Moving Forward (1)

Moving Forward I chase my dreams east, to Taipei

My present life in Taipei commenced with a bit of a gamble. After Nepal, I knew I wanted to write, and I wanted to live in East Asia. I searched for jobs throughout the region and found a few promising options in Taipei. I had just enough money saved for a month-long trip. If I couldn't find work, I'd have to return home broke. Then I'd live with my parents awhile until I could save up enough money to try again. So I took the plunge and bought a plane ticket to try my luck in the job market in Taipei.

To save money, I split my time between hostels and Couchsurfing. In doing so, I got to know Taipei's Couchsurfing community. They were a hospitable bunch, and I was relieved to meet so many new friends right away. Everyone was helpful when they heard I was looking for a job, offering advice and suggestions. I always felt encouraged. Only one man had some negative things to say. I'll call him George, and we met on one of the Couchsurfing forums. George was a foreigner like me, and he offered to meet me for coffee.

Info Cloud
few/ a few 只有一個字母差別, 但意思完全不同
二者都是指很少的數目, 但相較之下, few比 a few 更少，
甚至幾乎接近零

另外 a few 有正面的含意,
few 強調很少, 幾乎沒有, 有負面的含意,
本文作者找到台北有 a few promising options 一些前景不錯的工作機會
這是正面帶有肴望的意思

Grammar Gym
"They were a hospitable bunch."
bunch: a lot
- I have a bunch of things to do.
bunch: a group of people
- I couldn't sleep on the train because there were other passengers and they were a noisy bunch.
- The teacher was tired at the end of the day; her students were certainly an energetic bunch to teach.

Language Lab
commence v.
/kəˈmɛns/
to begin
- The meeting is scheduled to commence at 10 a.m.
- We will commence with this project next month.
commencement n.
the time when something begins
- The mayor announced the commencement of the new policy.

take the plunge 
to do something after thinking about it especially for a long time
plunge n.
/ˈplʌnʤ/
a sudden fall or jump usually from a high place
- Renee took the plunge and went to New York to learn acting.
- Eric took the plunge and sold his house and moved to Hawaii.

hospitable adj.
generous and friendly to guests or visitors
- The people of the South are very hospitable.
hospitality n.
generous and friendly treatment of visitors and guests : hospitable treatment
- The host's hospitality made every guest feel welcomed.

forum n.
a meeting at which a subject can be discussed;
a place or opportunity for discussing a subject
- The book club serves as a forum where parents can discuss their parenting problems.
- The political forum is quite influential.


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