November has gone by exceptionally fast. It was dominated by a heavy workload, a hurried trip to the Polyglot Conference in Taipei, and the immediate rush back to fulfill life’s essential obligations: childcare and work. If those obligations hadn’t been waiting, I definitely would have stayed longer.
The Taipei trip was exhausting but totally worth it. I met so many language enthusiasts and enjoyed listening to different presentations delivered in a variety of languages. For the first time, I genuinely felt I had found a community where I belonged.
I made an effort to speak as much German as I could. I was so grateful that not a single person gave me the crushing advice to “give it a rest, you’re really not very good at it.” The native German speakers listened to me patiently, and I felt a deep sense of acceptance and encouragement.
All the presentations were excellent, even the few that faced technical difficulties. I might write more about those experiences later.
November 2025 turned out to be one of those months that moved too quickly for deep reflection. I haven’t had much time to write, which is a shame. I wish things could slow down a bit, but I suppose that blend of intense experience and necessary hurry is just life right now. It was a month that gave me a sense of belonging in Taiwan, only to throw me straight back into the isolation of the daily grind.