So I went grocery shopping yesterday for the first time, and I went to this supermarket near the apartment called Wellcome (yes, spelled incorrectly). Did you know that you can buy Skippy Peanut Butter here? And Campbell's soup? And Cocoa Puffs? It's kind of funny, actually, the supermarket is kind of laid out according to "Chinese" stuff, like herbs and seasonings, and then "Western" stuff, like all the brands we're used to, only with Chinese rendering of the Western brand names.
I'm staying up late tonight to watch Liverpool play Aston Villa. Should be a pretty heated atmosphere because of the whole Barry transfer mess. I didn't see the match against Standard Liege, but I heard it was pretty bad. Hopefully the redmen are up to the task tonight. And hopefully my satellite feed doesn't crap out on me like it kept doing for the Chelsea-Spurs match.
Classes start tomorrow. Somewhere between nervous and excited on that front. It'll be nice to at least get into a routine though.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Favorite part of the day is...
Garbage collection. No joke. Seven o'clock every evening, at the end of the alley. And you want to know why it's my favorite part of the day? Because it's where the friendly spirit of my Taiwanese neighbors really comes out to play. The first day I went out, Li Ma Ma from across the hall said hi to me and asked how I was doing. The second day, the old woman who will take your recycling and trash if you need to go somewhere else, greeted me and started chattering away to me in Taiwanese. When I told her I didn't understand, she mimed out what she said, then told me in heavily accented Mandarin that a lot of people couldn't understand her. And then my neighbor from the third floor talked to me in English for awhile. Tonight, my neighbor across the alley chatted with me for a long time, asking if I was living alone, asking if I was lonely and if I could cook for myself. Her English was really good too, but she spoke to me in Mandarin, and was just amazingly friendly. She told me how I could walk under the bridge near our house to get to Tai Da and that I didn't need to take the bus, and that there was a really good Korean restaurant just on the other side of the bridge. She also asked how I found Taiwan compared to China, and I admitted that I'm liking Taiwan better, it's much friendlier and freer. She said she'd been to the mainland, and not really liked it.
It's also really interesting to see how many migrant workers there are in the neighborhood, mostly from southeast Asia and the Philippines. A lot of them take out the trash for the families they work for, and so I see all of them each night. It's a really fascinating insight into Taiwanese society.
So anyways. Garbage collection is the favorite part of my day. Talk about a pick-me-up at the end of the day. I love it. I really do.
It's also really interesting to see how many migrant workers there are in the neighborhood, mostly from southeast Asia and the Philippines. A lot of them take out the trash for the families they work for, and so I see all of them each night. It's a really fascinating insight into Taiwanese society.
So anyways. Garbage collection is the favorite part of my day. Talk about a pick-me-up at the end of the day. I love it. I really do.
Friday, August 29, 2008
The other shoe drops
Well, not really. I mean, I knew when I came over here that there would be extreme highs and extreme lows. That's just the nature of living in a language and culture that's not your own.
Things kind of started to go downhill yesterday when I went to the immigration office in Taipei City to apply for my alien residence card (ARC). I waited for about three hours, give or take, and when I finally got to see a clerk, she rather rudely told me that, since I live in Yonghe City, a suburb of Taipei, I had to go to another office in Banqiao (which is not exactly what you'd call close-by). So first I called Jessie to get her opinion, and she said to go to Banqiao and just ask people there for directions, but I wasn't all that keen on that, so I went to the information desk at the office there in Taipei City. No one there was particularly helpful either, and I got the distinct sense that the friendly people I had encountered in Taipei so far do *not* work in the immigration office.
So I decided to head home after that, and of course, there was an air raid drill scheduled for 2:30, the idea being that if China ever decides to shoot off the myriad missiles it has pointing at this little "renegade province," all the people here will be ready for it. Of course, the actual drill mainly consists of all the cars on the road pulling over, and all the pedestrians basically being stopped in their tracks for half an hour. If you're inside, or not on one of the main roads, you pretty much don't even know the thing is happening. So it's not exactly a big deal, but I didn't really want to be stuck sitting on a bus or standing on the sidewalk in the blazing sun for half an hour, so I did a proverbial sprint across the city, from Xiaonanmen Station to Guting Station to the 214 bus stop near Guting to Yonghe City Hall to home. I think I made it back with about two minutes to spare, and I was unbelievably sweaty.
Last night, a mosquito somehow got into my room and chewed the living daylights out of me. I woke up around 1 AM in absolute misery and with welts the size of quarters all over that itched like crazy. I went out into the living room and sprayed this insecticide the landlord left me with a vengeance, then went back to sleep in a really bad mood. Surprisingly, when I woke up this morning, the welts were completely gone, and they didn't itch at all. Two sides of the coin, I guess.
