Ni hao {hello}! After almost a year's worth of preparation, I am finally in Taiwan! It's been a busy and tiring (jet lag is not fun,) but encouraging first few days. I've been meeting lots of people--teachers, students and other staff at Christ's College. I've also had several meetings and observed a few English classes. I thought I'd share a sort of random list of initial cultural observations, highlights, things I love and things that are hard about my new home (for the next 2 months.)First Impressions of Taiwan:
--The photo at the top of the page is of the Danshui River and the Goddess of Mercy Mountain. There is a walkway next to the river that stretches across most of Taipei. I've taken a walk along this path twice now and I absolutely LOVE it. So beautiful. I love that you can be in the middle of a busy and noisy city, then walk about 5 minutes and be on a quiet tree-lined sidewalk, looking at the mountains. It's the perfect combination of natural beauty & the excitement of city life.
(Below: another photo of the Danshui River and G.o.M Mountain)
--The town is like a county fair in the States....except all the time. The photo below is a street in Danshui within walking distance of Christ's College. It basically always looks this crazy.
--If you hear cheesy music coming from a truck, don't expect to get ice cream. It's the garbage truck. Very odd.--My least favorite thing about Taiwan, as of now, is that they recycle EVERYTHING...paper, plastic and even food. You have to save all of your wasted food and put it in a special trash can. At this point, I really don't know what I'm actually allowed to throw in a general trashcan.
--So far the only Chinese food I've eaten is jiaozi (dumplings) and a local restaurant specialty--shaved noodles. Both were delicious. My chopsticks skills are improving by the minute.
--I've finally gotten all settled into my little apartment in the girls' dorm building. It's very nice and already feeling like "home." I'll share some pictures of my room soon....
--I ate lunch in my room with a student named Emily today. I learned from this lunch that Pride & Prejudice crosses all cultural boundaries. Even Taiwanese college students love Mr. Darcy! Now that my apartment is cleaned up, I'm looking forward to many more visits from students!
--Even after a mere 3 days, I've learned that living in Asia is always more hectic than you expect. I planned to have some time to relax this morning before my first meeting of the day. Instead, my shower head broke and I spent most of my morning finding another place to shower and getting my own shower back in working order.
--If you're walking in the town, it feels like you're going to get hit by a car or motor bike at all times. Asians have a very different (possibly non-existent) concept of personal space.
--Squid on a stick looks super gross and I will not be eating it.
--What's considered warm/nice weather in Pittsburgh, is considered "really cold" in Taiwan. It's been rainy and foggy the past few days, but it's very warm and humid.
--I've had two older Taiwanese women who work at the school (neither speak any English) tell me that I'm "so cute" and that they have sons who are my age. It's rather hilarious.
(Above: Another view from walking along the Danshui River)
--I got some sort of mango shaved ice drink from the above shop. Yummy. I also tried pearl milk tea (or bubble tea) for the first time. If you don't know what this is, wikipedia can tell you. How the Taiwanese thought of putting tapioca balls in tea is beyond me, but I'm glad they did. I'm excited to try more tea concoctions...Thank you all for your support and for sharing in this adventure with me! I'm excited to continue sharing my thoughts, stories and photos with you. Feel free to drop me an email (jamie.l.stuart@gmail.com) or message me on Facebook or Skype (jam.ie.stuart.)
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Woah! I had no idea the Taiwanese invented bubble tea, but I'm glad they did as well, and that it's spread to the mainland :) SO great to see pictures and hear your first impressions... Taipei looks beautiful!
It sounds amazing! I'm so glad you are settling in and I'm looking forward to hearing more updates. Your talk of food is making me a little jealous, though. The pictures are great, can't wait to see your room soon!!
Isn't BUBBLE TEA amazing!!!!! I love it SO much. Probably so much that it will be come a ritual once I'm over yonder. yay. (i'm pretty sure bubble tea did not originate there though.. but maybe they did. its all over asia though!)
Looks like you're doing well. And enjoy the crazy life:)
EW! Bubble tea is so gross! Silas loves the stuff but it just makes me gag... I'm enjoying the picture and looking forward to seeing more! Hope God continues to bless your time there.
Elisabeth, is the place you can get bubble tea in squirrel hill? I'm interested to compare the American version of it with the real stuff.