For The Sake of Black Coffee

Well, it's me again, and don't kill me for not updating all of my recent happenings.  Despite how much fun it was, orientation was exhausting and I can't help but get pumped up for a boring weekend of nothing.  I haven't had one of those in quite a long time.  Anyways, I don't know how chronological this will be since I hate chronological-styled blogs.  Make a time map if you need to.  Essentially, I went to the National Palace Museum, the huge bookstore with almost nothing but books on every level, Taipei 101, and a little night market on Wednesday.  Yesterday, I practically trekked across Taipei and did nothing but eat along the way.  Today was a little calmer, and I just wandered through Taipei on my own after lunch with a friend in Ximending.

I also figured you'd like to know how my upcoming plans are looking here in Taipei.  I start class this coming Monday.  Apparently I tested into the second highest level of Chinese, which once again is only grâce à Middlebury.  We'll see what happens in respect to that.  I think my 口语 still has a ways to go, but my reading comprehension and character recognition is rather good since I'm a very visual person.  Hopefully, my roommates will come soon so I can get the immersion factor, and I'm looking into involving myself in various activities to help me meet other Taiwanese people.  I hope to go volunteer with a pet humanitarian service on Sundays since not only will I be able to practice Chinese, but also avoid animal withdrawal syndrome.  (In other words, I love animals and need their companionship to feel complete.  Blame it on my farming relatives' roots.)  Since I'm interested in learning 台语, I will also get my own private tutor for it, and I can begin working on my research since the program director lent me books on Taiwanese and Mandarin.  Apparently, she thinks I'm very academic, but I feel rather the opposite.  Maybe since Grinnell is so academic, I give off the academic vibe.  However, my study habits are honestly a little disgusting and maybe somewhat disturbing.  I don't recommend for people to watch me study.  I'm also hoping to tutor some impoverished children in English Monday nights and go to the high school once a week or so to tutor English for a small sum.  Hopefully, I'll also get a few private English students to tutor so that I can network some more through them, or at least help pay for my new lifestyle since I've been rather depleted of cash without having a summer job and all the visa expenses.  In addition, I want to practice calligraphy since I think Chinese characters are so fascinating and so beautiful.  I also might sit in on some French classes to keep up with my French.  I might as well add that I'm just going to save the world.  (That was a joke.)  It looks like I'll be really busy, but we'll see how some of these things pan out.  I'm just really interested in getting to know the Taiwanese and making connections with the people here.  I want to make the most of my exchange.

I'm still not sure what to make of being a foreigner here in Taiwan.  Most people instantly assume I'm incapable of anything but English.  For example, once when I was out on a morning jog, these men greeted me in English and I responded, "我听不懂英文." I pretty much embarrassed them, but the stereotype that every Western looking person must speak English bothers me.  Stereotypes bother me in general.  Sometimes, I'm totally ignored because of the way I look.  For example, when a person passes out advertisements, they skip me.  However, there are other times where I attract a lot of attention.  A lot of people express the sentiment that I'm really cute, which makes me uncomfortable since I'm not used to people complimenting my appearance.  However, I just figure these are things that I'll get used to, and the best way to conquer their stereotypes is to prove that I am able to communicate with them in their language.  It makes me wonder, though, just how crappy some of the Westerners who come here for whatever purpose must present themselves to the Taiwanese.  (And no, please don't take this as some sign of distress.  I'm really very happy here.  I'm just expressing a sentiment I've gotten from being here.)

Let's see...   One of my most wonderful epiphanies was how to use my universal charger.  I know that sounds strange, but I have been with limited cell phone use because I couldn't figure out how to work it, and the box didn't include instructions on how to use.  Well, that's where the Internet comes in handy, and let me tell you, my charger is sweet!  No joke.  When it's charging, it looks like a Christmas decoration, changing from blue to green to red to yellow.  However, I wouldn't say it was very idiot-friendly unfortunately.  Hopefully no one here is trying to reach me at the moment.  Anyways, I know feel really pathetic for going on about that, but you must understand how frustrating it is to have a cell phone on low battery for several days, and be without any sense of time since I rely on it as a watch.  I know I could get a watch, but I have my reasons for stubbornly refusing.  I'll remain stubbornly opposed to buying one for the time being thank you very much.

