Queer Horse Guard Parade

The title is in reference to a shirt I saw. However, I suppose it fits somewhat with yesterday's events. Taiwanese English t-shirts... I can't figure out what to think of them. They use such strange grammar sometimes and mean absolutely nothing. Sometimes, they also don't understand the connotations of the phrases they use. My theory is, some t-shirts can really only be worn in Taiwan. I shudder to think of what would become of a poor innocent girl wearing a t-shirt that says, "Credit Cards Accepted Here" were she in the US.

Well, it's been a while. I know. I've been busy lately; however, there was nothing of note to tell you about. My days mostly consist of homework, class, homework, sleep, and repeat. I try to save money by not going out too frequently. Although a girl can only sit around so much, and so this weekend I went out quite a bit.

Before I get you too excited over the past couple days' events, I figure I'd give you the lowdown on new developments in my everyday life. It always seems like something new is changing. Anyways, it looks like I'm going to be in French club, some service clubs, and yoga! Along with that, I teach English as a volunteer for poor kids in the area. It looks like we'll be breaking up the class of kids, and so I'm hoping to have the older kids. Older kids tend to like me better than younger ones, so I'm hoping that'll work out. I've also been studying some Taiwanese, and I'm currently thinking about what to do my big paper next year on. I might continue with Taiwanese for my research project, but I feel that Hakka is very seldom explored. We'll see.

I think my roommate situation for the semester is finally settled. It's been ridiculously confusing, since when I arrived, I was living with three different teachers. At that time I thought they were permanent, but of course they weren't. The only one that has left no confusion from the start is the Malaysian one. Then a graduate student got confused and began to move into my room. She was really nice to me, so I was sad when I found out she was in the wrong room. However, she told me to come find her so we could hang out some. In her place came an adorable little girl that chatters incessantly. I'm a fan, so it worked out. Then there's the one I referred to as "Mysterious Roommate #3" since I hadn't seen her, but she'd always managed to place things in here and never show her face. When I finally met her, she seemed less than thrilled and a little prickly. However, once we finally got to talking, she seemed pretty chill. I talked to her about my hometown's 'beloved' mayor cum McCain's right hand woman, and now she might think I'm a bit on the insane side. I also didn't know Mysterious Roommate #3's name for several days. All the same, I'm also a fan of Mysterious Roommate #3.

Actually lately, I feel there are too many weird coincidences in my life. I credit the atmosphere.

I know...

Maybe Taiwan's magical! I mean, the big typhoon that hit here when there was a big one back in Houston at the same time and Sarah Palin. Meeting a friend's boyfriend last night who happened to be at the same bar I was the night before.

Now, come on. I'm just playing around here. And we all know that my mind is awfully random. (Well, if you didn't, then I suppose you do now. Cat's out of the bag!) I believe it's my dad's biggest frustration when trying to get a story from me. Okay, now then, enough rambling.

About the weekend now. Yes.

Well, I went out Friday by myself to the 师大 area to explore. I wanted to leave campus and Shida was small enough I wouldn't get lost. It was nice. It started to rain. Luckily I had my handy-dandy umbrella in my purse. When I got bored, I took the bus home only to get off in front of a group of friends going to October Fest. By the time we met up with some other pals, October Fest was over, so we decided to go back to Shida and hang out at the bar.

Yes, my luck in meeting creepy guys still reigns. A very young-looking thirty-one year old man decided he had to play cards with me and my friend. Sadly, I've been out of practice for at least six years and don't remember anything more than war. So I taught him war. Now, I don't say he's creepy for being thirty-one or for playing cards. Yet you can't help but question a person who asks you how old you think he is and then announces he's thirty-one. Not only that, but when he persists in flirting with me even though he knows I'm twenty, I'd say that's sign of him seeing me as potential flesh. Unfortunately, I don't think I gave him the right number, and even if he did, I don't think he has any hopes of talking to Sarah.

I find lots of weird men here like to bother me because I'm foreign-looking. It's really quite creepy to have someone on the street come up to you and begin to greet you in English. I had that happen when I went to Ximending the other weekend. I felt like a patrol of weird, middle-aged men had been stalking the area that day.

Anyways, we had a good time at the bar until about three. Then we felt the need to leave, and thus did so.

I'd barely stumbled into bed Saturday morning before I had to get up again and get ready to go to the gay pride parade. A group of four foreign girls (including myself) went off to Taipei's City Hall and began to wander around the boothes of gathering people. My friends and I bought shirts, and drumroll please... I bought a watch! However, it was so cute, and you know how I am where rainbows are concerned. I'm like a magpie, except rainbows and not silver draws me in. It's really sweet. I might even wear it to class so that I don't have to start getting antsy because I want to know what time it is. Then I wouldn't have to come up with creative ways to read other people's watches.

The four of us. (I forgot to mention I cut my hair!)

Lots of people at the parade were excited by us, and took pictures of us. It was actually how we got the chance to join in with the T&G group and march for about thirty minutes. I think the director was a bit aggravated with us but she still let us. I'm sure there's pictures of me and my friends circulating the internet because of the parade if you're too curious. Anyways, I made a friend with one of the girls, so I felt better about myself that day for being so foreign-looking. Despite the rain, all the parade participants were really pumped up. It was fun to see people just in tight spandex underwear or dressed as spirits or school girls or what have you.

Rainbow flag!

Fun characters

Rainbow Vodka

Unfortunately, we reached the East Underground Mall and had to part ways with our new friends in order to get to the Confucious temple. There wasn't much to report on that since I didn't really understand any of the ceremony. Our teacher had only given us information on Confucious's past, but that doesn't prepare us for understanding the actual ceremonial acts. I have pictures. The temple was really pretty. However, the humidty caused several people to fall ill and even faint.

Pretty Confucious Temple

After that, my friend and I went off with another boy in our program and met the guy's boyfriend. Oh my goodness, this Taiwanese boy goes to 台大, speaks like five languages, and his English is almost fluent. I wouldn't say it was so impressive that his English was good if it weren't for the fact he didn't study abroad to learn it. Anyways, he took us to a Cantonese-style restaurant and a bookstore. I also had him show me the all-you-can-eat cake buffet. We went to the really big bookstore next to Taipei 101 and I bought a book on Hakka and a book on Taiwanese. Now the learning can really begin. I mean, other than 金多虾 and a few other basic phrases, I couldn't do much without a textbook. (You see, a friend and I had one of the program directors teach us 五月天's 金多虾.)

Then I went back and chilled some with new cute little roommate. She's so talkative and she had me help her with Spanish. She apparently thinks my Spanish is rather 厉害. The sad thing is my Spanish background is really weird, and most of the reason I can ever do anything with it is that I know French. Even my pronunciation, according to a friend, sounds like a French person's.

Anyways, today is another typhoon day and so I'll probably just chill at home and do homework. I'll bet you're jealous. Admit it.