Greetings everyone! Meet Frances!

Tell me a little bit about yourself !

I cannot remember a day of my life when I didn’t want to see the world, and felt like I could make myself at home anywhere.Thanks to my mom, who is still an educator, I was able to read at a high level well before kindergarten even. The fascination started with books; books on tape, stacks of library books, and even encyclopedias.

We did not own a complete collection of encyclopedias but enough to feed my interests when I ran out of books. Of course, I was still a child so when it came to encyclopedias, I usually flipped through to find the best pictures. I would then read the captions, and if they were intriguing enough I’d read the whole entry. I grew up in Bakersfield, California and I just hated it there.

So when I came across the emerald island of Ireland, I was convinced I could live happily ever after there. It had rain, castles, and rolling green hills. Anything was better than Bakersfield, really. I told my mom that we should all move to ‘I-re-land’, as I’d pronounced it at the age of five or six years. She clearly did not take me seriously. 

More notably, I swiped every travel magazine that I came across from the dentist or doctor’s waiting room. I spent many hours hiding in the reading den I created in my closet. Thanks to my mom doing her best, we did have a yearly trip to Pismo beach, and she often allowed me to go to sleep away camps with my church.

I could also attribute my curiosity to just being nosey. I think I grew up in a pretty diverse neighborhood and I just always wanted to understand their cultural customs. Lastly, unfortunately, I always felt pretty left-out and odd, like I didn’t belong anywhere. Later-on I would convince myself that this is in fact, a super power that has granted me the ability to adapt to change quite well.

I left for college in Monterey Bay, California at seventeen. During my third or fourth year I took part in a national exchange program and spent a semester in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at LSU.There I spent a few months taking courses I would not have had the opportunity to take thanks to budget cuts. I connected with parts of my heritage no one else could teach me and my mind was blown. During my senior year I was fortunate enough to visit a friend in Italy and it somehow felt very easy. It was just a meant-to-be feeling.

Fast forward a few years and I set off for Taiwan to teach English for a year. After that contracted year I backpacked a little, then went back to The States. It wasn’t long before I had to scratch that travel itch and headed to Mexico to pet-sit. A year later I went to China to teach, but my time there was cut short by the devastation of COVID-19. 

After trying to settle down in San Diego but finding it overwhelming, I am now back in Taiwan living my most efficient Asian life teaching English again. I’ve just celebrated my 35th birthday with the peace of mind that I’m safe and sound overseas, simply enjoying a very convenient lifestyle. 

The impact of travel on my life:

I’m single, thankfully, so I don’t have any dependents attached to me or anyone else to answer to. At this point it is impossible for my mind to shrink back to its old dimensions. Once I made my way through college, and around parts of Italy without really feeling like doom was upon me, I believed the whole world was my oyster. I’ve been shown hospitality that reminds me that human beings are inherently good. The home-cooked food I’ve filled up on at family tables has changed my life, and given me more to miss! The sounds, sites, and smells of faraway places almost are like a hug to me.It’s comforting and validating to know that stepping outside of my comfort zone, is my comfort zone now. 

I think not fitting in really gave me this spark of independence and resiliency that renders it impossible for me to sit still or just settle down. On top of that, my family is starting to travel more as well so I don’t always feel this heavy obligation to go back home. My mom is more open-minded about coming here and my siblings if given the opportunity would not pass it up. It’s just a matter of us making plans. 

How has the process of immigration impacted my life:

That transition to Taiwan was quite easy. The process just isn’t as extensive as many countries can be, and my employer helped. The bigger things are learning the language, assimilating into local life, building a community, and managing my finances.

Luckily as I’ve lived here once before, I reconnected with some teacher friends from back in that day, and managed to build quite friendly relationships with the local shops I frequent. so I feel right at home again. I live in a very convenient neighborhood. Within a five-minutes walk there is a hospital, a mall, a metro station with express service to the national airport, a dentist, a dermatologist, several convenient stores, a produce market, grocery stores, and at least one hundred restaurants and tea shops. I’m spoiled, I think. My biggest task now- learning conversational Chinese. 