One thing I have found difficult is getting my hands on a non-creamed, non-sweetened cup of coffee.  So, when I was in Taipei 101, I got super excited to find a place other than Starbucks--er, I don't particularly like Starbucks honestly speaking--that served it.  (And I know there are other coffee places too, but I'm not about to spend a fortune on my bad habit.)  I'm such an addict.  Tsk. Tsk. However, it's been hard to go from my usual at least three cups a day to almost zero since I don't overly like sugared coffee.  I suppose it could be worse.  However, I've gotten very into a lot of the tea drinks around here.  Bubble tea and milk tea are actually pretty good.  

I'm also glad that I can now choose to go to the vegetarian restaurants now because I feel more comfortable eating their dishes than any other restaurants' since in my mind it's not 100% guaranteed to be 素的.  Actually, my vegetarianism has helped me bond with one of the coordinators of CIEE.  She's going to help me get apply to volunteer with the pets and audit a French class.  I can't believe how excited I am for school.  I love studying in a sick way despite the amount of time it takes away from other things like exploring Taipei or other particular habits we won't discuss--though some of you know what I'm talking about.  That's when I have to tell myself there's always the weekend.

Besides, after yesterday, I feel like I've seen so much Taipei.  I wandered from the Mayor's office to Danshui on a scavenger hunt.  Along the way we had to eat various dishes.  I ate so much desert yesterday it's not even funny.  Plus, I wasn't hungry, so I didn't have much of an appetite for anything.  By the time we'd gotten to Danshui, which is a beautiful touristy night market, the idea of eating wasn't anywhere near appetizing.  However, everything was delicious.  Plus, I ate frog eggs!  No, just kidding.  However, there's this drink you can buy with bubble tea-like balls inside it.  It's pretty good.

Anyways, I miss you, and to answer some of your comments, I still haven't had a chance to figure who I've told and who I haven't.  I tagged many of you on Facebook.  I sent some emails.  Sorry to those who might have overlooked it, or I might have accidently overlooked.  I know way too many people to keep track of everything.  Shella, I did take a trip down that way, but there's nothing to report.  I bought Supao for the first time at the 7-11 there.  It reminds me of uncarbonated Sprite.  Though when you were signed in under your friend's name, I thought you were someone else.

Well, I'm off for the time being.

Tea and SOGO

Well, I'm shocked to see so many interested people.  But, I take that as a good thing, and I'm glad to hear from so many of you.  After all, I do want to have an opportunity to communicate with all of you, and as I'd found the last time I was abroad, email is rather irritating.  Then you get issues of 'I'm too busy to read your emails and you write so much.'  (Yeah, I have writer's diarrhea as some of you know all too well.)

Anyways, I've of course been ridiculously busy.  As much as I'm enjoying the orientation period, I can't say I've had much time to catch up on ten weeks worth of lost correspondence.  But that's okay because I have time to slowly catch up on everything and I hope each of you will understand.  In a sense I had no way to contact many of you for nine weeks and then with two days to pack for a year abroad, catching up was a wee bit difficult.

Over the weekend I, of course, had been busy preparing my level placement test, which went rather well.  Some of the questions were a bit beyond my level, but when I'd taken a look at the reading I couldn't help but laugh.  Reading the questions made me feel bad for the lower-level students though because the test asked some rather sneaky little questions that could easily snag any beginner.  By the time I'd reached the grammar part, I couldn't help but mentally bow to my Middlebury teachers.  I knew every one of the grammar points but one.  Makes me happy to know that despite certain misgivings toward Middlebury, it was a summer well spent.  However, I won't know the results however until tomorrow or Thursday.

After that I had lunch at a little restaurant before attending a little lesson on calligraphy.  For anyone not particularly familiar with the art of calligraphy, an artist's method is quite deceiving.  It is not as easy as it looks, and my 永 was only passable.  However, my little excuse was I'd never touched a brush in my life.  Actually though, I had the artist do my Chinese name in calligraphy.  It looks pretty amazing!  In addition, the class gave me a clearer picture of how calligraphy works.  There are several different methods and each attempts to capture different emotions.  Then you must consider some of the more contemporary stuff.  I actually received a free book with a mix of styles.  If we ever meet up in person and I have the book on me, I'd be more than glad to show you.

