being here 2 weeks now.. i'm slowly beginning to pick up the taiwanese lifestyle now.. there are some things i am amazed by and wish we had back in the states... and other things that i guess i'll just have to deal with and get used to....
i'll start with my "LOWS" .. but more like things i'll have to get used to ... just like up at camp :)
- going to class an hour early to find other students already there.. nerds -____-
- pedestrians do NOT have the right of way! ... i got honked yesterday for walking in the crosswalk when it was still my turn to walk...
- motorcycles are scary!!!
- the ubiquitously fragrant sewer smell
- the crazy humidity...
- the rain... in taiwanese dramas.. the rain always fell a little too spontaneously.. especially during the dramatic parts that made it a little too coincidental... but i'm thinking the rain is just that sporadic
- the metric system... how long is a kilometer?
- the currency rate... it's so hard dividing NTDs by 32.7 to compare with prices in the states
- shady taxi drivers .. they like to drive around in circles.. like dao
- so many stray dogs.. so sad
- flyering on the streets.. it's like walking down bruinwalk
- so many alleyways... i've already gotten lost a few times
- mosquitoes suck!
- girls who dress like they came out of a manga book
- pissing off the natives when the EAP kids are out together because we become obnoxiously loud americans
- face masks!
- sun umbrellas
- rainie's face everywhere ... these posters are plastered on virtually every wall around taipei... man.. i can't believe she made it onto my blog... disgust!
- that the locals eat practically every body part of an animal
- my english deteriorating .. i mean degenerating (just kidding) .. like crazy
- no carpet :( ... all tiles
- all the chinese characters make my head hurt!
- no soap in the bathrooms of clubs ... maybe that's why H1N1 is so prominent here
- few bathrooms with paper towels ... maybe having blowdryers instead is an environmental measure
- receipts are like money here because they're like lottery tickets.... homeless people ask for it instead of or in addition to loose change.. and people dig through trashcans to find them
- no personal space... but at least people don't get pissed at me when i run into them or smack them with my bag
- the taiwanese have a huge fascination / obsession for poop .... -__-
as if we didn't know that it was a sign for the bathroom...
yup... the wall of poopnow to my HIGHS ... yay!
- the streets are litter-free considering how few trashcans there are
- MSG!!! dericious...
- progressive environmental measures.. like : paying for our own grocery bags and chopsticks, signs in each stall in bathrooms reminding us to conserve toilet paper.... hmmm.. now that i think of it.. that could pose some sanitation issues, recycle bins that accompany every trash can in the city, and paper to go boxes or bowls
- efficient transportation system... the subway system's like the BART up in norcal.. but much cheaper..
- super cheap food ... street food typically costs btw $1 to $3 .. and all you can eat korean barbeque's $6 to $8 here!
- actually... everything's super cheap here! .. last night kare bear and i were reflecting on our night and complaining about how much money we spent.. then we realized 450NTD was equivalent to $14 in the US, which paid for dinner at a nice restaurant, a kamikaze at luxy, and cab fare going back to the dorms.. we've concluded that our living standards have gone waaaaaaayyyyyy down since living here...
- tip is not customary here... i felt really guilty about that when i got here... but now i'm kinda used to it
- shaved ice! .. look at the texture!
- aaammmmmmaaaazzzzzzzziiiiiinnnnnnnngggggggg nightlife ... the clubs and night markets are fabulous
- LADIES NIGHT!!!
- jaywalking is encouraged :)
- seatbelts are not required
- crosswalks allot ridiculously large amounts of time for pedestrians to cross... like 95 seconds to cross a street that literally takes 3 steps... ok.. strides
man... my timing was off by a second for this pix.. but yes.. this little alleyway allows pedestrians to cross it in 97 seconds... -__-- taxi fares are relatively cheap... i just remember the horrible cab experience with V back in LA and being charged $500 by that shady cab driver
- dogs aren't walked... they're treated like babies... and dog strollers are commonly seen on the streets
nope... dogs don't need to be walked here...
but if they do walk... they get to wear these cute little shoes so that they don't get their paws dirty... -__________-- KTV!!!!! .. and there's a bathroom in every room!!
- everything's soooooooooo cute here!! <3
- the scenery's gorgeous
this is a library... if our libraries were this scenic back home ... i probably would have become an avid reader
a panoramic view of taipei from the 89th floor of taipei 101- antibacterial hand gel everywhere...
- so many places underground... like the Storyland museum was all underground... and underground shops.. taiwanese people are so resourceful!
smaller portion sizes :) i went to a buffet.. and the largest plate size was equivalent to a tea saucer .. no wonder taiwanese people are so small- the unspoken rule... stay to your right when riding on the escalators ... that helped tiff and me get to luxy before 11 because we were practically running up the left side of the escalators
- there's reception everywhere, even underground.. and on the 89th floor of taipei 101 :)
- the locals here are amazing! ...i think every local i've met asking for directions have been super willing to help.. one even offered to let me try her shaved ice when i asked her what flavor she ordered ...
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