April 11th 2008 / TT reporting
Larry is said to have discussed travel plans with a number of fellow Toytowners on the Friday Beer Garden Meetup.
"You know, my criteria are very simple: I want to go to a place where I get by with English, that is warm and that is cheap and that offers some cultural activities."
"Taiwan scores well in all categories: all people under the age of 40 seem to have lived or studied in the United States for some time in their lives. So even if the elderly shopkeeper cannot speak English, usually a younger person with foreign language skills is around to help."
"Taiwan is warm, 26 degrees Celsius in April is warm enough for me. And you can get by with about 600 Euro a month, much less than I would spend in Munich."
"As for cultural activities, Taiwan has a lot to offer. When General Chiang Kai-chek fled the Chinese mainland from Mao in 1949, he took with him loads of antique Chinese treasures to Taiwan. Or so I have heard. Anyway, it's good to know that they are there, just in case."
"Plus, I plan to study Chinese. I would need some kind of justification for the long break in my résumé. I always wanted to add another language to my Japanese and hope this will make my otherwise patchy and dull CV look extremely interesting."
Larry's decision comes as a surprise to some Toytown members who know him. Yet, he appears to have thought carefully about the decision.
"You know, my biggest concern was that I might miss Oktoberfest. What if the language school requires me to enrol for a semester or a year even? Luckily, they offer flexible courses so I can be back in time. Might need a couple of Mass to deal with the reverse culture shock of coming back to Germany!"
A Toytown friend who wants to remain unnamed is still not convinced: "We recommended going to the Channel Islands or to Kenya. Both are wonderful places to spend a couple of months. I don't know why he needs to go to Asia and does not listen us."
"After endless months of gruelling work hours and business travel I am ready to take a break and get some new inspiration where I want to go next professionally. We only have so much time during one lifetime."
