If you fell in love with a new country and thought you might want to become a citizen, just how much would you sacrifice to make that a reality? In 1989, TC Lin (born TC Locke), a freshman in the US, went to Taiwan on an exchange program and felt such an affinity with the people and culture that he decided this is where he belonged. After finishing his studies, he moved to Taiwan, became a citizen, and then waited for the day he would be called up to do two years of military service like every other male in the country. As one of very few non-Asians to have served in the Taiwan (ROC) armed forces, and the only one I know to have written about the experience, TC has a unique perspective on the country's military culture -- and as you'd expect some good stories to tell. But this podcast is also about how the experience of serving helped him in the process of mentally and emotionally becoming Taiwanese. When you talk about cultural immersion, of becoming someone new, somewhere new, TC Lin's story is truly one of the standard bearers for the term.