Taiwan 2026
Looking for 3-6 people interested in mutual support and companionship during my 6+ months of deep family/ancestry work
I want to go to Taiwan for 6+ months in 2026, starting December 2025.
Not sure how to make this appealing to people, but here’s an attempt - “do you, reader, feel some pull towards getting more in touch with your Taiwanese roots? Want some people to explore that with?”
I’ll share some of my motivations, and maybe/hopefully some of the resonate with you.
My Main Intentions
Connect with Extended Family
Meaningful 1:1 relationships: I want to actually see and understand each family member as full humans, not just my family member. I want to share more of my life and world with them. I want to understand what I've missed, living across the world the last 30 years, and to share what they've missed. I want to cultivate shared interests. I want to express and embody love, support, trust in them, their desires, their relationships.
Take a (more) full fledged role as a family member: The family has things that need to be done, doctors appointments needing to be scheduled, errands to be run, emotional support to be offered, etc. I’m well aware of how family responsibilities can be - numerous, overwhelming, stressful, etc. And I want to ease myself into it slowly, to be in mutual exploration. But ultimately, I want to be depended on. I’m interested in the rights and responsibilities of an adult member of the family.
Right my relationship with masculinity, in connection with my dad: I totally transformed things with my mom and it changed my life. Now I want to tackle the "other boss". My relationship with my dad has historically been a lot easier, and I've learned and grown a lot since a few years ago with my mom, so I have some confidence and even excitement to explore this stuff with my dad.
Connect with Ancestry
I want to spend more time at the resting places of my late grandparents, at our family altar, at resting places, at temples, etc. In my month in Taiwan early 2025, I had some really powerful experiences like this - that deeply impacted me, changed how I relate to major themes like belonging, family, home, purpose. If I was this impacted by 1 month, I want to see how far the rabbit hole goes with more time. I’m already imagining going to grandparent resting places weekly with an uncle.
Support Strategy
I know from my past times in Taiwan that the time spent there is deeply meaningful, and also often emotionally exhausting. I want and need friends and community in Taiwan that I trust and can lean on for support, and ideally with whom there’s companionship, and we share some life together.
Multiple pronged approach:
Leaning into friends I already have there
Importing support - cajoling friends into coming to visit
Building the community! I want to start regularly hosting circling and probably other related practices, like authentic relating, maybe NVC, maybe others. Where those are practices that have helped me learn to be with and support intensity, in myself and others. Ideally I could get it to the point where those communities could be self sustaining, ie if I left Taiwan they would continue to grow
Starting groups of people that are in and/or interested in similar family/ancestry explorations, in person or online
Living Well & Enjoying Myself
Things I want to get into in Taiwan:
Dragon boat! A close friend did it many years ago and described it as a highlight of his time in Taiwan, a few month commitment to join a team
Qigong
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Contact improv
Surfing
Eating hot pot constantly
Karaoke
???
I’m planning on getting a 3 BR place near Guting that I can host roommates/friends/activities at.
How to Get Involved
Join the Crew
Ideally I'd recruit a crew of people (3-6) that are interested in a bunch of the things I shared above, are interested in spending multiple months in Taiwan, and we'd get a shared apartment in Taipei.
Visit During My Stay
Come for shorter trips that overlap with my time there.
Support the Community Building
Help with circling, authentic relating (in person), or family/ancestry exploration groups (in person or online).
Share This Doc!
Please share this with anyone you know that might be interested! Particularly interested in people with Taiwanese roots.
Current Status
3 friends fairly interested in spending a month+ in Taiwan
1 friend that lives in Taipei that's excited about hosting circling together
A few friends interested in visiting
What I'm Looking For
Crew members for shared support, exploration, coiving in Taipei
Visitors at various points during my stay
Community builders interested in the practices I mentioned
Logistical support and advice from anyone who's done something similar
Questions for potential participants:
What draws you to this?
How long could you stay?
What could support/allow you to stay longer?
What would you want to get out of it?
How do you handle emotional intensity?
Don’t hesitate to reach out!
Twitter: @justavagrant_
IG: @justavagrant
Email: johnsonhsieh310@gmail.com