Tidbits from Taiwan

The last days are counting themselves down. The minutes are ticking...slowly...but deafening like lead balls dropped in a silent hall.

Marianna had her 19th birthday at a Friday's, so we all splurged and bought burgers that cost more than a month's allowance. Afterwards, Chris, Gunnar, Gaston, and myself headed to a fancy pool hall and kicked it. The Aleman Team, against the Dream Team, Gaston and I...so of course we won.

So after a Snow-Free 9 months, we finally hit-up Taipei Ice Skate rink and made some Figure-Eights. We skated for two hours, got some Hot Chocolate and I got back my old-skate feet. Phillip and I passed time by getting up at top-speed and then jumping down to our knees and sliding as far as we could.

For maybe the last time, a group, against the largest since we started, of us headed up the MaoKong mountain to relax on the weekend. We had 2 Germans, 1 Mexican, 1 Colombian, 3 Taiwanese, 1 Japanese, and 2 Americans including myself. After the noodles and tea to go along with our mini-United Nations meeting, Gaston, Leo, Frank, Elisa, Phillip, and I played pool for a couple hours, and then split for dinner. I headed up to TianMu to have dinner with Vivian and her friend Ruby, and while on a Student's "Salary" like mine I can't eat so fancy normally, we had a nice Japanese dinner in a Restaurant atop a department store, leaving me with the contentment of true Asian food followed by Tea and a Toothpick that I will most dearly miss in the US.

Had a great day with my Calligraphy Teacher and Elisa last Sunday. I got on the MRT at around 7:20 in the morning at ZhiShan and laid across three seats to sleep (not many people), only to look across to see some crazy foreigner across from me doing the same. Looking closer, what are teh odds, I realized it was Elisa, completely unconscious. Arriving at the Calligraphy Studio, we practicing for several hours, and then headed to lunch across the street. Bellies full from curry and noodles, and minds at ease from calligraphy, we took a bus west to the arty district. There we checked out lots of expensive paintings and appreciated the couple thousand of years old art of calligraphy. We stopped by one of our teacher's friend's shops who engraves seals and brushes to perfection, and for $15 US, I got three personally engraved gorgeous bamboo calligraphy brushes. Having drinken some good High Mountain Tea and chewed on some Sugar Cane with the Engraver, we headed to the Flower and Jade market to finish up some last minute shopping. Elisa got a bouquet of flower's costing appoximately a fourth of our monthly allowance, and I got a teapot suggested by our teacher. Later I saw a movie with Liz and after headed home to make some dreams.

News news, Rotary sprung one on us and made one of us move out of the house as Perry, one of the two children of my Host Parents, will be returning to Taiwan this Friday after his exchange year in Texas. So Tonia moved out last weekend, and Perry will be here shortly.

Yeah, so there was this spider on the wall the other day missing two of its legs...yet still about, half the size of my hand. By my standards, thats sickeningly huge especially in the house unnervingly close to my room, but turns out here they don't seem to think it as creepy. Anyways, I decided to leave it untouched as my host mom seemed flip saying, "Aww! Beautiful! It'll get bigger too", so a day later it dissappeared, leaving me rather regretful of my decision. Two days afterwards in the night, I found a cute little baby spider wandering across my floor which I did something mean to. The next morning in the same place, another little baby spider scuttled from underneath my bed. At this point I was thinking, there has to be a Mommy. Sure enough, the same two-leg-short very-well-fed spider popped up in my room the next night, which the maid came in to see and promptly squished beneath her feet. While I cringed, she laughed, assuring me of the insignifance, "why, one night your Host Parents' son in the next room couldn't sleep a wink because he found a spider IN his room larger than my outstretched-hand here! so don't worry, besides they don't bite people"...I'm thinking, no, they don't bite people, they swallow them WHOLE. But seriously, it reminded me of when Liz and Elisa's stuff got stolen out of a locker at a concert. The thief took everything (IDs, Cameras, important stuff, etc) but left their umbrella, as it was raining that night. Yes Taiwan...where the Radioactive Enhanced Spider's don't bite and the Thieves are Thoughtful.