Later I went off with my group to the East district and explored some of the food and the department stores.  I, of course, went to SOGO.  It was the classier one of the two on the same block.  My Singaporean friends know just what I'm referencing when I talk about SOGO.  Oh dear, I really am pathetic.  Anyways, I checked it out and noticed the change in the way people there dressed.  They wore lots of expensive name-brand clothing whereas many of the Taiwanese I know can't afford to wear some of the stuff I saw there.  Anyways, a good friend of mine and I went off and found the camera section.  It was really quite amusing, and the poor vendor must have thought we were the perfect representation of American girls because we looked at the cameras and bought the same one, which in his mind we did so on impulse.  But, we really got a good deal--along with a ton of free stuff.  Because I'd given my friend the L'Occitane kit, the vendor gave me a pity notebook and pen.  So this means I'll finally be able to upload special pictures and put them on here for you to see.  Anyways, it was good fun conducting a transaction in Chinglish.  I believe both the vendor and my friend and I each learned new vocabulary.

Anyways, I've found that sometimes my vegetarian diet isn't too compatible with group outings and I either have to get something special or just deal with meat.  It's really difficult for me to eat meat too since I haven't eaten it in so long.  I'm thinking after orientation I'll become a regular at the neighborhood vegetarian restaurants.  I love being a regular, and it'll be good practice for my Chinese.  Though honestly speaking, I'm still a little nervous to interact with strangers in Chinese because I'm afraid I won't understand their 国语.

As for today and the tea, I got to go up into the mountains and explore 猫空。It's apparently famous for its tea and trams.  Let me tell you, it was some pretty amazing tea too.  We went through a semi-traditional tea ceremony; however, something about our mannerisms prevents it from being a traditional one in my mind.  We switched around tea and ate processed food.  Not to mention the fact that our tea was made by ourselves so we weren't necessarily overly familiar with the procedure.  All the same, it was a lot of fun.  And I ate the biggest looking chocolate Cheerio-looking things you've ever seen.  No joke.

Once the tea had been drunk, I went with a few friends upstairs to the little gift shop and made friends with an employee.  She was an adorable little woman that tried to explain to us the different types of tea.  She even gave us a chance to sample the mountain's local tea--both strong and weak versions of it.  I really liked the strong, but if you know me well, I enjoy strong tea.

We also had a chance to see some of the biggest spiders you've ever seen in your life.  Well, maybe.  I love how tropical climates have so many large, crazy looking bugs.  Bugs you never imagined could've existed.

Then we went off for a tram ride down the mountain.  On the way we gave the locals a chance to sample our singing-voices.  How lucky they must've felt as they listened to us sing "Ce rêve bleu" (A Whole New World).  It might be a little sad I know that song in French better than in English.  At least my fellow Americans weren't as odd as me and sang it in English.  

Anyways, the trip down the mountainside was beautiful.  The mountainsides are a mix of forest, housing, temples, and tea farms.  It was incredible to see how many people want to take the tram up the mountain too.  Apparently people that wish to go up must wait several hours when I just hopped right on to make my way down to Taipei.

Anyways, that's probably the big excitement of the last few days.  You're obviously free to come as often or as little as you'd like to read my blog, but I can't promise when I will update.  At the moment, since I'm getting the chance to travel around Taipei, I'll do my best to share what I'm up to, but you might not want frequent updates on my weekdays once class starts.  Just imagaine...

September 1st:

I went to class and....

September 2nd:

I went to class and studied some more.  It was...

September 3rd:

I went to class again and...

....

September 21:

I went to class where...

I worry you might yawn with exhaustion and boredom.

Anyways, tomorrow I get to go to the National Palace Museum and see Ancient China's treasures.  Then I might either go to Taipei 101 or the monastery.

Taiwanland

For better or for worse, I have arrived in Taiwan.  And this shall be my field blog.  I don't know if any of you got that, but I'm an Anthropology student.  Hopefully, I needn't elaborate any further.  Besides, you all know I have a particular sense of humor.  

Let me first off apologize to those who I had not contacted before I left the States.  I got home from Middlebury with about two days to pack and take care of business before I had to be on that plane again and once again head westwards.  Anyways, from here on out, there isn't any language pledge to prevent me from communicating with you, so feel free to contact me.  I'm mostly planning on using Skype and MSN.  And for those of you who know me well, I'm always on MSN.  Well, usually.  But nonetheless it's a convenient means for contacting me.

Anyways, I'm sure you're not too interested in what I might have done in my last days, but for those who are curious, I did cram in as much pie and cheesecake as possible.

