So here in Taiwan I don't have many friends... yet. But the ones I have made so far are awesome. One of them is Elisabeth. She is kind of like a big sister, which is great. One of my goals for Taiwan is to get healthier, and she is just the person to look to. She is vegetarian, does yoga, and knows a bunch of little tips. I have always wanted to be a vegetarian but thought it would be to difficult. I am trying it because I figure, new place, new lifestyle. I am doing something new and challenging, and why not try something else I thought would be difficult! Surprisingly it is quite easy! The nice thing is that I will never try anything weird, ex. pig brain, snake blood, ect.
Two days ago I washed my clothes and they have been hanging up every since, and yet they are still wet! It is crazy. Back home is so dry that things will be dry within 5 hrs for the most case. Here it is so humid that even the things that are in my closet feel slightly damp! And I haven't touched them since I got here. Luckily there is a laundry place near by and I can take my close there for that last little bit of dryness. :)
On Saturday I went to visit Animals Taiwan, a non-profit organization that helps stray dogs and cats. I had quite the time getting there. First, I went to the wrong MRT station and when I couldn't find the bus I needed, asked Information. They showed me the right station to go to which happened to be something like 15 stops away, including changing lines twice! The bus that leaves from the correct station, only comes once an hour, and I missed it by less then 10 mins! So I tried to get a cab, but they didn't understand the address so with some help from the information desk, got the address written in Chinese, and eventually got a cab. Once there, however, it was so worth it! I haven't even met all the animals yet, but I am already in love with the place. I will be volunteering there once every two weeks, give or take depending on plans. I will take pictures and post them on facebook.
Speaking of pictures, I need to start taking more. I am not one for taking a bunch of pictures, never have been. But I know everyone else wants to know what it is like here and pictures are really worth a thousand word. So my new goal, take more pictures.
Random fact. The portipotties here are like old school chinese toilets. Just standing over a hole. I saw my first one at the lantern festival. I couldn't do it, I just held it. I've had to many peeing accidents so it not a good idea for me to try (for the first time) in a dark, dirty potipottie. I actually have no idea how to spell portipottie, so I hope this is right.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Ni hao Taiwan!
Well I arrived in Taiwan and am starting to get settled. My drive from the airport to my school was not as crazy as I expected it to be. I had heard that the driving in Taiwan is crazy, and it was, but not to the extent that I expected. My first impressions were that Taiwan was very run down and not well taken care of. I soon realized that it is not that it is not taken care of it's just that with all the rain and the amount of people that live here, it is inevitable that the buildings will start to look run down and that everything will be cramped together. The streets are actually pretty clean, not much for garbage, as I can tell anyway. It is also colder than I had expected. It's still quite warm in comparison to Canada, but what isn't other than maybe Russia and Serbia.
Once I arrived at my school I was greeted by some of the staff including my vice principal, who after only being there a few minutes got me to sign the contract and introduced me to another lady who gave me my schedule and various textbooks. I was asked to look over them and start creating lesson plans, I would later meet with my many chinese teachers. After about 30 mins of this the other english teacher arrived. Her, I and another lady from the school went and looked at apartments. There were two options for me to choose from. I liked both but one was a bit more money than I wanted to spend on rent and didn't include internet, or cable. It did however have much more room, a private washing machine, and best of all a second floor with another room and a private balcony. It was a very beautiful apartment but too much for me. The second was much smaller, and didnt have a private balcony or washing machine, but it did include both internet and cable and have a better security system. On top of all this it was much cheaper, nearly half the price. I went with this second option. I dont plan on spending much time at home, I would rather be out exploring. But even staying in the apartment is still quite nice.
Today I went to Taipei to go to IKEA to get some things for my new apartment. As simple as it is, because the transit system is very good, it still took me quite some time to get there and get back. The language barrier made it difficult along with the fact that I like to figure things out for myself. When I did finally give in and figure out a way to ask someone (by pointing to a point on a map that I wanted to get to) I actually got things done rather quickly. My next trip into Taipei will be much easier I think, now that I now a bit more.
One thing that I really like about my apartment, is the location. It's only a 2 minute walk from my school and tons of food stalls are just around the corner. Its marvelous!
Once I arrived at my school I was greeted by some of the staff including my vice principal, who after only being there a few minutes got me to sign the contract and introduced me to another lady who gave me my schedule and various textbooks. I was asked to look over them and start creating lesson plans, I would later meet with my many chinese teachers. After about 30 mins of this the other english teacher arrived. Her, I and another lady from the school went and looked at apartments. There were two options for me to choose from. I liked both but one was a bit more money than I wanted to spend on rent and didn't include internet, or cable. It did however have much more room, a private washing machine, and best of all a second floor with another room and a private balcony. It was a very beautiful apartment but too much for me. The second was much smaller, and didnt have a private balcony or washing machine, but it did include both internet and cable and have a better security system. On top of all this it was much cheaper, nearly half the price. I went with this second option. I dont plan on spending much time at home, I would rather be out exploring. But even staying in the apartment is still quite nice.