I guess the biggest news would be, surprise surprise, I just got back from Japan. After lots of permissions, phone calls, paper and running around straightening things out, Liz and I headed to Japan with the WenLin Rotary Club for five days. While the original plan with to go to China as four people, being the exchangers at ShiouFong, it changed to Japan because of Rotary rules, and left us with only two people because of various reasons. So, Liz and I had, let me say, a fantastic five days touring the beautiful country of Japan, seeing the Temples, and eating incredibly detailed, delicate, and delicious food. We got to see Osaka, Kobe, lots of little places I'm not quite sure the whereabouts of, discover how unbelievably expensive a "Hot-Ah Ko-Hi" can be, and stayed in top-notch Hotels reserved by Rotary. Seriously a great time. To top off the visit, after taking several hundred photos I went and left my camera on the bus in the hurry of entering the airport. Not to fear quite yet, it will most likely be taken back to Taiwan in nine days time where I will once again reunite with my gadget.

How to start with this one.

I've had a lot of good times since last you heard a word from me, been trying to enjoy my last days here. Really, it's not last days, but last few months, but it feels like I'm leaving too soon.

We checked out this great eating place in Ximen the other day (thanks to Gaston finding it). Great small place with a view from the deck on top of the rain falling. Also has great noodles, though a tad expensive. On a not so on topic note, it's hard to describe how much Taiwanese seem to...like?, not sure if thats the right word...be curious about foreigners. While all the exchangers are not only constantly stared at and asked for pictures on the street for random passer-bys, other things like this, hold on, sometime happen. Story goes, Phillip and I walk out of a corner store, and this guy stops his bike while riding along. He turns to us, asks if we are teaching English in Taipei, then offers us a job modeling some clothes. Thought I'd throw out one of the countless slightly strange stuff that goes on here.

Two weekends ago, the exchangers in my district and I all headed to HuaLian, supposed the most beautiful area in Taiwan, on an organized Rotary event. While some of the day trips might have been a bit "dry", we had a great time white water rafting down a river (no photos might I add, as no one had a waterproof camera), Go-Karting in the rain on an extremely slick track (insanely fun), and some night activities that extended long after the witching hour. We also visited a school to see a dance and music performance for the second time. Upon meeting some slightly merry Taiwanese in the street, we got another more casual dance performance. They tried to teach us too, but it didn't go so splendid. During the weekend we also became more personally acquianted with the Outgoing Exchangers from Taiwan, about to head off to their respective countries after we leave.

This past weekend myself along with six others headed to the MaoKong mountain for the first time in a while. This time we had me (American), Elisa (German), Liz (Colombian), Gaston (Mexican), Leandro (Brazilian), and LB and Vivian (Taiwanese). No place better to get a little taste of the world. We chowed down noodles, rice, all the while sipping the famous High Mountain MaoKong Oo-Long Tea. Like each time, we played cards, chatted, hit up the Chinese chess and listened to music from...everywhere. This time however, we found a second level to the restaurant not previously explored. On this level, instead of just a roofed patio, there were also rooms with three walls, and the four looking out on the misty valley with tiers of tea plants from which we were drinking. We sat in a room with a low table, got some pillows, closed the curtains and watched a movie for a couple hours. After we headed down the mountain, Gaston and I played some pool in Ximen (I kicked some 屁股). We chanced upon some other exchange students who told us about a thing that night for the other Rotary district saying good-bye to one of their own. That took up the rest of our day.

Getting more specific here as the time gets more recent. Last night went our with Leo, played some pool, and headed home to arrive at 6:30. Got their just in time as my family was leaving (already left), to go with them for dinner. We headed to the "Flower Market" restaurant (good food), and sat down with a BMW company owner, the personal assisant of LiAn (director of BrokeBack Mountain), and the rest of the Fam to have dinner.

Going to a Rotary Meeting tonight, have a nice day ya'll.