Introduction & Arrival
The 14 hour plane ride to Taiwan was the longest plane ride I’ve ever been on. And you know what helps a long plane ride… no room to get up and stretch, really bad food, a baby crying, and a kid kicking your seat. Yeah, there wasn’t much room on the flight, and yeah, the food was really bad – but I did bring snacks. The baby was actually pretty good for a 14 hour flight, just towards the end the crying started. And the kid didn’t kick my seat the entire time.
We got off the plane with almost no sleep. It felt like we’re walking into some kind of thickness… I’ve never felt humidity before, so this was a new feeling – it gives me kinda of a Claustrophobic feeling.
As we walked to customs, I was chatting with Tyler and looking around, it hit me – for the first time, I’m the one talking the strange language. When I speak it sounds like I’m the one talking fast and no one can understand me. It’s kinda odd, but at the same time pretty cool – it’s amazing the things I can get away with saying in public 
I can’t really give you the play by play of our daily activities here in Taiwan, but I thought it would be fun to share some of the funny things I see and think, and also some stories of us while we’re here. Hope you enjoy.
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Driving in Taiwan
From the airport we took a taxi to the hotel we stayed in for the first couple nights. I was kind of excited to take a taxi – taking a taxi isn’t what you call common practice in Everett , Washington . With all the luggage, Tyler sat in the front and I was tucked away in the back seat with some of the suitcases. Tyler informed me that in order for him to sit down, the driver had to move a bag of beatle nut (a kind of drug commonly used here with opium paste in it – legal). Once we got on the freeway I thought our driver was a rather aggressive driver, but when we got into the city… I thought we might die or kill someone else. Weaving in and out of traffic, coming inches from hitting people, pushing scooters out of the way, and if both of your lanes are blocked… well he would just swerve into the wrong lane to go by without a thought. But we did survive the trip to the hotel, with no fatalities.
Now I was beyond tired and over stimulated from my new surroundings, so I had hoped this was the reason the drive seemed so dramatic, but…It seems that driving rules and lanes are merely guidelines – something one might think about while driving down the road. Every taxi ride we’ve been on has been very similar to this. And the busses …
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Busses
Have you seen the third Harry Potter movie? Remember the bus Harry takes after running away – well riding a bus here gives you that kind of feeling. A little over half the bus has a single seat on each side with two or three bars sometimes four bars in the middle for people standing to hold on two. The last part of the bus has double seats on each side, with two bars for those standing.
As soon as you get on the bus you better hold on to something as you try and get to your seat – because as soon as you’re far enough for the driver to shut the door he will, and he’ll take off! The bus drivers follow the same rules as everyone else on the road – no real rules. It’s one of the jerkiest rides I’ve ever been on – saying that it is kinda like a ride trying to get to your seat, I often find my self laughing while doing it.
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Sweater Dresses?
Have you ever asked yourself – where have all the sweater dresses gone? You know like the fabulous dress Whitney Houston was wearing in her “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” video. Well I have the answer for you – they’re all in Taiwan ! That’s right, I’ve never seen so many sweater dresses in my life… I’ve seen more here than in an 80′s movie.
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Common Apartments
So we’re currently looking for an apartment. Right now we’re living in a studio apartment that took us on a short lease. It’s a good size studio… no kitchen. But turns out half the apartments we’ve looked at don’t have kitchens. And the kitchens you see consist of a sink and two burners, no ovens. It’s very strange. I guess most people don’t do their own cooking around here. Get this, our toilet is a squatter! Yep – a porcelain hole in the floor; it kinda sucks. But when in Taiwan , live as the Taiwanese (I guess ) So, as we continue to look for an apartment, one of my requirements is to find one with a real toilet… funny request I know.
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Refrigerators
I’ve never seen so many sizes of refrigerators. At least 1/3 of the apartments we’ve looked at have had those little tiny refrigerators with no freezer. That’s the kind we have in our Studio. I’ve seen a few fridges that are about 4 – 4 ½ feet tall, that have the normal two doors, they’re kinda cute. And then I’ve seen some amazing normal sized fridges – I’m not sure why you would want so many doors on your fridge.
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Trash
Trash, garbage, rubbish – whatever you want to call it you still need to dump it somewhere. Well where I come from we have a garbage day. A day that you make sure all your trash is out in the trash can, and the recycling in the recycling bin for the garbage man to come pick up. Growing up that day was Thursday and my father would wake my brother and me up by singing a little song “Today is garbage day. Today is garbage day… hip hip hip hip hurray, today is garbage day!” Well here in Taiwan garbage day is almost everyday, and they have a song to go with it too. In fact, for a while I would hear music and I would think – hey it’s the ice cream man!!! J But no, it was the garbage truck. Now when you hear the music of the garbage truck you grab your trash and run outside, the truck drives by pausing at every other block for people to throw their bags of trash in. Behind this truck is the recycling truck, and they collect paper and boxes or plastic bottles depending on the day (I know – a cranky man yelled at me in Chinese when I tried to give in plastic on a paper day. Well I don’t know what he said to me, but he wasn’t very -pleasant about it. J ) If you live in the city you have to go to the 7-11 and buy a special bags for your garbage, if you’re outside the city any bag will do.