Today I went to Taipei to go to IKEA to get some things for my new apartment. As simple as it is, because the transit system is very good, it still took me quite some time to get there and get back. The language barrier made it difficult along with the fact that I like to figure things out for myself. When I did finally give in and figure out a way to ask someone (by pointing to a point on a map that I wanted to get to) I actually got things done rather quickly. My next trip into Taipei will be much easier I think, now that I now a bit more.
One thing that I really like about my apartment, is the location. It's only a 2 minute walk from my school and tons of food stalls are just around the corner. Its marvelous!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Bittersweet
In less than a week I leave to embark on my new journey! And with it come mixed feelings... bittersweet. I am so excited, for what feels like the beginning of MY life, but am sad to have to say goodbye to everyone.
I will miss Amy so much. It feels like we just began our lives together again. After the incident that tore us apart, it feels like we just reunited. It also feels weird to be doing this without her... we always planned to travel around together. I kind of feel like I'm leaving part of myself behind. I love her to death and she will always be apart of me.
I will also miss Kristen. Although, at the time of writing she is pissing me off, I still love her. She is one example of how stupid boys do have a purpose in our lives. If not for Leif, I would never have met my lady Kristen. She is my stone. She is always there with concrete advice. She gives it to me straight but also shows understanding. It will be hard to not have her with me when I go through something while gone. I love her dearly. I will miss her greatly.
And Kristie. How can I explain how much this lady has effected me? Words cannot explain how much I will miss her. She is my other half. She is more than worth all the heartache I went through in order to find her. Again a boy that came and went was useful for something... Justin, as much as he tore me apart, brought me Kristie-Ann. Without her I wouldn't be where I am today. She is imbedded in my soul, and even writing this now, I am tearing up at the thought of being without her. I love her to peices!
Most of all, however, I will miss my mom. She is the constant in my life. We disagree from time to time, but it's always on matters of my well being. She cares and it shows. I love her with all my heart and being without her almost breaks my heart. She has helped me through the hardest times, whether its just a shoulder to cry on, the stone that gets me back on track, or the bank that helps in times of need. Every time I hear "26 cents" on the radio I cry, because that is my mom. She will always be there for me, no matter where I am. Words cannot explain how grateful I am to my mother. I thank God everyday that I have her.
Just like my mom, my dad is just the same. I love him so much and I hope to prove that he has raised me to be the best person I can be. He has provided me with all the tools I need to be an independent woman, and given me my wings that are about to carry me away. He has done his part, and now I will show him that his efforts were never in vain.
As much as I will miss these people and many countless others, I am so excited to make a life for myself and start off on a journey that only God knows where it will lead me. I thank everyone who has made a mark on my life, they will always be in my heart.
I will miss Amy so much. It feels like we just began our lives together again. After the incident that tore us apart, it feels like we just reunited. It also feels weird to be doing this without her... we always planned to travel around together. I kind of feel like I'm leaving part of myself behind. I love her to death and she will always be apart of me.
I will also miss Kristen. Although, at the time of writing she is pissing me off, I still love her. She is one example of how stupid boys do have a purpose in our lives. If not for Leif, I would never have met my lady Kristen. She is my stone. She is always there with concrete advice. She gives it to me straight but also shows understanding. It will be hard to not have her with me when I go through something while gone. I love her dearly. I will miss her greatly.
And Kristie. How can I explain how much this lady has effected me? Words cannot explain how much I will miss her. She is my other half. She is more than worth all the heartache I went through in order to find her. Again a boy that came and went was useful for something... Justin, as much as he tore me apart, brought me Kristie-Ann. Without her I wouldn't be where I am today. She is imbedded in my soul, and even writing this now, I am tearing up at the thought of being without her. I love her to peices!
Most of all, however, I will miss my mom. She is the constant in my life. We disagree from time to time, but it's always on matters of my well being. She cares and it shows. I love her with all my heart and being without her almost breaks my heart. She has helped me through the hardest times, whether its just a shoulder to cry on, the stone that gets me back on track, or the bank that helps in times of need. Every time I hear "26 cents" on the radio I cry, because that is my mom. She will always be there for me, no matter where I am. Words cannot explain how grateful I am to my mother. I thank God everyday that I have her.
Just like my mom, my dad is just the same. I love him so much and I hope to prove that he has raised me to be the best person I can be. He has provided me with all the tools I need to be an independent woman, and given me my wings that are about to carry me away. He has done his part, and now I will show him that his efforts were never in vain.
As much as I will miss these people and many countless others, I am so excited to make a life for myself and start off on a journey that only God knows where it will lead me. I thank everyone who has made a mark on my life, they will always be in my heart.
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