Happy

To pick up where I last left off.... it is humid. Oh so humid. And today was the first day it broke 90 degrees Fahrenheit.  To give you an idea, it has been SO humid that he air surrounding us made my feet so hot (and this was back when it was 85) that my been-dry-for-one-week nail polish got smudged on my toes after wearing close-toed shoes.

Back to happier things... literally. Today was the first day I can say I was genuinely happy to be in Taiwan. Before I wasn't necessarily unhappy, but I didn't have the sun in my heart, love in my step, etc, etc, insert line from an old Hollywood film here.  However that changed on my first day of orientation. And honestly that's probably what changed it. Now I have something to do with my life.  Sure it was nice to have the first few days to relax.  But I think it was mentally hard to settle in because I wasn't/couldn't be in a tourist mind set, yet I didn't have much of a purpose of for my life other than wandering aimlessly about the streets of Taichung wondering what the heck I'm reading (I know I've studied Chinese for 3 years, but switching to traditional characters in a bunch of crazy fonts is, to put it bluntly, hard).

Freshly made udon noddles at udon noodle restaurant!

Entrance to a night market in Taichung

"Ladies and gentleman, it's now time for a segment of.... Thoughts on Taiwan"

1. Scooters.... so many scooters.  So many.  I promised many people I wouldn't ride them, but they do seem to be both the fashionable and most convenient way to get around.  Guess I'm stuck with my inconsistent yet air conditioned buses.  It actually does take some skill and a license to drive a scooter as we found out today during orientation, so I have gained a new found respect for the people who drive them.  And they are Taichung's (maybe all of Taiwan's?) minivan. Got a family of 4 that needs to go shopping? Throw everyone on the family moped, no problem.  I'm not kidding. The dad drove, mom rode behind him holding a baby in a harness around her, and the eldest kid (maybe 3-4?) stood in between the dads legs on the foot part of the moped looking up over the gauges.  I should have taken a picture, but I was honestly so shocked I forgot.  If I see it again,  it will go on record on my camera. 

Scooter scooters everywhere...

2. Dogs.... Taiwan people are the world's superior dog owners.  I've seen tons of adorable dogs and only 2 have been on leashes with no issues. Granted, about 50% have been carried, but it's still enough to be impressive. The most impressive sight was a woman who walked into the bank (where we were opening accounts) in an old-lady-I'm-awesome kind of way followed by her little Corgi trailing behind/beside her, no leash, and gazing up at her with excitement the whole time.  Another good one... my friend and I are waiting for a bus and along comes this woman with a collie close by her.  Suddenly the dog gets a little bit ahead and turns into a store and starts sniffing around. The lady keeps on going, doesn't bat an eye. My friend and I are like "Oh, must not be her dog."  Well after a few seconds, dog looks up and starts running around the sidewalk area back the way it had originally come from and back to the store, until finally it saw and ran after the woman. Woman didn't even flinch, and I have never seen a dog work so hard to find its owner.  Blows my mind.  In relation to scooters, the dogs ride on the mopeds all the time too.  Owners put them between their legs on the floor board toward the front. And when the scooter stops, the dogs stay right on. None of this dog jumping off and running in circles or whining not wanting to be on the scooter shenanigans.  I'm not endorsing this in anyway, I'm just emphasizing the solid behavior of these dogs... they were trained/told to stay on the moped, and they stayed.  Once again, I was honestly so shocked I forgot to take a picture.

3.  I think Taiwan could rival the US in fried foods.  Seriously, a lot of the food available here, especially in the form of street food, comes fried.  And street food is the majority of the type of food that you can find.  Sure they have restaurants, but they can be kinda expensive and not close to where I live.  So I've been working hard to get some vegetables and taking advantage of the tons of fresh fruit, but I'll definitely be excited to have more control over my diet once I get an apartment (aka a kitchen).

4.  I've cut back on my bubble tea consumption because common sense just tells you that sugar milk tea with glutenous starch balls every day just probably isn't good for you.  But it's so hard because almost every 3rd or 4th store is a bubble tea/fruit juice type place.  Many times there are 3 in a row.  Although my new obsession that I think would be great to see more of in the US is (I'm not really sure what the official English name is) fruit shaved ice.  The Korean name for it is Patbingsu and the Chinese call it "insert fruit/topping name-冰" It's just shaved ice mounds (think like ice cream, but just shaved ice) and covered with fresh cut fruit or red bean and condensed milk (a light amount). It's much lighter and fresher than ice cream, probably 1/2 the calories and sugar, and a very refreshing dessert.  And it's kinda healthy since you're majorly just eating ice and fruit.  So needless to say, my guilt does not go very high upon eating this.

Mango Shaved Ice- 芒果冰 \^-^/ Be jealous

Hopefully I won't end up gaining weight coming to Taiwan after leaving America :)