If you were wondering what music the garbage truck plays… I don’t know the name of the tune, but when ever I hear it an old McDonalds commercial goes through my head “and I will eat my fry’s myself, and not give any to my dumb brother”… I know Carl knows this one
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Scooters!!!!
Our new apartment is on a huge hill, or as some call in the top of the mountain. The busses don’t come here and walking up and down would really be a pain (especially in this heat) So we’ve got a scooter. Now my first thought of driving scooters around when Tyler told me abut it in the States was – Cool! Sounds like fun! Now that I’ve seen how things work here… not so fun L Drivers are crazy – these taxi’s, busses, normal cars, and other scooters – billions of other scooters! The scooters drive on the road, the wrong side of the road, crosswalks, and sidewalks – basically anywhere they feel like it and where ever they can squeeze in. Remember Taiwan has no real driving rules, only guidelines. I’m not driving – maybe I will at sometime, but for now I leave the driving to Tyler .
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Scooters!!! A Month and a Half Later
So I’ve gotten pretty use to the scooter thing. At first it really scared me, it’s been the only thing that has made me really, really want to go home. But after more and more time on it I’ve adjusted… I still have some break downs when it’s so scary I want to cry and go back to the states. My big problem is I can see myself scrapping the pavement and my flesh tearing… and I keep thinking how much that would hurt.
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Scooters!!!! Two weeks after that
We’ve had our first scooter accident! We’re coming down our big hill, this scooter turns left right in front of us, not even looking. Tyler tried to stop but we couldn’t stop in time, and down we went – on the left side. Luckily we did slow down enough that it wasn’t too bad. The only thing bleeding was my elbow and Tyler ‘s knee, and then we both got pavement burns. It was a father and an older son on the scooter. I guess it was the son driving and he’s learning. Blah – I can’t wait to go home to normal driving.
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Sidewalks
Walking on the sidewalks can be a bit tricky. Nothing seems to be level, or even here. The level of the sidewalk seems to change with every store front you walk by. Remember to always watch your step or else you may stumble or fall. The little luxuries you don’t realize you have.
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Stairs
The Stairs here can be scary. They are normally very steep and the actual steps are narrow or short how ever you put it. Your foot normally can’t fit on the steps, sometimes half your foot can’t fit on the stairs. This makes a long, steep stairway with low ceilings a little unnerving.
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Food
Most people who know me, know I’m a rather picky eater. The food here has been my biggest fear. I have tried to be very brave though in at least trying most of the stuff. I’ve eaten stuff I still have no idea what it was. The Chinese food here is really nothing like the stuff we have back at home. How I wish I could have Panda Express everyday The food is normally either bland or very salty.
You buy the food from little restaurants lining the road or street vendors. It’s kinda like the fair. You can find street venders all over the place, some of them set up little tables and chairs, feels kinda like an outdoor restaurant. Normally the venders either fry or boil your food. And if you go to one that fry’s, know that they will most likely put MSG on it, I even saw a vendor that had MSG in big print on his stand.
The other day Tyler and I were in a taxi and it was starting to get dark. I saw a vendor’s cart that looked like it had cotton candy hanging from it. I told Tyler that all the vendors make me feel like it was the fair and I think I should be seeing cotton candy. We got to our destination and what do you know right in front of us is a vendor with cotton candy. I don’t love cotton candy, but I had to get some J It was great!
As for American food, we do have McDonalds, Burger King, and Subway (but Subway doesn’t know how to make a meatball sub here) and for a classier choice we have Outback, TGIFridays, Tony Romas, Ruby Tuesday’s, and Swensens (the last two I’d never heard of before I cam to Taiwan). McD’s and Burger King are considered a little higher end compared to back home. Lunch or dinner from a little Taiwan restaurant for the two of us can cost $3-5, and that’s pricey.
So you see, if you don’t like the food, eat at home; well easier said then done. 1, people in Taiwan don’t use ovens. 2, western groceries are hard to find, and when you do find them – expensive. So we’ve done the best we could – thank goodness for Costco! And I’ve learned to cook a little Chinese… I’m getting quite good at fried rice J But McD’s has been my staple when feeling lost and confused food wise in Taiwan – so next time you see my hips that’s why
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Rain
It can be beautiful and sunny one minute then within 15 min a crazy storm can blow in. Now being from Washington you’d think ‘what’s a little rain’. Well, it doesn’t rain like this in Washington very much. And even though it’s raining, it’s still very hot outside. And let me tell you there’s nothing like being caught on a scooter when it starts raining. Between the rain and other cars splashing water on you – you just get soaked! What else can you do but laugh J
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Let’s go to the Movies
Now luckily, the only films that get dubbed into Chinese here are kid’s movies. All other movies just have Chinese subtitles, so we’ve been able to go to a few movies here. And actually they have a great deal. For about $20 we get a combo deal that includes, two movie tickets, two drinks, popcorn, and a churro. Not only that… but the theater has assigned seating! That’s right, your ticket has a row and seat number on them and most theaters let you pick your seat. No more waiting in line out side the theater waiting to run in to get the best seat!!!
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