As I left, I have to admit I was extremely nervous.  Extremely nervous.  I'd never before been in Asia, and I know that despite Taiwan's certain Western characteristics, things are different here.  More so than going from the US to France.  But, as I boarded the plane from San Francisco to Taipei, I found myself next to two wonderful women that were very helpful to me.  We spent a lot of time chatting about the US.  And let me tell you, did my Middlebury Chinese come in handy there.  They also told me it wasn't a good idea to stay near the airport and helped me get to a youth hostel and call a cab.  I have no idea what I would've otherwise done.  I probably would've spent time wandering around the airport like a lost sheep and too stubborn to ask for help.

When I got to the youth hostel, I had to lug three bags up three flights of stairs, and not only did I curse myself for bringing so much (although my past experience was I didn't have enough) but the landlady began to tease me for the amount I'd brought.  But, I also know that finding hair products for my hair here was not going to happen since my hair is so different.  There are just a few things that you can't really buy in Taiwan.

After I'd settled into my tiny little room, I decided that despite twenty-one hours worth of travel I still wanted to explore.  So, off I went on my own in Zhongshan.  I was the only foreigner walking around there at the time, and many people began to stare at me curiously.  Eventually I'd gotten lost in Zhongshan, but I pulled out my map and made it back.

The next morning I took a cab to Zhengda, where I'll be living for the duration of the year.  It's a beautiful campus at the base of a mountain.  Being the Grinnellian I am, I of course find this campus huge and I still get lost.  In addition, Zhengda is one of Taiwan's best universities and is known for its social sciences and business programs.  

I live in a dorm though I found out I could get an apartment next semester.  However, I find the dorms to work just fine for me.  Before arriving, I'd been told I'd experience culture shock from the dorm situation.  However, the biggest difference is the style of the bathroom and squat toilets are kind of amusing to me.  Also, they don't do co-ed dorms.  Boys and girls can only be at the other dorms during visiting hours.  Although I still don't know my roommates for this next semester, I've  been staying with three summer students.  They're all teachers from the south of Taiwan.  I'm assuming I won't meet my other roommates until the summer students have left.  So far only one of my roommates has left since she has to be back to teach this week.

The other big thing I've discovered is you want to bring toilet paper with you.  Bathrooms don't necessarily supply toilet paper for you.  

All the same, I'm rather smitten with Taiwan.  I can feel myself going through similar feelings from when I was in France.  When I'd first arrived, everything was wonderful and the thought of leaving tears my heart up.  So, I suppose the worst waves of culture shock are yet to come.  However, having spent time abroad has me more prepared for some of the psychological effects to expect this coming year.

So far, I've found everyone to be really nice to me; however, because I'm very obviously a foreigner, people seem hesitant to approach me or talk to me since they don't think I can communicate with them.  Or else, they automatically assume I speak English and try to talk to me in English.  I do, however, admit that I am struggling to switch to 国语 since I've learned so many 大路 expressions.  Despite understanding half of what I watch in a Taiwanese drama, I'm still not used to the Taiwanese accent either.

Anyways, I've met my ambassadors and program director.  They've taken me and the rest of my group to see so many wonderful sites and eat so many wonderful foods.  Since this month is ghost month, we visited a beautiful Buddhist temple and were told to observe the people around us.  There were so many people there chanting or burning incense.  And though I messed it up out of confusion, you visit different points of the temple and bow before placing an incense stick in each of the different holders.  You also must enter the temple from the right and exit from the left according to my program director.

In addition, I've gone shopping and karaoking.  I found a used cell phone for about a NT$1000.  Also, you're required to buy a mattress for the bed, but the mattress is more like a pallet.  Luckily everything has been rather cheap.  If I want Western brands and products, however, I understand the price goes up quite a bit.  As for the karaoking, I'll leave that to your imagination.  But, Asian-style karaoke is way better than American-style karaoke.  You get a little room and with your group, go in and sing whatever you please.  

Next week, I'll be visiting Taipei 101, the National Palace Museum and the nightmarkets (although I came across a small one in Zhongshan already).  I think we might also visit a tea plantation.  I understand we're right next to a famous tea plantation, and you know me, I love tea!  I'm also extremely excited to go to the National Palace Museum.  As some might know, going to the Forbidden city, you won't see more than the architecture because the Nationalists had fled with its art to Taiwan.  All of this art is now in the National Palace Museum.

Anyways, I know this was a sloppy entry.  I just wanted to write something quick for you.  I'll try to put more effort into my next update.  But, how do you cram a week's worth of new experiences into a short entry without cutting so much out?  If I'd had internet sooner, I would've given you a little more detail.

Anyways, until next time my friends.