Dear Taiwan,
I love you deeply, I love you truly. You bring out my passion and my fire, you remind me of my purpose in this life. You breathed life into me, and nurtured me. You gave me anger to churn into compassion and action. Who I am today, is because of everything you are, and everything you have given me. I will always be grateful to this island nation for doing her absolute best for me, during some difficult times in her life, and also in mine.
We’ve had our issues, too, haven’t we, love? You’ve hurt me. Sometimes, your staunch support for tradition and social norms pains me, and even today, I carry a lot of baggage because of that. I will never be skinny like you want me to be, and no, I don’t have a boyfriend or even babies in my near future. I am still not good enough for you, because I haven’t ‘made it big’ like I was meant to when I left you eight years ago to find my fortune in Europe. And, to your utter dismay, I haven’t sent my parents any money
home.
But my darling, my boat, my dream… you have come far. In my absence, you have flourished and hit back at the world like a force to be reckoned with, and boy, are you! In the time that we’ve been apart, you’ve not only continued the path for development, but also for self-development. And for that, I will always be utterly proud and grateful to you. You’ve also had your fair share of problems to deal with. The environmental and economic destruction of yourself for the purposes of courting our neighbour, the scandals and the gentlemen’s club politics… But we have learned to overcome that. Today, more so than any time before, I am a shining, beaming beacon of light emanating your glory. Your sunflowers shine bright, and your children are not only finding their voice but also their ground. This is our land, and you are not going to let anyone forget it.
Like most products of you, I, too, do my best every day to be a shining example of you. I want the whole world to know that I am part of you. I want the world to know that you are the reason that I am the kind, generous, intelligent, and wise person I know I can be.
On Saturday, my love… I know you will do the right thing. I know you will choose us. I know you will choose your offspring and your future. You are now at a crossroads, and while I can’t be there to support you, goddamit, I’m there in spirit. Because my spirit is defined by you.
With all my love,
Yours Truly
Arna
beingdutchanese 