Four months later

It may seem odd attempting to post so late after the trip, but I have yet to finish this trip by previously defined conditions. While my fathers health has somewhat stabilied, he's still not completely out of the woods, and still has a long way to go in terms of recovery.
Wnter has almost run it's course here in michigan and soon my local temperture will more closely match what I experienced in Taiwan. The sun is starting to make it's appearance more often these days and the snow is finally starting to melt. The warming temperatures make me think back to my time abroad although thoughts of my fathers current condition makes me slump in disbelief. It's amazing how much can happen in the turning of a season; amazing and horrible. My world now is worlds apart from my relatives, but there's still a tenuous thread that connects us. That thread was strengthened slightly on this trip, but with the future of my fathers traveling abilities in question, I wonder if the thread will eventually thin and break. While the recent misfortune may have strengthened the bonds of my nuclear family, my extended family remains separated by distance.
On to recollections of the trip. Things I miss in no particular order. The ease of public transportation. It was fantastic to be able to buy a card, load it up with credits, and explore the vastness of Taipei. Even our trip to the south was made possible by direct connections to the mass transit train. Granted, the island of Taiwan is much smaller than a few States, but I can't help but wish we had some kind of implementation here. While we're on the topic of transportation, I've come to realize how practical travel by scooter is. There have been many times when I thought that the particular errand I was on would be made much easier if I cow ld travel by scooter. My only modification would be to utilize rechargeable electric scooters. The pollution put out by the combustion kind in Taiwan was an unfortunate side effect that I could do without. It could't be used for everything, but I would say that at least 30% of my current travel could be replaced by scooter. I don't think this could ever be implemented in the United States, or at least in the area that I live in. It's often a precarious enough endeavor to drive around encased in steel, I would hate to imagine the accidents that would occur when texting and cellphone distractions were added to the dynamic environment of scooter travel.