Today, I had to get over to NTU for class assignments and orientation at 11:30. The good news, I tested into the second-highest level in the program, with two German, and four Japanese students. The bad news, they then proceeded to take us halfway across campus to a restaurant, where a bunch of current language division students introduced themselves and talked about their experiences before lunch was served. I was already anxious because I knew how long I had to wait at the Taipei City immigration office to talk to a clerk, and I figured Banqiao would be the same, so I didn't want to waste too much time with lunch/orientation, especially since the nearest MRT station was a good 15 minute walk away. I sat and talked for awhile with a girl from the Philippines, a girl from Germany, and a guy from Britain, and then I reluctantly departed their company (I really wanted to get to know them better) and did another sprint across the city to Banqiao.
Finding the immigration office in Banqiao was another rather unhappy experience, as I walked up and down Minzhu Road for quite awhile before finally asking a store clerk where the office was. She was kind of grumpy with me, but told me it was right across the street. So I get to the door, and it says 'Push,' so of course, I push. No, wrong 'push.' You have to push the button that says 'Push,' and me, silly foreigner that I am, didn't know that, so the guy behind me huffily pushes it for me.
Once I got inside, the wait for service was about ten times shorter than the wait in Taipei City, probably because there's less foreigners in Taipei County than in the actual city itself. I got my application processed with relative ease, and was back on my way in a fairly short amount of time. Of course, by this time I was starving, having skipped lunch to get to the immigration office in anticipation of a long wait, and so I grabbed a thing of cold noodles at the FamilyMart by Yonghe City Hall, then went home and nearly swallowed the tray of noodles in one gulp.
So, it hasn't been a particularly wonderful couple of days, but it's not all that bad either. I'm just really tired from all the running around and trying to figure stuff out and worrying about this and that. It was kind of nice, tonight, when I went to take the garbage out, this old woman who will take your garbage for you if you're in a hurry, and who greeted me the first day in Taiwan-hua, came over and started talking to me. Of course, I couldn't understand her, and so she sort of mimed what she was saying, then said a few things in heavily accented Mandarin. The only thing I really understood was that she said, "A lot of people don't really understand what I say." I was kind of touched that she made the effort to talk to me, knowing I probably wouldn't really get it or know how to respond.
To be honest, I'm kind of homesick at the moment, and it's amazing how suddenly it hit me. One minute, I was fine, the next, I was in that mindset of "9 months is forever." I think it's largely due to the fatigue and stress of the past week, and maybe, just maybe, it means I'm going through the culture shock stages a bit more quickly. I remember I didn't get really, really homesick until near the end of my tenure in China. So maybe this is my little bout with homesickness this time around, and maybe I'll adjust more quickly here. Who knows?
--
On a completely unrelated note, Liverpool drew Marseille, PSV Eindhoven and Atletico Madrid in their CL group. What a match-up. Fernando Torres is going home. He's already said he hopes both Liverpool and Atleti go through to the last 16, and I hope so too. I can imagine it'll be emotional for him, but at the same time, I think it will be a chance for everyone, Atleti and Liverpool supporters alike, to see both what made Torres who he is, and what kind of player he can become. I hope for a Liverpool win, but I also hope for an amazing match with brilliant football.
Things kind of started to go downhill yesterday when I went to the immigration office in Taipei City to apply for my alien residence card (ARC). I waited for about three hours, give or take, and when I finally got to see a clerk, she rather rudely told me that, since I live in Yonghe City, a suburb of Taipei, I had to go to another office in Banqiao (which is not exactly what you'd call close-by). So first I called Jessie to get her opinion, and she said to go to Banqiao and just ask people there for directions, but I wasn't all that keen on that, so I went to the information desk at the office there in Taipei City. No one there was particularly helpful either, and I got the distinct sense that the friendly people I had encountered in Taipei so far do *not* work in the immigration office.
So I decided to head home after that, and of course, there was an air raid drill scheduled for 2:30, the idea being that if China ever decides to shoot off the myriad missiles it has pointing at this little "renegade province," all the people here will be ready for it. Of course, the actual drill mainly consists of all the cars on the road pulling over, and all the pedestrians basically being stopped in their tracks for half an hour. If you're inside, or not on one of the main roads, you pretty much don't even know the thing is happening. So it's not exactly a big deal, but I didn't really want to be stuck sitting on a bus or standing on the sidewalk in the blazing sun for half an hour, so I did a proverbial sprint across the city, from Xiaonanmen Station to Guting Station to the 214 bus stop near Guting to Yonghe City Hall to home. I think I made it back with about two minutes to spare, and I was unbelievably sweaty.
Last night, a mosquito somehow got into my room and chewed the living daylights out of me. I woke up around 1 AM in absolute misery and with welts the size of quarters all over that itched like crazy. I went out into the living room and sprayed this insecticide the landlord left me with a vengeance, then went back to sleep in a really bad mood. Surprisingly, when I woke up this morning, the welts were completely gone, and they didn't itch at all. Two sides of the coin, I guess.
