As a native Minnesotan, I never thought I'd say this, but it was 28* C (about 82* F) here today, and I thought it was cool. Proof that I've acclimated, at least in some respect, to the weather here. I still think back to the first couple weeks here and how absolutely brutally hot and humid it was. Walking outside was like walking into a wall of heat and humidity. Now, finally, it's starting to cool off, at least by Taiwan standards. So basically it's finally getting comfortable.
I didn't do much today. I did a bit of homework, but mostly just lazed around the house. I did a quick grocery shopping trip, got some olive oil and fruit. Olive oil, by the way, is super expensive here (by Taiwan standards, I mean). I think most people here cook with grape seed oil or sunflower seed oil, and olive oil is considered a slightly more precious commodity. I noticed prices are finally starting to come back down after the last typhoon. Vegetable and fruit prices tend to go up after typhoons.
I did go for a run. I'm trying to build some sort of routine for running, though it's hard with my weird class schedule (12-3, M-F). I leave pretty early in the morning to study at school, and often don't get back until after dark. There's actually a really nice park a five minute walk from our apartment, it's just a matter of finding a suitable time and sticking to it. At the moment, I'm hoping to switch my class time for next semester to the 8:30 AM time slot so I'll have the whole rest of the day to do whatever I want/need.
A fun little anecdote. There's a doujiang (soy milk) place near our apartment that's open 24/7 and sells soy milk as well as lots of small snacks and dumplings and such. Mom and Dad, if you come and visit, I have to take you there. But anyways. I've been there enough times that the workers know me, and one morning, I went there to grab a fantuan (a sort of rice ball with fried bread and vegetables inside) before class, and one of the workers asked me if I wanted "heifan" because it's "bijiao haochi." Heifan literally means "black rice" and bijiao haochi means "better tasting." I agreed because she was really friendly and I think was sort of suggesting it to me because I was a foreigner and wouldn't know otherwise. I don't know exactly what's in heifan but the worker was right, it was definitely better tasting, and when I went back the next day, she asked if I wanted the same thing as before. It was kind of cool that she remembered, and so now I try to get there at least once a week for some sort of snack, even though I know they aren't struggling for business.
Lauren just came back and told me there's a Costco trip planned for tomorrow, so I think I'll tag along and maybe get myself a few goodies. We'll see though. I'm a bit concerned about my money situation, with rent and tuition payments all coming up in the next couple weeks. But the scholarship for November should come through relatively soon as well, so assuming there are no problems like before, I should be okay.
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