Ticking Along

We've just had a 4 day weekend, for the moon festival. Not quite sure why this is such a big deal, but was fully willing to embrace the holiday! Unfortunately, Taiwan is very big on being a slave to your job, so to make up for the sinfulness of having a long weekend, EVERYONE has to work this Saturday. What a gyp.

Anyway, I'm fine. Work is work - the new girl threw up all over herself, and screamed all day. Delightful.

My suitcase has finally arrived! I'd really really missed all that stuff, most of which I had forgotten I'd packed. Sanchia and Alex like my quilt, so that's nice. I am resisting the urge to promise to make them their own. They're plying me with wine. It won't work! It won't work!

1 Month

It's my 1 month anniverary of arriving in Taiwan. It's gone pretty fast I think. Except for getting my ID, getting paid, and getting furniture. That's all been bloody torturously slow.

Typhoon

Hee hee! Typhoon holidays are fine by me. A whole day off, just because it's raining a little tiny bit? Not even up to Wellington standards, but who am I to judge? Obviously the people here think this weather is SO FRIGHTENING...

I have spent all day watching TV shows downloaded off the net and drinking. When is the Monsoon Season, exactly?

My Kids

Here they are. Aren't they cute? We are wearing crowns because we were learning about the letter C. It's a slow process...

Smore Photos

This is my "kitchen" from the front door.

















This is from the kitchen, looking back at the front door.













View to the South-West from the roof of my building. You can kind of see Taipei 101 in the distance.












View to the North.















View to the East.

Huddled Masses

Taipei is in the grips of a typhoon apparently. I would call it "day in Wellington on which one might want an umbrella". Yep, it's not even windy enough to rule out a brolly. However, I am giving them the benefit of the doubt that it might pick up tomorrow.

Funny though - I packed a bag and trekked into town to stay with Sanchia, and there is NOBODY on the streets except for people with bags who are obviously going to stay elsewhere as well. Anyway, will keep you posted.

Taiwan Moments...

Yesterday, I went to buy a fridge from this big "everything" sort of store - kind of like Briscoes or the Warehouse, only you can buy groceries too. Anyway, I got myself sorted and then tried to leave. The freaking exit signs, as far as I could tell, just pointed back on each other. Finally I made it out, only to walk straight into the middle of a wedding reception!!

So bizarre. Who the hell gets married next door to the Warehouse?

Piccies

My room. From my bed, looking towards the stairs and my weird little bathroom.


This is the FIRE HOSE in my bedroom. Yes, you read correctly...



View from David and Alex's apartment, which I think is looking at one of the universities.



Take note boys - this is the key to reproductive success.


We saw this at a museum. It's a display explaining how they reproduced a cast of an early Taiwanese native from a skeleton. What the hell they were thinking with the last installation, I have no idea.

Oh Puter, I Love You

My laptop is so awesome. Thanks to James. Without James it would suck. But he's set it up perfectly, downloaded something super-cool that means I never ever see ads on the net EVER, found some swishy programme that lets me transfer files from my ipod to itunes without having to have the CDs, and secretly I may or may not also have rather a lot of unnamed TV shows to keep me entertained, all ready to go. Hooray!

The Kids

Yeah, ok they are cute and all. But WHY would anyone want one? If you have a 3 year old, you should know that they talk when they're peeing by turning their whole body around and peeing all over the floor. And they don't wipe. And they DO wipe their noses, but only on their clothes. They think nothing of sneezing on each other's toothbrushes. And their fingers are only on the ends of their hands in order to dig around in their noses.

Exploring

I went and checked out the roof of my building last night. It was nice to be outside, and I can see for miles around. Note to anyone who plans to visit me - it's always always nice and warm here. You won't even need a cardie.

Scooter Tales II

Yesterday I took my life into my hands and rode a scooter into the city with my neighbour Rachel. It was terrifying, and I have hurt my hands by gripping too tight to the back handle. No way am I doing that again. People are nuts on the roads here - it's not so much a transportation aid, as a bumper-car track. There seem to be road rules, but nobody obeys them.

Scooter Tales

I saw this guy the other day, on a scooter, on the MOTORWAY, with one hand on the accelerator and the other arm around a teeny tiny baby. Like, about 3 months old. I was appalled.

The kitchen has a life of its own...

I bought a kettle. It was cheap, and it is rather alarming! I try to keep out of its way when it is almost boiled...

Last night I decided to clean my kitchen before putting away my meagre groceries. I unscrewed the little extractor fan thingees over the gas elements, and to my horror, both were holding about half an inch of sticky grease, and one had a dead cockroach preserved in it. It took me 2 hours of hot water and soap to get them even vaguely clean, and I had to throw out the sponge. EWWWWWWWWWW!

Then I juiced up my ipod and warmed up the place with a couple of hours of truly atrocious dancing and singing.

My Birthday

Hey everyone - thanks for remembering my birthday yesterday! And without my 90 day countdown too...

I had a pretty good day - a bit of work, a nap, and then I went out for dinner with Alex and David, Alex and James, Sanchia and Cueba. We had Mexican, believe it or not. Got some awesome presents as well.

Today at school we have the combined birthday party for September, so I believe I get cake and coffee. Sounds GOOOOOOOD...

First Day

So, I survived my first day of classes by myself. Man, I sucked. I can't dance for shit, nobody knows or cares about my extollations of the letter A, and my Chinese Teacher informed me that I don't get the teacher's chair any more, I have to sit on the floor.

I told on her and got it back by lunch time. In your face!!

I should have worked my way around the world as a sandwich board freak. I'm way more qualified for it.

The weather is nasty

Take an umbrella out today folks, because the flying pigs might shit on your head.

It turns out that I cannot hold my drink in Taiwan! Apparently it's something to do with the heat and how much more dehydrated you get. I had 4 drinks on Friday night and it's been years since I felt so bloody awful the next morning.

I am going to have to be a 1-beer loser.

Abode

Huzzah! I am no longer homeless. I sign a lease on Tuesday for my very own teeny weeny flat in Nei Hu, which is kind of North-East of the city centre and over the river, and a 10 minute walk from work. You guys should see this place. It's miniscule, and the ceilings are only about 6 inches above my head. I have a little kitchen, a living room that will only take 1 couch I should think, and a downstairs bedroom with an en suite where you have to take the loo paper out to have a shower because it's basically over the toilet.

There are all sorts of built in cabinets though, and beautiful wooden floors, and it comes with a bed. One of the other teachers lives 2 doors along on the same floor, and it's on a quiet little street that really reminded me of Italy. I am so excited!!!

And I'll be able to move in the day before my birthday. Perfect.

What do you do at night?

I had my first classling yesterday. Just for 20 minutes. I was supposed to introduce them to the concept of night and day. Didn't go brilliantly I have to say - I got a lot of solemn and blank little faces! Until I pretended to be a sleeping bear getting into bed, with bear snoring. That was a huge hit...

Nobody wet their pants, but someone did throw up. Sigh. It was pink and foamy and he also managed to stand in it.