Sunday, June 24, 2007

Days 1 and 2...



I'm here in Taiwan. Specifically I'm in Taipei the capital. What an interesting place! There's definitely a sense of being crowded and at the same time a great use of space that makes everything seem open and non-cramped. I'd say that Taipei is a lot like Boston only BIGGER and covers a larger area, oh yeah, and with a predominant Asian theme. All that aside, Taipei is a lot like Boston and other New England cities: wide streets, lots of apartment buildings, traffic, and some form of a metro.

Anyway, the parents took me to the San Francisco Int'l Airport for a 1:05 am flight out of the bay area to Taiwan. I didn't land until 5:30 am Saturday. What happened to Friday??? It's kind of interesting that I have lost a day. Friday, June 22nd, 2007 did not exist for me. Time's just crazy like that!


I was picked up at the airport by "Unlce" -- the elderly in Taiwan are usually refered to as "Uncle" or "Aunt" (in Mandarin: "Shoo-shoo" and "Shen-dsa" respectively). Anyways, Uncle didn't speak much English -- actually none at all, a bit silly since he works for the Uncle Sam American School......

Which is where he dropped me off! I was immediately thrown into the mix and when through the preliminary training stages. I was, and still am, suffering from some serious jet-lag following a 16 hour flight. It's to be expected right?

Not gonna lie, i was feeling some serious homesickness the first night here. That and I had to sleep on a bamboo mat in my apartment. Not so keen about that. Sunday arrived and I set out to find the LDS Temple in Taipei. It was a great opportunity to explore the city and familiarize myself with the MRT (subway/metro). Anyways, I found the Temple AND there's an English ward! It's awesome. I met some great people and made some great new friends. There were a few ladies that have been teaching in Taipei for more than 4 years! We all had dinner following church and they clued me into some of the ins and outs of Taipei. SO VERY HELPFUL!

Tomorrow, I start observing my classes. Very excited!

3 comments:

Erica said...

temple. aaahhh, what a place of relaxation and a feeling of home. glad you made it snobby. you are missed in the USA.

Unknown said...

Ni hao! Glad you made it safely!

Anonymous said...

Hair this, hair that, you sound like you'll have it forever. I think you should start cherishing the fact that others like it it for what it really is... used protein. Yours happens to be red to blond.
Looks like your having a good time and that is what it's all a
bout. Learn, listen, teach and be happy.