After a few months of in Asia and COVID began to spread everywhere in the world, we took one of the last normal flights back to the US. The quarantine life then commenced. Before, home was simply a place for sleep and storage. Now, life was all about staring at the same white walls. The walls needed vitality. Therefore, plants. Plus, we happened to move into a place with gigantic South and West-facing windows, which are godly for growing plants indoor. I don't at all have a green thumb, but I have thumbs that can Google about the light, water, soil, etc. requirements of different types of plants that have proven to be successful houseplants. A few unfortunate beings have died in my care, but the rest have been rather happy to live with us in our quasi-jungle. Thank you to the philodendrons, the pothos, the hoyas, the pileas, the dracaenas, the peperomias, and the snake plants for being so easy-going. There are some diva little plants that I will for now stay away from. Looking at you, ferns and calatheas. You need too much humidity and I cannot support the growth of mold.

My Zoom background doesn't look like it, but I have thriving plants that won't stop growing.

Michael and I had a taste of being digital nomads while working on our PhD research full-time in Taiwan during the early months of 2020 before the pandemic worsened. Despite the busyness and instability of traveling, our productivity was surprisingly high. We thank Taiwan for giving us constant excitement and an unmatched level of convenience. I understand the need of a physical office for self-discipline, but after this experience, I realize that my aging brain could still be very flexible. Coding at a new cafe each day? Awesome! Cluster job submissions at the park? No problem! Thinking about computer vision while walking through the city for hours upon hours? What could be better?

I wish I could pick a favorite memory, but there are endless memorable and impressive sights. We carried our own wifi egg everywhere through the bustling Taipei and beautiful Kaohsiung. The people are incredibly kind and forgiving of our complete lack of Mandarin. At every corner is a convenience store ready to bestow upon us food more delicious than much of what we've had at home. Here, even pre-COVID, we learned that wearing masks if you must go out while you are sick is an act of kindness and civility to protect others if you sneeze or cough. The vibrant temples, energic night markets (with a melange of smells you might not be prepared for), lush hiking trails, superior transit system and hotels, unique art and architecture, the tastiest sweet potatoes – these are a few of my favorite things.

Have you been to Taiwan? If you plan to visit this underrated but incredibly memorable country one day, we have many recommendations!

Japan needs no introduction. To state any of my admiration for this place is superfluous. We came to Osaka after Taiwan to continue the remote working escapade. Osaka was so very cold in February but so lively and beautiful. Usually, I only eat for calories to live. But Japan totally awakened the foodie in me, with just delights from the supermarket. Why is seafood so costly in the US? There were many, many cafes to choose from, and we made a cozy, spacious place called Brooklyn Roasting home for a month.

Unfortunately, we got sick for a long time during our time here, so we ate much more than walked. That was also when COVID-19 began to dominate the news across the world (no idea if we had this virus or a more common one). We didn't explore as much as we hoped, but felt right at home in Osaka. Most amazingly, we saw a wonderfully happy man (who bears very close resemblance to my grandpa) breaking out his Dance Dance Revolution moves. I declared our trip to Japan complete.

Lovely Japan, we will be back!