My favorite travel experience:

This is hard, but I’d have to say the time I spent in Malaysia. I spent about four weeks in a hostel that had definitely seen better days. It was almost like a movie because there were just so many interesting people. Unfortunately the first few nights I was there I was munched on by bed-bugs. I just moved rooms because I couldn’t afford to stay anywhere else.

The receptionist was a really kind man from Pakistan who really rarely manned the front desk; he was always doing chores or praying. Two men who had fled Syria always advised Hasan the receptionist to just burn everything with bed-bugs, as that’s what they’d do in Syria. One would continuously play the guitar and sing lullabies in Arabic. A Maltese woman, whom I keep in touch with today, always managed to snap the most captivating photos and showed me to some incredible vegetarian spots around Kuala Lumpur. There was an Italian man who would start arguments with her just for fun.

Most interestingly, a wiry German couple who were raw vegans and let their three year old run around the hostel unsupervised. The child would occasionally ask me for meat. The whole of the month was spent in Kuala Lumpur and I cried when I left. There is a lot more that could be said. 

Advice for those who want to travel more:

it doesn’t have to be grand. Start off digging for local history, it really transports you somewhere and you may find that your hometown isn’t as mundane as you make it out to be. The itch won’t stop there. Go to the neighboring town, visit another state. I know it can be tricky financially, but there are tricks to that too. If you want to move abroad, figure out the visa situation and set a goal. Don’t be afraid. People are generally good so slow down and share a meal with someone even if you can’t speak their language, there are tools for that.

every country in the world has its special brand of ‘danger’ so don’t let it deter you. Don’t be too hard on yourself if some place isn’t everything you’ve dreamed of, or you get scammed, or a little lost. It happens to everyone. Keep your wits about you and let the little things go. You belong; in luxury, in cruising, in backpacking- everywhere! Do what feels like you, even if it’s a whole new ball game. If you’ve got that passport, you’ve got the privilege and you should take advantage of it. 

Why Taiwan?

When I was first looking, I found a recruiter who was offering Taiwan, China, and The UAE. I wasn’t sure I was ready for China but realised Taiwan had never been on my radar and started doing some digging. I decided to go for it because it seemed quite safe, progressive, affordable, and completely underrated. I was right. It really is a gem. It’s quite balanced in all facets; city versus nature, night markets abound as well as international eateries, It’s welcoming to families and young singles, and so much more. My favorite thing about Taiwan is just how efficient everything is, and how from certain vantage points, nature just seems to be devouring skyscrapers and highrises. It’s very surreal to me. 

Must-have packing items:

Generally anything that could be hard to find because of cultural differences. For me, it was my natural hair products. It’s not to say some products here can’t work, but until I can read the ingredients and get to know them, it’s best to stock up. Also, I’ve gained a significant amount of weight even since the last time I was here and this time around I just went shopping ahead of time. I just knew what I was getting into. Lastly- books! Taiwan truly is the land of conveniences so everything else was too easy to get. There are even international grocery stores nearby so if I have a craving, I know where to look. I feel pretty lucky.

Why it’s important for women to travel?

Actually, we need each other. I know there are cultural and social nuances that often either hold us back, or grant us an overwhelming amount of privilege- but that’s the beauty. When I was young I was told that not many people who look like me are out there seeing the world, and on a particular level that’s true. But when you meet a young woman from Pakistan whose family disowned her for following her dream of seeing the world, you’re immediately humbled.

You also realize that you are connected in this journey to make travel the norm for sisters everywhere. On a Facebook travel page, a girl from a very patriarchal country was single and pregnant, looking for a safe country to give birth in. I was so touched to see how many women from around the world offered their homes, free doula services, and supplies at the ready. She was able to give birth, rest, and return to her home country well-stocked eventually.  That was really touching and reminded me that for us, it’s more than JUST ‘The Suite Life’- it’s often a means of survival. 

Where to follow me? 

At the moment I’m on Tik-Tok, but not very current on my post. I’m in the process of gathering more media to overhaul my social media presence, so please bear with me. 

Tik-Tok @getaway_frankie

Insta: @getaway_Culture