Today, I had to get over to NTU for class assignments and orientation at 11:30. The good news, I tested into the second-highest level in the program, with two German, and four Japanese students. The bad news, they then proceeded to take us halfway across campus to a restaurant, where a bunch of current language division students introduced themselves and talked about their experiences before lunch was served. I was already anxious because I knew how long I had to wait at the Taipei City immigration office to talk to a clerk, and I figured Banqiao would be the same, so I didn't want to waste too much time with lunch/orientation, especially since the nearest MRT station was a good 15 minute walk away. I sat and talked for awhile with a girl from the Philippines, a girl from Germany, and a guy from Britain, and then I reluctantly departed their company (I really wanted to get to know them better) and did another sprint across the city to Banqiao.
Finding the immigration office in Banqiao was another rather unhappy experience, as I walked up and down Minzhu Road for quite awhile before finally asking a store clerk where the office was. She was kind of grumpy with me, but told me it was right across the street. So I get to the door, and it says 'Push,' so of course, I push. No, wrong 'push.' You have to push the button that says 'Push,' and me, silly foreigner that I am, didn't know that, so the guy behind me huffily pushes it for me.
Once I got inside, the wait for service was about ten times shorter than the wait in Taipei City, probably because there's less foreigners in Taipei County than in the actual city itself. I got my application processed with relative ease, and was back on my way in a fairly short amount of time. Of course, by this time I was starving, having skipped lunch to get to the immigration office in anticipation of a long wait, and so I grabbed a thing of cold noodles at the FamilyMart by Yonghe City Hall, then went home and nearly swallowed the tray of noodles in one gulp.
So, it hasn't been a particularly wonderful couple of days, but it's not all that bad either. I'm just really tired from all the running around and trying to figure stuff out and worrying about this and that. It was kind of nice, tonight, when I went to take the garbage out, this old woman who will take your garbage for you if you're in a hurry, and who greeted me the first day in Taiwan-hua, came over and started talking to me. Of course, I couldn't understand her, and so she sort of mimed what she was saying, then said a few things in heavily accented Mandarin. The only thing I really understood was that she said, "A lot of people don't really understand what I say." I was kind of touched that she made the effort to talk to me, knowing I probably wouldn't really get it or know how to respond.
To be honest, I'm kind of homesick at the moment, and it's amazing how suddenly it hit me. One minute, I was fine, the next, I was in that mindset of "9 months is forever." I think it's largely due to the fatigue and stress of the past week, and maybe, just maybe, it means I'm going through the culture shock stages a bit more quickly. I remember I didn't get really, really homesick until near the end of my tenure in China. So maybe this is my little bout with homesickness this time around, and maybe I'll adjust more quickly here. Who knows?
--
On a completely unrelated note, Liverpool drew Marseille, PSV Eindhoven and Atletico Madrid in their CL group. What a match-up. Fernando Torres is going home. He's already said he hopes both Liverpool and Atleti go through to the last 16, and I hope so too. I can imagine it'll be emotional for him, but at the same time, I think it will be a chance for everyone, Atleti and Liverpool supporters alike, to see both what made Torres who he is, and what kind of player he can become. I hope for a Liverpool win, but I also hope for an amazing match with brilliant football.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Foray into the Taipei bus system
The route I picked out yesterday did indeed work like a charm, the only downside is that it involves a fair amount of walking. About ten minutes from the bus stop to the actual language center. But looking at the map, I think it would be about ten minutes from the MRT and/or the bus stop on Fuxing South Rd. too. The bus also drops me off a bit of a walk from the apartment as well, but really not that bad at all, maybe ten minutes as well.
I'm also taking a look at some other routes that will get me to MRT stations, since I still need to get myself over to the immigration office and apply for my ARC. It appears that I can take a free shuttle to and from the bus stop at Yong He City Hall, or I can take the 214 bus, and get to Dingxi Station (free shuttle) or Guting Station (214). The really fun thing about this whole exploration is that Google maps in fact has real-time information on each and every bus stop and MRT stop here in Taipei, all you have to do is zoom in and click on the little icons. Once I figured out how it worked and how the bus system was laid out, I realized I could get myself pretty much anywhere if I need to.
Something I've noticed here is that whenever I complete a transaction and a clerk or a shopowner gives me something, like a receipt, they present it with both hands. I remember in Korea that this was a sign of politeness, but in China there was never anything like that.
I'm also starting to pick up slight differences in the Mandarin spoken here as opposed to the standard spoken in the mainland. For instance, people here often add the modifier 'man' to things, for instance, 'man hao,' meaning 'really good.' On the mainland, I don't remember hearing that particular modifier very often. Also, I hear a lot of people prefix each sentence with 'ah,' which I think is a carryover from Taiwanese, and a characteristic of Cantonese as well. And finally, people tend not to distinguish between the zh, ch, sh and z, c, s sounds. So “是" (shi, to be) becomes "si" and "这" (zhe, this) becomes ze. My host family in China had an accent much like this, but I venture to say that it's even stronger here. Spencer mentioned to me a couple days ago that he's been having a bit of trouble with the accent after such a long time in Beijing.
