept telling me, “It’s totally okay to just be Cocoty~”
It was a six-month journey where I was able to like myself a little more and discover parts of myself I never even knew existed!! From the bottom of my heart, I am so, so glad I came to Hamuya!!!!
Tainan！！！
Living in Tainan for about half a year, I’ve come to realize…
I kind of just love this place, and it’s somewhere that feels so easy and comfortable to be in (lol).
The day the sky was just TOO beautiful!!!
The food is delicious, taking a stroll through the streets gives you this warm, comforting feeling, and above all, the people are so friendly and welcoming!!!
That really says it all. I absolutely love how kind the people are and that perfectly laid-back vibe.
I’m pretty sure the dish I ate the most here in Tainan was the migao from
Since Hamatee and Pintan have already posted about it, I’m sure a lot of you are already familiar with it!
At one point, I was eating it four times a week and actually gained 2 kilograms, but even that is such a happy memory for me ♡
Things I’m so glad I experienced coming to Tainan on a Working Holiday
I was originally planning to come to Taiwan on a student visa. At first, I couldn’t help feeling a bit like ‘I ended up on a Working Holiday instead.’ But looking back now, I’m truly so glad that I came here on a Working Holiday.
Since I’m a Chinese major, I have plenty of friends studying abroad here in Taiwan.
But seeing their student life firsthand made me realize… there were actually so many things I was able to do precisely because I was on a Working Holiday!!!
1. Getting to build close, personal connections with local Taiwanese people.
One of the best things about a Working Holiday is having so many opportunities to interact with local Taiwanese people through part-time work and daily life!
There’s the sweet older lady who strikes up a conversation with me every single time I take out the trash, the locals who casually welcomed me—a Japanese girl they had just met—into their family gathering, and the person who handed me a raincoat and umbrella when a sudden downpour hit and I had nothing on me…
I experienced so much of that closeness, open-heartedness, and warmth from the people here. There were times I was surprised by cultural differences, but also countless moments when I thought, “I really love Taiwan~”
What are people in Taiwan thinking about right now? What’s trending? How do they hang out and have fun? I feel like there was so much about “Taiwan today” that I could only truly understand by actually living, working, and hanging out with people here—things you just can’t learn from books or classes alone!!! (^▽^)/
Every now and then, people ask me, “How on earth do you know so many people in Taiwan?!” The real answer is… Threads! (lol)
Of course, meeting people online comes with risks, so you have to be super careful. But once you become friends, they take you to incredible local food spots that you could hardly ever find just searching on your own.
Taiwanese people love casually inviting friends along to meal gatherings, so once you get close to one person, your circle of friends just keeps growing from there! I actually added about 20 new friends on LINE in the past six months (lol).
It really feels like one connection naturally leads to the next!! It’s been so much fun (o^―^o) smile
2. Getting to meet so many different people
During my six months at Hamuya, I met so many incredible people 🏠🤝 Working at a guesthouse means getting to meet all kinds of new people every single day. Every day, I was so excited thinking, “Who am I going to meet today, and what kind of adventures are waiting for me?” ☺
People visiting from different countries, people working in all sorts of professions, people out there making their dreams a reality.
Through talking with so many people, I was constantly exposed to new values and perspectives I had never even thought of before.
People doing what they love for a living, people steadily marching toward their goals…
Seeing them shine so brightly made me realize, “Wow, this way of living is completely okay, too!” ✨
I really believe I was able to discover a whole new world I never knew existed precisely because I was at a place like Hamuya (o^―^o)!!
3. Having another place in the world that feels like home!!
And for me, the absolute biggest thing of all was gaining a place that truly feels like home! After living here for six months, before I even realized it, I had completely fallen in love with Tainan. The food is delicious, the people are so warm, and it just feels so comforting… And above all, having Hamu-san and so many people around who truly accepted me for who I am was huge.
Spending my days surrounded by people like that made me feel like I could actually like myself a little more—not just the city of Tainan, but the version of me that was living here (o^―^o)✌
The people I met only because I took the step to live away from Japan, and a place that welcomed me with open arms!! Gaining a place where I know I want to return to someday is such a precious treasure to me.
Lastly….
And so, my time here in Tainan isn’t over just yet—it’s actually continuing for a little longer!! For the next six months, I’ll be studying at the Language Center at National Cheng Kung University!!
Since I’m normally terrible at attending classes and doing assignments, everyone keeps asking me, “Wait, why??” (lol). But this time, it’s less about wanting to get amazing grades at university, and more about feeling this strong desire to understand local Taiwanese perspectives better, chat with more people, and share more about who I am!! (In other words… I found my motivation! ☀)
While treasuring all the wonderful people I met and everything I gained over these past six months, I want to keep meeting new people in Taiwan, learning new things, and moving forward in my own way!
I caused so many troubles, but to everyone at Hamuya who still smiled through it all with me—Hamu-san, Ricky, Takky, and Pintan—I seriously have nothing but endless gratitude for you all. I love you guys so much!!! 🌺
For the next six months, I’ll still be popping into Hamuya from time to time as a helper!! If our paths cross, please say hi and treat me well!!! (^▽^)/
I know this ended up being quite a huge wall of text, but…
That’s all from me!! This was Kokoty!!!! (o^―^o) smile Thank you so much for the past six months~!!
はむ
ここてぃ
