Journalicia

Today, out of nowhere, my mind wandered back to a bizarre experience I had when I returned to Taiwan after a nine-month break. I’d come back to start my PhD and reunite with my husband, who had been waiting alone in Taiwan because my visa expired, and job hunting had been impossible. After quarantine, I finally got my new ARC, and my friend Resa invited me to have lunch at a warung bakso in Ximen. It sounded like the perfect way to ease back into Taiwan life—until things took a surreal turn. We hopped on the bus, chatting away, and just as we neared Ximen, I felt a strange tickling sensation in my ear. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but suddenly, something small and frantic moved deeper into my ear canal. It was like a miniature horror movie happening in real-time—I could feel it crawling, its tiny legs scratching inside my ear. I tried to reach it, to shake it loose, but the pain was overwhelming, and I could only scream. Resa’s face went white as she tried to calm me