Supposedly there's supposed to be an air raid drill this afternoon around 2:30. On the expat forum that I'm a member of, people were saying it's no big deal, but that it's just easier to make sure you're not on the roads at 2:30, otherwise you'll end up having to stand around for half an hour in the blazing sun. So I'm debating whether to go to the immigration office today and try out the bus system some more, or wait until tomorrow when I'll be in Taipei already for my orientation at Tai Da.
I'm also taking a look at some other routes that will get me to MRT stations, since I still need to get myself over to the immigration office and apply for my ARC. It appears that I can take a free shuttle to and from the bus stop at Yong He City Hall, or I can take the 214 bus, and get to Dingxi Station (free shuttle) or Guting Station (214). The really fun thing about this whole exploration is that Google maps in fact has real-time information on each and every bus stop and MRT stop here in Taipei, all you have to do is zoom in and click on the little icons. Once I figured out how it worked and how the bus system was laid out, I realized I could get myself pretty much anywhere if I need to.
Something I've noticed here is that whenever I complete a transaction and a clerk or a shopowner gives me something, like a receipt, they present it with both hands. I remember in Korea that this was a sign of politeness, but in China there was never anything like that.
I'm also starting to pick up slight differences in the Mandarin spoken here as opposed to the standard spoken in the mainland. For instance, people here often add the modifier 'man' to things, for instance, 'man hao,' meaning 'really good.' On the mainland, I don't remember hearing that particular modifier very often. Also, I hear a lot of people prefix each sentence with 'ah,' which I think is a carryover from Taiwanese, and a characteristic of Cantonese as well. And finally, people tend not to distinguish between the zh, ch, sh and z, c, s sounds. So “是" (shi, to be) becomes "si" and "这" (zhe, this) becomes ze. My host family in China had an accent much like this, but I venture to say that it's even stronger here. Spencer mentioned to me a couple days ago that he's been having a bit of trouble with the accent after such a long time in Beijing.
Supposedly there's supposed to be an air raid drill this afternoon around 2:30. On the expat forum that I'm a member of, people were saying it's no big deal, but that it's just easier to make sure you're not on the roads at 2:30, otherwise you'll end up having to stand around for half an hour in the blazing sun. So I'm debating whether to go to the immigration office today and try out the bus system some more, or wait until tomorrow when I'll be in Taipei already for my orientation at Tai Da.
Feeling so accomplished...
So I spent pretty much the whole day on the internet slogging through various maps of Taipei, Yonghe, and the bus routes that connect the two, trying to figure out the best way to get to NTU with the least amount of hassle. Finally, finally I came to a route that's incredibly simple and should work like a charm, and all I have to do tomorrow is get on the bus and make sure it actually does work. It involves some walking, but I'm up to that, and assuming this does work and I can get myself into Taipei City, from there I can pretty much get myself anywhere I need to with the MRT.
I also had my first full meal on my own. The first few days, when I didn't go somewhere with Jessie, I was pretty much surviving on a few dumplings and/or a bowl of noodles. Tonight, I bit the bullet and went in to a cafeteria-style place that Jessie took me to when we first came to Yonghe, and it's actually really easy because it's basically a buffet and you just tell the servers what you want. I was kind of guiltily going about the point-and-don't-talk routine, and then noticed that the Taiwanese woman next to me was doing the same thing, and so felt slightly less guilty.
Garbage collection happens each day here, at 1 PM and 7 PM for our neighborhood. So I went out at 7 tonight and was waiting around, and this old woman who was there last night, came over and said something to me in Taiwan-hua. I told her in Mandarin that I didn't understand, and I don't think she understood me. Then a younger woman, probably in her 40s, entered the conversation, and started talking to me in Mandarin. When I told her I was an American student, both she and the older woman smiled and said "你好" (Hello) as a kind of welcome. The younger woman then proceeded to talk to me in very good English, and told me she lived on the 3rd floor right above me. She was really friendly, and it was really nice to make that connection with the neighbors. Earlier, Jessie was joking that garbage collection is the social time for neighbors, but I can see how it's true--it's a designated time for everyone to come out and stand around and engage in an activity together.
The weather here is hot and humid, and I don't really mind it except at the end of the day, when I'm all sticky and sweaty and itchy. Like now. I don't really notice it during the day, but once I sit down and rest, I suddenly feel like I have ants all over my skin and it's very unpleasant. I'm trying not to shower more than once a day to save on the water bill (I'm such a cheapskate), but with this weather, I think I might have to give in and do two showers a day.
