My husband thinks that the countryside where I live looks like one big field. Sometimes you can see houses, but they are often not very close to each other. Everyone has their own place to plant whatever they want, which he really likes. We also bought some seeds, and he planted them in my flower bed. He also wanted to do some garden work and removed some weeds, even though it's not the planting season.
This time, we are mostly busy with paperwork. There are a lot of documents that need to be translated and legalized, and we don't have much time. While getting our Chinese translations, we also visited the botanical garden in Łódź. My husband got to see an old-style countryside house as well. It's already the beginning of the autumn season. Some trees have started turning orange, but mostly everything is still green. There are also a lot of butterflies flying around blooming flowers.
Gardening has a long tradition in Poland. It's a way to relax in the fresh air and spend time with family. Many people have their own gardens and take care of them themselves. People spend a lot of time planting flowers and shrubs, watering the grass, and trimming hedges. We are proud of our gardens! For people who don't have much time, planting fruit trees and conifers is common since they require less attention.
People who take care of their gardens tend to be happier. Engaging in everyday activities definitely improves your health and makes life more beautiful. Gardening doesn't only mean planting flowers or decorative trees; many people also plant vegetables. That's especially popular in rural areas.
My husband envies the fact that people have gardens and can plant whatever they want. He doesn't realize that it's often hard work, especially when planting a lot of vegetables. In the future, he wants to have his own small farm, but it seems difficult in Taiwan. Land is very expensive unless we live in the mountains. We have a friend who does farm work in Nantou, and we sometimes visit him, but my husband hasn't had much chance to do any work except cutting and packing lettuce.
One way to relax in the garden is to have a barbecue. People love spending time with family or friends, eating food surrounded by nature. Many women want to get a tan, so it's a good place to stay almost naked without anyone around to see. I mean, if you live in the countryside. Near cities, homes are close together, and people often watch their neighbors too. For many people, it's hard to imagine living in the city without having their own green space and a few pets running freely around.
We also had a barbecue at my aunt's place. It's a different experience than in Taiwan. In Taiwan, people sit by the road on a small plot of land, barbecue, and talk. They don't have dedicated spaces with tables or beautiful barbecue areas like we do in Poland. Also, in Taiwan, it's not an activity for every weekend but something more special, like during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Now that I live in Taiwan, there's no space for even a tiny garden. People keep flowers in pots, often in very small spaces or on balconies. There's also no space to keep pets here. Although life here is convenient, with many shops and restaurants everywhere, in my home in Poland, I have a lot of land that I can use. I enjoy planting flowers, different fruits, and vegetables. I love watching them grow, as they change a little every day. What's better than having your own fruits and vegetables? They are 100% healthy and organic. It's the reward you get for taking care of them all year.
In our free time, we also bought wedding rings. I wanted tohave one, even though we didn't have a formal wedding. My husband doesn't seem to like wearing it... I don't want to force him, but I would be happy if he wore it from time to time. We have collected all the documents for my visa. One of the most important ones we received just two hours before our flight... It was stressful, as we didn't have enough time. I needed to change my ID card, passport, and take care of some other things. All of these processes usually take 2-4 weeks, especially getting a new passport, which can take a long time. Fortunately, everything is done now. We just need to obtain the visa, and then we can finally take a break from all the paperwork.
