A Week In Review

Well, today marks the beginning of my second week here in Taiwan. Since I'm a bit inept at this whole blog thing, I reckon this would be a good excuse to make another post on here. So, here's a little recap of my first week, via random blurbs of thought:

-It's hot here, did I mention that? Fortunately I am gifted with an AC, which I try to use only sparingly. The whole sweat-yer-nuts-off-before-you-make-it-past-the-front-door thing does have its perks though...should make getting and staying in shape alot easier.

-I experienced my first earthquake here, the very first night I was here. Boy, that was confusing...especially in my barely-conscious state.

-People here are, on the whole, quite friendly. They are usually more than willing to help my clueless self out, when prompted.

-In Taiwan, people work hard. Long hours, strong work ethic, tons of studying, etc. On the other hand, they play even harder. Come nighttime, everyone is out having a good time. The salarymen sleeping on the MRT are replaced by friends, families, laughing and enjoying. There's a different emphasis on nightlife here...it's not so much, 'Sweet, another workday down the drain..let's see where I can get a quiet meal and hit a bar or a hookup at a club'. To be sure, that exists here...but there's typically alot more than that.

-Smells. Many of my first impressions/memories of Taiwan are personified by smells. As soon as you step outside, you are surrounded by them. At times, it is quite overwhelming for one not accustomed to it. For the most part, it is a very good thing...alot of it is due to the enormous amounts of food being served everywhere, right in front of you. Sometimes, it's not quite so good...there is a certain foul smell that I keep encountering around Taiwan, and I haven't been able to put my finger on exactly what it is yet.

-Through the power of the internet(and what a power it is), I managed to find a small parkour group in the Taipei area. I've trained with them twice so far, seems like a good group.

-I received my first bit of Baguazhang (internal chinese MA) training this weekend. My teacher is an ex-pat, so language isn't a problem. It was pretty amazing, to finally be able to dig into what I've only read/watched for so long.

-Karaoke is a very odd and private affair here...I felt almost perverted. Still fun though.

-Did I mention there are alot of scooters?

-Speaking of scooters, I saw someone use a turn signal the other day. I was shocked, I didn't realize they made those in Taiwan. But seriously, the traffic here is somewhat-organized chaos. I don't know how it works, but it does.

-The food has to be one of the biggest pluses to living here. There is food everywhere. There's a pretty large amount of diversity, most of it is fresh/cooked right in front of you, and it's cheap!

-That being said, 7-11 is my hero. I have gotten meals from there on several occasions already...which is even more cheap, and still not bad. But it is much easier for me because I walk in, pick out what looks good, and take it up to the counter. I try to branch out to local food places (I'll admit to hitting McD's on my first morning as well) and street vendors, but it's just difficult because I don't know what they're selling, the name for it, how to order it, etc. When I am successful in such endeavors, it is often very satisfying.

-Friends are a pretty excellent invention. Yaling has been a big help to me already. Showing me around to a few places, many questions, helping me buy stuff, etc. I am already very indebted to her. Corey has also been a constant source of answers to general questions and language issues. I'm glad that I get to be here for a while before he arrives, but it will be a great boon when he is here. Josie is also visiting for a few weeks in August...and although she is even more clueless than I, I'm sure she will have a good time and it will be nice to see her. Other than that, my web 0f friends will probably be pretty diverse...from parkour, other expats, who knows.

-I'll admit to slacking terribly in the photo department. It's just that I usually am focusing on settling in, rather than being a tourist, so A) I haven't been to many exciting photogenic places and B) finding food/store/location, etc. is usually more important than taking a photo of it. It'll get better, I promise. Till then, enjoy the precious few below.

From apartment balcony, sunrise

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

Park by CKS (above) we were monkeying around in

Shot looking out from Taipei Normal University, where we trained at a spot for a bit