Tonight my big debate is whether to get up at 4 AM to watch Liverpool play the second leg of their CL qualifier against Standard Liege at Anfield. I don't know where I'll get the feed, but I'm sure it's out there. Unfortunately Star Sports isn't playing it, otherwise I could watch it on the TV here in the apartment. The first leg was a 0-0 tie, so this is a pretty big game (unfortunately). Though, to be honest, I think Rafa's probably putting the emphasis on the domestic league this season--Champions League is less important to the fan base, I think.
It's kind of crazy to think that a year ago, I would be sitting down to watch the match with Tom and Hailu and the other guys in the Cooler. It seems like yesterday, and yet it seems like forever and a day ago. It's just crazy, that I'm actually here, doing this, living in Taiwan.
I also had my first full meal on my own. The first few days, when I didn't go somewhere with Jessie, I was pretty much surviving on a few dumplings and/or a bowl of noodles. Tonight, I bit the bullet and went in to a cafeteria-style place that Jessie took me to when we first came to Yonghe, and it's actually really easy because it's basically a buffet and you just tell the servers what you want. I was kind of guiltily going about the point-and-don't-talk routine, and then noticed that the Taiwanese woman next to me was doing the same thing, and so felt slightly less guilty.
Garbage collection happens each day here, at 1 PM and 7 PM for our neighborhood. So I went out at 7 tonight and was waiting around, and this old woman who was there last night, came over and said something to me in Taiwan-hua. I told her in Mandarin that I didn't understand, and I don't think she understood me. Then a younger woman, probably in her 40s, entered the conversation, and started talking to me in Mandarin. When I told her I was an American student, both she and the older woman smiled and said "你好" (Hello) as a kind of welcome. The younger woman then proceeded to talk to me in very good English, and told me she lived on the 3rd floor right above me. She was really friendly, and it was really nice to make that connection with the neighbors. Earlier, Jessie was joking that garbage collection is the social time for neighbors, but I can see how it's true--it's a designated time for everyone to come out and stand around and engage in an activity together.
The weather here is hot and humid, and I don't really mind it except at the end of the day, when I'm all sticky and sweaty and itchy. Like now. I don't really notice it during the day, but once I sit down and rest, I suddenly feel like I have ants all over my skin and it's very unpleasant. I'm trying not to shower more than once a day to save on the water bill (I'm such a cheapskate), but with this weather, I think I might have to give in and do two showers a day.
Tonight my big debate is whether to get up at 4 AM to watch Liverpool play the second leg of their CL qualifier against Standard Liege at Anfield. I don't know where I'll get the feed, but I'm sure it's out there. Unfortunately Star Sports isn't playing it, otherwise I could watch it on the TV here in the apartment. The first leg was a 0-0 tie, so this is a pretty big game (unfortunately). Though, to be honest, I think Rafa's probably putting the emphasis on the domestic league this season--Champions League is less important to the fan base, I think.
It's kind of crazy to think that a year ago, I would be sitting down to watch the match with Tom and Hailu and the other guys in the Cooler. It seems like yesterday, and yet it seems like forever and a day ago. It's just crazy, that I'm actually here, doing this, living in Taiwan.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Apartment pictures
This is the street outside the apartment. Note the abundance of motorbikes. It's even crazier on the major street, just one block away. 
This is my bedroom in my apartment. It's Japanese style, so I sleep on a mattress on the floor.I have some other pictures, but they're not really as interesting. Hopefully I can get some more pictures of the neighborhood today (my neighbors will probably think I really am a crazy foreigner, haha) and post them later.
Reporting from Taipei, Taiwan...
Well, as I write this, I'm sitting at my desk in my bedroom of the apartment Lauren and I are renting. I'm drinking a Coke (to try and keep myself awake past seven o'clock), and I can tell someone in the next building over is cooking dinner (smells like fish, LOTS of garlic, jasmine rice and...basil?). Despite the heat and humidity, there's a really nice cross-breeze through the enclosed back balcony next to my window, so I'm pretty comfortable. The overriding thought on my mind is that this is going to be home for the next 9 months.
Wow.
The past few days since I arrived here in Taipei have been an absolute whirlwind. I met up with this friend of a family friend's parents, named Jessie, who lives here in Taipei, and she's just been an absolutely amazing person to have with me. She helped me with the apartment hunt, with the lease, with finding things in the city, with figuring out how things work, even with how to get to my school. I know I would have eventually figured things out on my own (I arrived here ready and willing to go it alone), but it's been so much easier with someone there whom I can ask questions of and who knows how things really work (as opposed to how the guidebooks say they should).
Our apartment is a three-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a medium-rise building in Yonghe, a suburb of Taipei. This area is supposed to be very 热闹, which basically means it's a very lively, very active place, with lots of markets and street stands. We're actually right across the river from National Taiwan University's campus (Tai Da), but because of the location of our language center, we actually have to do a bit of walking once we take the bus there. I'm not particularly averse to walking--I don't think it's too bad of a walk, and once the weather cools down, it looks to be quite nice. The apartment itself has a kitchen, an enclosed balcony in the front and the back, a washing machine, TV, internet, and a really nice living room. The landlord (an amazingly helpful man as well) also bought all the cleaning supplies and such before he left, so we won't have to spend any money on those things.
