"So where are you from?"

This dreaded question inevitably causes a contemplating scrunch of her face. And she slowly rolls out the answer, "Well... I am most recently from... "

For the past two decades, Evelyne's life has been somewhat nomadic. Born in Flushing, New York, her travels began at an interim of three years ranging from cities such as Chicago, Taipei, New York, Moscow (not the one in Idaho), San Francisco, Boston, Stockholm, Brunswick, and Kuala Lumpur. And now she has moved her game piece on the board to the land of fish and chips - London.

As proud a graduate of Bowdoin College with a degree in Neuroscience and Russian as she was, this all didn't quite matter amidst the plummeting job markets in the US at that time. Boldly, she decided to move to Taipei on her own in 2003. No job, no friends, no apartment. One late night before her departure to Taipei, ORIENTED popped up on her screen as a beacon of light. Perhaps it was the excitement of a fresh new start. Or it was the smiling faces she saw in the photos online. Or the drinks in their hands. She wasn't sure what the lure was, but she already decided to attend ORIENTED as soon as the plane landed.

And she made the right decision (for once).

Her first ORIENTED Happy Hour experiences blossomed into an unforgettable web of people, exchanges and lessons. Not only did she find friendships that undoubtedly will last a thousand lifetimes (was that a quote from Confucius?), but she also found a job which she couldn't wait to arrive at every morning and didn't mind working till wee hours of the night. Who could have asked for more?

Leaving the addictively eccentric (and cheap) lifestyle in Taipei after four years was a painful decision. But after working as a senior marketing assistant briefly at Lite-On Technologies and then as a Paralegal at Pamir Law Group, she wanted to academically challenge herself and is currently studying for a Master's Degree in Medical Law & Ethics at Queen Mary, University of London.

Yet even amongst the intriguing readings of euthanasia, abortion and stem cell research, Evelyne still itches for the excitement ORIENTED brought to her life in Taipei. Being able to connect to people with similar interests into a social, professional and cultural web is a sort of magic. That is exactly what Taipei's ORIENTED brought for her, so she is now determined to start an ORIENTED chapter whichever city she lands - starting with London.

So let's go and have a pint ... of magic.

Click here to read Evelyne's Bowdoin profile.

Joined: February 2004