I’m into my third full day here in Taipei, and, although my impression of the city is still a chaotic jumble, I think I may finally be starting to calm down.
I flew into Taipei on Friday morning after leaving late Wednesday night. Thursday, somewhat disturbingly, never happened. After running into the only person I knew in Taiwan, my language exchange partner, at the airport (this seems happens to me all the time), I got through customs and was driven into Taipei. The area around airports seems to look the same in every city. We passed industrial buildings and warehouses. There were palm trees and wispy pines growing along the road, and a scraggly hedge split the highway. But as we went along, you started to notice differences. There were a few buildings with tiled Chinese style roofs, the hedge on one embankment was pruned into characters and the vegetation along the road began to look more and more tropical. Hills rose up, covered in what was unquestionably jungle, and finally we passed a huge temple, complete with gold plated Buddha. Nothing subtle about this country it would seem.
After that, we drove into the city, descriptions of which will come later. There is so much going on and so much that is different that I don’t know where to start. I was dropped off at my temporary apartment with three hours to kill before I met with the recruiting director of my school. I should have rested, but I was still too buzzed to do anything of the sort so I decided to walk from my apartment in Taipei’s equivalent of the U-district to the business district where I had my meeting. At the meeting I filled out paperwork, then was told to return later for a doctor’s appointment. Then I walked around some more.
I had the fastest doctor’s appointment I have ever had. Height, weight, temp, blood pressure, glands, move on. Blood drawn, move on. Chest x-ray, done. It can’t have taken more than fifteen minutes, and that includes waiting. When I finished, I was dropped off at a subway station. In a desperate attempt to stay awake, I decided to walk back to my apartment. It was an interesting walk, but still probably a bad idea. I was too tired to take anything in and too distracted to remember to eat while I could still think. By the time I got back I had more blisters than I care to think about and still had three hours until nine when I planned to go to bed. I made it till seven.
Yesterday woke up early, too early. Jetlag will do that to a person. But the morning was beautiful. I bought hot rice milk and a fried leak and tofu roll and went walking by the river. It was sunny, and although still too hot and muggy, there was a breeze. If it hadn’t been for the constant danger of being run over by a bicycle it would have been perfect. After that I stopped off at a café and figured out my internet then set out to explore. I got lost, un-lost and lost again, got too far away from my apartment, and started getting tired. When I’m tired, I forget to eat , forgot how to speak English let alone Chinese, and do stupid things like walking three miles when I could just as easily have taken the metro. I get lonely and start second guessing my reasons for doing crazy things like going abroad. When I finally managed to get myself on the metro I missed my transfer twice. I got home and tried to stay awake. I made it to eight.
Today I’m better. I’ve gone out to get breakfast, then lunch. I tried to read in the park, but it started to rain. I didn’t mind because I think I love the rain here. It’s warm, and there are huge drops. So mostly I’ve just been hanging out in my room, and enjoying the internet I’ve discovered. It’s hardly the most exciting way to spend my time abroad, but exactly what I need. Tomorrow I go to Danshui to meet the director of my school, and then I start training and will have to find an apartment which will be more cause for panic, but for now I’m starting to calm down.
Borrowed photo from the internet. Will post my own as soon as I get a new camera cord, mine is currently in another country.
I flew into Taipei on Friday morning after leaving late Wednesday night. Thursday, somewhat disturbingly, never happened. After running into the only person I knew in Taiwan, my language exchange partner, at the airport (this seems happens to me all the time), I got through customs and was driven into Taipei. The area around airports seems to look the same in every city. We passed industrial buildings and warehouses. There were palm trees and wispy pines growing along the road, and a scraggly hedge split the highway. But as we went along, you started to notice differences. There were a few buildings with tiled Chinese style roofs, the hedge on one embankment was pruned into characters and the vegetation along the road began to look more and more tropical. Hills rose up, covered in what was unquestionably jungle, and finally we passed a huge temple, complete with gold plated Buddha. Nothing subtle about this country it would seem.
After that, we drove into the city, descriptions of which will come later. There is so much going on and so much that is different that I don’t know where to start. I was dropped off at my temporary apartment with three hours to kill before I met with the recruiting director of my school. I should have rested, but I was still too buzzed to do anything of the sort so I decided to walk from my apartment in Taipei’s equivalent of the U-district to the business district where I had my meeting. At the meeting I filled out paperwork, then was told to return later for a doctor’s appointment. Then I walked around some more.
I had the fastest doctor’s appointment I have ever had. Height, weight, temp, blood pressure, glands, move on. Blood drawn, move on. Chest x-ray, done. It can’t have taken more than fifteen minutes, and that includes waiting. When I finished, I was dropped off at a subway station. In a desperate attempt to stay awake, I decided to walk back to my apartment. It was an interesting walk, but still probably a bad idea. I was too tired to take anything in and too distracted to remember to eat while I could still think. By the time I got back I had more blisters than I care to think about and still had three hours until nine when I planned to go to bed. I made it till seven.
Yesterday woke up early, too early. Jetlag will do that to a person. But the morning was beautiful. I bought hot rice milk and a fried leak and tofu roll and went walking by the river. It was sunny, and although still too hot and muggy, there was a breeze. If it hadn’t been for the constant danger of being run over by a bicycle it would have been perfect. After that I stopped off at a café and figured out my internet then set out to explore. I got lost, un-lost and lost again, got too far away from my apartment, and started getting tired. When I’m tired, I forget to eat , forgot how to speak English let alone Chinese, and do stupid things like walking three miles when I could just as easily have taken the metro. I get lonely and start second guessing my reasons for doing crazy things like going abroad. When I finally managed to get myself on the metro I missed my transfer twice. I got home and tried to stay awake. I made it to eight.
Today I’m better. I’ve gone out to get breakfast, then lunch. I tried to read in the park, but it started to rain. I didn’t mind because I think I love the rain here. It’s warm, and there are huge drops. So mostly I’ve just been hanging out in my room, and enjoying the internet I’ve discovered. It’s hardly the most exciting way to spend my time abroad, but exactly what I need. Tomorrow I go to Danshui to meet the director of my school, and then I start training and will have to find an apartment which will be more cause for panic, but for now I’m starting to calm down.
Borrowed photo from the internet. Will post my own as soon as I get a new camera cord, mine is currently in another country.