I should dedicate at least a paragraph to the landlord and his wife, the Zhang couple. I found their ad for this apartment on Kijiji, a classified ad service online. Our initial contact was very formal, but once I told them we were American students, Zhang xian sheng went out of his way to help us out. We exchanged numerous e-mails about facilities, location and rents, and when it started to look like we might not be able to rent the place because of financial constraints, he suggested a number of solutions, from finding a roommate to renegotiating the rent. I was initially a bit wary, because of course you don't know anyone from Adam on the internet. But when I arrived and came with Jessie to look at the apartment, we met the Zhangs and found that they were genuinely good people. We found out that the Zhangs had had visits from over 50 people who were interested in the apartment, but hadn't rented to any of them because they felt the other people wouldn't be good tenants. They complimented me repeatedly on my Chinese (because we had been e-mailing exclusively in Chinese), and bent over backwards to make sure that living here would be the best possible experience for us. They even showed me around the neighborhood, pointed out good (and bad) places to eat, the post office, convenience stores, introduced me to a locksmith and a handyman (in case I needed either of those services), and were just unbelievably kind. At the end of the night, they treated me and Jessie to ice cream (well, shaved ice with toppings, ice cream of a sort) and I was just blown away by how much trouble they were willing to go to for us.
I registered for classes on Monday, and took the placement exam then as well. The speaking went really well, the written test went alright, and the only part where I really stumbled was the character recognition, where the interviewer asked me to recognize and define random characters from a list. Part of my problem was simply nerves and the fact that I haven't studied as much vocabulary as I probably should have after four years. The other part was that I'm not as familiar with traditional characters, and so was seeing all these lines and thinking, "Oh crap, does that change the pronunciation, the meaning, or both? Oh crap." So you can imagine why that didn't go so well. But the interviewer encouraged me that if I want to switch classes in the first week, that's totally alright, and I can also move up a level in the next term if I want to.
The program itself seems very international, which was what I had been told before. I heard a lot of Korean and Japanese from other students, as well as some Spanish (which the interviewer was quite impressed to learn that I spoke), and a lot of accented English. The really fun thing was, there were some Taiwanese students on hand to help out with registration, and their English was pretty much perfect, better than mine probably. In any event, we have an orientation on Friday, so hopefully I will get to know my classmates better then.
I met up with Spencer today, and it was really good to see him. Unfortunately it was kind of a hassle for him to get to my place, but he did finally make it, and I think it was nice for both of us to see a friendly face and just be able to talk freely in English. His plans hit a major bump earlier because of the typhoon in Hong Kong, which prevented him from arriving to Taipei on time. Then his bank went haywire on him and wouldn't let him withdraw money from his account. Plus he's still looking for a place to live. He seemed about as stressed as I've ever seen him, and that's saying a lot, because Spencer is one of the most laid-back people I know, especially when it comes to travel. He really rolls with the punches and doesn't worry easily, and I wish I could be more like him in that regard. He seemed okay though, and hopefully we can get together again soon.
On Sunday night, I got together with a friend from Nanjing, a guy from Sheffield, UK, named Ramon. We met through football in Nanjing, and were okay friends there. Meeting up on Sunday was perhaps only the third or fourth time we really hung out together, but it was really good to see him and hang out and chat. It's kind of sad that he's leaving so soon (next Monday), but hopefully we can spend some quality time together before that. At least we have some time, as opposed to none at all. I've found that friendships aren't necessarily based on the amount of time you spend together, as much as the quality of that time.
I still have myriad things to do--get to the immigration office for my resident card, figure out the bus system, explore my own neighborhood, get myself to the first day of classes--but at the moment, I'm feeling really good about the next nine months, and I know I didn't feel like this on my first couple of days in China, so hopefully this is a good sign.
Wow.
The past few days since I arrived here in Taipei have been an absolute whirlwind. I met up with this friend of a family friend's parents, named Jessie, who lives here in Taipei, and she's just been an absolutely amazing person to have with me. She helped me with the apartment hunt, with the lease, with finding things in the city, with figuring out how things work, even with how to get to my school. I know I would have eventually figured things out on my own (I arrived here ready and willing to go it alone), but it's been so much easier with someone there whom I can ask questions of and who knows how things really work (as opposed to how the guidebooks say they should).
