Blog
Arrival (6/29)
Hello everyone from 12 hours ago! When America's on Daylight's Savings Taiwan is exactly 12 hours ahead of EST. Incredibly convenient, but also incredibly confusing during the flight. I left Richmond at 7 AM on the 28th and arrived in Taipei around 6:30 PM on the 29th. The flight itself took almost 24 hours, 3 of which were layover (and thankfully no less; I almost had to deal with a 20 minute layover where the next gate was quite a ways away). Fairly uneventful, but it was nice getting to catch up on recent movies. I guess the numb legs from almost 12 hours of sitting was worth it... kinda. And listening to an elderly lady repeat a recipe for a supposedly popular Taiwanese dish a countless number of times. When I got to Taiwan, I was worried about finding out where to go, but embracing sheeple mentality worked. I got picked up by not one, not three, but two of my aunts (thank you Camp Camp), and then did a glorious amount of nothing. Sitting on a plane is surprisingly exhausting, but I was rewarded with the first bubble tea of the trip (start the counter!). Because of my horrible life decisions at home (such as not sleeping the night before the trip and just overall having a horrendous sleep schedule) I wasn't really jet lagged. That shower felt amazing though. Even though I had to take it by pouring water over myself with a bucket (this is not typical of Taiwan by the way), it was just so hot. I had to wear jeans on the plane because I get cold easily but that's not exactly ideal dress for an island nation in the summer. But gosh, I cannot remember the last time I went to bed at 11. Hopefully I don't screw up my sleep schedule here too.
Day 1 (6/30)
Ok, I may have lied… I might be a bit jet lagged. That or I just didn’t get enough sleep. I’m not sure what it’s like for the rest of the country, but my family here sleep on some pretty hard beds. Not what my body asked for after all that sitting yesterday, but it’s gonna have to learn to deal. So from what I gathered, most people here buy breakfast and lunch, then maybe cook for dinner. So off to food exploring! My aunt and I shared a breakfast of dumplings, soymilk, and eggs mixed with what I now know to be essentially shrimp cakes. Had no idea what it was at the time, but hey, it was good and I wasn’t allergic so it was a win. Today was mostly errands… or it was supposed to be. We got one thing done: registering for Ubike (or is it Youbike? Have consistence branding > <*) It’s a bike rental system (that’s maybe like the one in DC?). Not entirely sure how it works yet. We registered for it, not actually tried it out. During that venture, I learned there’s public exercise equipment in parks that kind of look like playgrounds with how colorful they are. They also plant orchids elevated on the side of trees to prevent drowning out their roots. Then my aunt got called away by work and familiar duties. She has a life too (as my mom seems to forget). It’s fine though. School doesn’t start until June 6th anyways. I mean I guess we could have tested out the bus that night… Or we could eat hot pot. Please, does that even need consideration? Ok, so fact-not-fact, restaurants here are amazing. Because of the competitive food scene here, restaurants here have to differentiate themselves from others. What does that mean? Free stuff! Included in the meal was a variety of ice cream, tons of different types of drinks and coffee, and popcorn. Man, there goes the hope of losing weight this summer…
Day 2 (6/31)
It's time... To visit my dad's mother... To be honest, I've been kinda dreading this for a while since I'm not terribly familiar with her. But you aren't here to listen to my family drama. While I was visiting, the trend of being treated to food continues. I SWEAR I HAVE MONEY ON ME! Apparently there's a place really close by that has super cheap lunches (50 NTD) and they're pretty good too (the photo can also attest). Afterwards, I got taken to a market of sorts. Little did I know how close it was to my school (until later on, like seriously I pass by it every day). Unfortunately, this time I was not wearing walking shoes and was trying to keep up with my uncle cruising on a bike. If only I knew that we passed by a Ubike station on the way... Hindsight... Rewarded myself with a nice cold mango drink from Coco on the way back though! Topped with bragging rights as I send my brother a picture of a drink from his favorite store. His chat log will serve as an archive of how many times I visit Coco.
Day 3 (7/1)
Ok, so while school may start on the 6th, today was the orientation. And by orientation, that meant paying for the class, a placement test (which for me was “Can you read?” “Nope” “Level 1 it is”), and showing me where the classroom was. It’s a little disappointing to be put in Level 1, but I’m sure there’s some basics I’m totally wrong about too. Well time to drown out my sorrow with shopping! Not really, but I actually do need a bigger backpack and there’s a lot of places to shop around a college. But before that, lunch is needed. Today’s menu has curry, curry, and even more curry, with a side of free soup. I mainly shopped around two bookstores, which may sound boring, but Asian bookstores are anything but. They have multiple floors (one I went to had 9) and stock things from pens to charging cables to bookbags to stationary to stuffed animals. I guess it’s like Walmart or Target, but without the furniture and food, but with more cuteness (cause Asia). After getting picked up, my aunt and I ordered duck and later went to RT Mart (which is like Costco, which they also have). But guys, just look at that wall of Doritos! All those different flavors! Testing all of those may have to be my project if I get to come back again.
Day 4 (7/2)
Day 5 (7/3)
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
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