Do any of you feel caught between extremes too?

[momopi]

I went to some of their public performances long ago. They reminded me of those Hawaiian native shows.
But how do you get into their community itself to meet the people there? Can you just walk in?
Next time you go, I'll try to go along.

VAP had a short term project in a Rukai village back in Aug 2010, it's too late now but you can ask and see if they have projects in the future:

http://www.vap.org.uk/asia/taiwan/socia ... 010-1.html

Vision youth action also have a lot of opportunities in TW and Asia:
http://www.vya.org.tw/
http://www.volunteermatch.org.tw/IW/default_en.asp

They specialize in very short term community service projects ("weekend warriors") of 1-4 weeks, so you don't have to commit to a lengthy project.

You can also contact the community Church and see if they need any volunteers (English tutoring for kids?).

I'll be in TW in Nov, but it's a short stop-by on the way to/back from Shenzhen, so will probably not have time to venture out to the mountains. My friend's father is a popular ear-nose-throat doctor for the Puyuma tribes in Taitung. Next time when I see her, I'll ask if she can ask her dad for some contacts.

[ijohn]

This thread asks a good question.

It is always hard to find some space where you fit in perfectly. As you note Winston you have felt the extremes in the Philipines and in America so it is not even that culture specific.

Everyplace you go, every group you find yourself mingling in you will eventually come to see ways in which you are different from them, ways in which your thinking differs from them. Even if you have found great compatibility among the people who post regularly on this forum say, you will notice eventually that there are some ways in which your thinking differs.

You have to decide what is important for you, some core things that matter. If say, keeping your word is important to you then you will not be comfortable spending too much time with the flaky new agers.

So you found your way over to the Philipines where you found a partner who fitted you. You probably have a few people you consider close friends. You've figured out what is important and given your energy to your people based on that.

Beyond that, the question becomes, is it really that important that your thinking have to fit exactly in order to engage with someone? Is there a way you can feel like you belong without needing the perfect fit? Perhaps there is a way to appreciate what fits while tolerating what doesn't, not giving it your energy and focus? And there is way to simply be curious without worrying if anything fits or not?

I think you might be surprised to find that even among the groups of people where you can see the contradictions in their ways, you will find participants who see it too but tolerate it and still participate. They might not be as conformist thinkers as you might imagine. They don't need that perfect fit. Or maybe they don't want to need it, because needing it may not serve them so well. It may of course isolate them, and it could also make them very judgemental and critical of people whom they do care about.

There is a wonderful sufi saying "be in the world and yet not of it".

Hope that is useful.