Our apartment is a three-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a medium-rise building in Yonghe, a suburb of Taipei. This area is supposed to be very 热闹, which basically means it's a very lively, very active place, with lots of markets and street stands. We're actually right across the river from National Taiwan University's campus (Tai Da), but because of the location of our language center, we actually have to do a bit of walking once we take the bus there. I'm not particularly averse to walking--I don't think it's too bad of a walk, and once the weather cools down, it looks to be quite nice. The apartment itself has a kitchen, an enclosed balcony in the front and the back, a washing machine, TV, internet, and a really nice living room. The landlord (an amazingly helpful man as well) also bought all the cleaning supplies and such before he left, so we won't have to spend any money on those things.
I should dedicate at least a paragraph to the landlord and his wife, the Zhang couple. I found their ad for this apartment on Kijiji, a classified ad service online. Our initial contact was very formal, but once I told them we were American students, Zhang xian sheng went out of his way to help us out. We exchanged numerous e-mails about facilities, location and rents, and when it started to look like we might not be able to rent the place because of financial constraints, he suggested a number of solutions, from finding a roommate to renegotiating the rent. I was initially a bit wary, because of course you don't know anyone from Adam on the internet. But when I arrived and came with Jessie to look at the apartment, we met the Zhangs and found that they were genuinely good people. We found out that the Zhangs had had visits from over 50 people who were interested in the apartment, but hadn't rented to any of them because they felt the other people wouldn't be good tenants. They complimented me repeatedly on my Chinese (because we had been e-mailing exclusively in Chinese), and bent over backwards to make sure that living here would be the best possible experience for us. They even showed me around the neighborhood, pointed out good (and bad) places to eat, the post office, convenience stores, introduced me to a locksmith and a handyman (in case I needed either of those services), and were just unbelievably kind. At the end of the night, they treated me and Jessie to ice cream (well, shaved ice with toppings, ice cream of a sort) and I was just blown away by how much trouble they were willing to go to for us.
I registered for classes on Monday, and took the placement exam then as well. The speaking went really well, the written test went alright, and the only part where I really stumbled was the character recognition, where the interviewer asked me to recognize and define random characters from a list. Part of my problem was simply nerves and the fact that I haven't studied as much vocabulary as I probably should have after four years. The other part was that I'm not as familiar with traditional characters, and so was seeing all these lines and thinking, "Oh crap, does that change the pronunciation, the meaning, or both? Oh crap." So you can imagine why that didn't go so well. But the interviewer encouraged me that if I want to switch classes in the first week, that's totally alright, and I can also move up a level in the next term if I want to.
The program itself seems very international, which was what I had been told before. I heard a lot of Korean and Japanese from other students, as well as some Spanish (which the interviewer was quite impressed to learn that I spoke), and a lot of accented English. The really fun thing was, there were some Taiwanese students on hand to help out with registration, and their English was pretty much perfect, better than mine probably. In any event, we have an orientation on Friday, so hopefully I will get to know my classmates better then.
I met up with Spencer today, and it was really good to see him. Unfortunately it was kind of a hassle for him to get to my place, but he did finally make it, and I think it was nice for both of us to see a friendly face and just be able to talk freely in English. His plans hit a major bump earlier because of the typhoon in Hong Kong, which prevented him from arriving to Taipei on time. Then his bank went haywire on him and wouldn't let him withdraw money from his account. Plus he's still looking for a place to live. He seemed about as stressed as I've ever seen him, and that's saying a lot, because Spencer is one of the most laid-back people I know, especially when it comes to travel. He really rolls with the punches and doesn't worry easily, and I wish I could be more like him in that regard. He seemed okay though, and hopefully we can get together again soon.
On Sunday night, I got together with a friend from Nanjing, a guy from Sheffield, UK, named Ramon. We met through football in Nanjing, and were okay friends there. Meeting up on Sunday was perhaps only the third or fourth time we really hung out together, but it was really good to see him and hang out and chat. It's kind of sad that he's leaving so soon (next Monday), but hopefully we can spend some quality time together before that. At least we have some time, as opposed to none at all. I've found that friendships aren't necessarily based on the amount of time you spend together, as much as the quality of that time.
I still have myriad things to do--get to the immigration office for my resident card, figure out the bus system, explore my own neighborhood, get myself to the first day of classes--but at the moment, I'm feeling really good about the next nine months, and I know I didn't feel like this on my first couple of days in China, so hopefully this is a good sign.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
In retrospect...
Four years ago, I was moving into Braun Hall at Occidental College in Los Angeles, a nervous little freshman with a strong Minnesotan accent and a lot to learn.
Two years ago, I was preparing to head off to a semester of study abroad in Nanjing, China, with two years of college Mandarin Chinese under my belt and a definite uncertainty about my ability to get through a whole semester overseas.
One year ago, I was practically bouncing off the walls, excited by the thought of every aspect of my fourth and final year at Oxy, from hanging out with friends and watching Champions League matches in the Cooler, to working on my thesis and graduating with honors.
Today, I am getting ready to go to Taipei, Taiwan, for nine months of intensive language study and more or less living entirely on my own.
I can barely get my head around how fast the time is flying.
Two years ago, I was preparing to head off to a semester of study abroad in Nanjing, China, with two years of college Mandarin Chinese under my belt and a definite uncertainty about my ability to get through a whole semester overseas.
One year ago, I was practically bouncing off the walls, excited by the thought of every aspect of my fourth and final year at Oxy, from hanging out with friends and watching Champions League matches in the Cooler, to working on my thesis and graduating with honors.
Today, I am getting ready to go to Taipei, Taiwan, for nine months of intensive language study and more or less living entirely on my own.
I can barely get my head around how fast the time is flying.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Football epitomized
Fernando Torres scores the game winner against Sunderland (click on the picture to view it full size). I love photos like this (taken from the picture thread at RAWK), the ones that show the lead-up to a laser-like shot arrowing into the lower corner. Headers and chilenas (bicycle kicks) are spectacular in their own right, but if you say 'the beautiful game,' one of the first things that comes to my mind is a pure striker, like Torres, driving home that perfect shot--no backspin and all swerve. Butterflies
Well, it's been awhile since I updated. Most of my time since my last post has been spent trying to find an apartment in Taipei which is no small task when you figure in the language barrier and the fact that there's a whole ocean separating me from whoever I'm trying to communicate with. At the moment, things are looking good and Lauren and I just might have a place to live right upon arrival, but I'm not getting my hopes up just yet, as plenty of things can happen between now and Thursday.
Played my last two futbol matches this weekend, scoring one goal and assisting a couple others. It's always sad to leave the chavas at the end of the summer, but this year is particularly hard because I'm not just going back to LA for school, I'm leaving the country for almost a full year, and unlike during my college years, I won't be back for Christmas. Of course with e-mail and the internet, the distance doesn't seem quite so far, but it's sad nonetheless, and I'll really miss football on the weekends, whether with the guys at Oxy or the chavas here.
Also watched Liverpool play at Sunderland this weekend in the opening of the EPL season, and I have to say I was not impressed, especially with the first half. A lot of undisciplined long ball play it seemed, and just a general lack of sharpness on the ball. I suppose some of that's just down to it being early in the season, but if Liverpool want to put in a title challenge this season, they have to hit the ground running. I'm also getting concerned about the Torres-Keane partnership (or lack thereof). They actually got in each other's way in front of the net on Saturday, scratching what would have been almost a sure goal for Torres. If that partnership doesn't materialize soon, Liverpool are done for, and I think Rafa will be gone.
The bright spot of the whole match was Xabi Alonso's Man-of-the-Match performance. Rafa brought him on at halftime to replace Plessis, and Alonso just took control of the match, spraying quality balls around the pitch and even trying a shot from inside his own half that had Craig Gordon scrambling. He set up Torres' winning goal, and really showed his quality and his stature as an integral part of the Liverpool line-up. Some people don't think the Gerrard-Alonso partnership can work, but it seemed to work well on Saturday. I hate to think that Alonso may get benched once Mascherano and Lucas come back from the Olympics, and I'm torn between thinking that he might be better off at a place like Juve or Arsenal where he'll get more playing time, and wanting him to stay at Liverpool with the prospect of only being a squad player.
Played my last two futbol matches this weekend, scoring one goal and assisting a couple others. It's always sad to leave the chavas at the end of the summer, but this year is particularly hard because I'm not just going back to LA for school, I'm leaving the country for almost a full year, and unlike during my college years, I won't be back for Christmas. Of course with e-mail and the internet, the distance doesn't seem quite so far, but it's sad nonetheless, and I'll really miss football on the weekends, whether with the guys at Oxy or the chavas here.
Also watched Liverpool play at Sunderland this weekend in the opening of the EPL season, and I have to say I was not impressed, especially with the first half. A lot of undisciplined long ball play it seemed, and just a general lack of sharpness on the ball. I suppose some of that's just down to it being early in the season, but if Liverpool want to put in a title challenge this season, they have to hit the ground running. I'm also getting concerned about the Torres-Keane partnership (or lack thereof). They actually got in each other's way in front of the net on Saturday, scratching what would have been almost a sure goal for Torres. If that partnership doesn't materialize soon, Liverpool are done for, and I think Rafa will be gone.
The bright spot of the whole match was Xabi Alonso's Man-of-the-Match performance. Rafa brought him on at halftime to replace Plessis, and Alonso just took control of the match, spraying quality balls around the pitch and even trying a shot from inside his own half that had Craig Gordon scrambling. He set up Torres' winning goal, and really showed his quality and his stature as an integral part of the Liverpool line-up. Some people don't think the Gerrard-Alonso partnership can work, but it seemed to work well on Saturday. I hate to think that Alonso may get benched once Mascherano and Lucas come back from the Olympics, and I'm torn between thinking that he might be better off at a place like Juve or Arsenal where he'll get more playing time, and wanting him to stay at Liverpool with the prospect of only being a squad player.
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