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Published: August 5th 2007
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Views from the Plane
Rocky Mountains, maybe? Well, it took 21 hours of flying, not stop if you don’t count the 20 minute layover between flights, but I’m here. During the stop in San Fran, we (Ryan, Graeme and I) met up with this saint of a woman. I don’t think it’s coincidental we met up. Not only was she traveling back to her home town (Taichung, where we were going) but she also used to teach at the college we currently attend. I like to think of her as a mother duck-She was the first person we made contact with, and she led us around until we got to Taichung. Without her, we’d probably still be at the airport figuring out which bus to take. When we got to Taichung, she called her nephew who ferried us around to dinner and then to our hotel. It was the best thing we ever could have hoped for.
We moved into DongHai University today. The rooms are very small and have 4 people to a room, yet it doesn’t seem too crowded. It is very hot here. I’ve quickly discovered that I don’t have to worry about being sweaty, because everyone else is, too.
The people here
Views from the Plane II
Rocky Mountains, maybe? are very nice-I’ve learned that if someone offers their help, refusing help seems to be insulting. My roommates are especially nice (though they move out in a couple days after final exams). They’ve taken extra care to make sure I’m never alone, have help when I need it, and always let me know where they are going in case I will need their help.
It’s an interesting experience being a minority now. I wouldn’t say bad, because everyone in Taiwan is so nice, but it’s definitely different. People just like to look at the white person as they go by, which is fine. After meeting so many exchange students at my own school, I now know what they feel like. When I first got here, girls were coming by the room and giggling and shyly saying hello and just kind of observing. Everyone wanted to know where I came from and how old I was. Aside from that, I think the first biggest culture shock I got here was the squat toilet. I’d heard rumors that they existed, but I was taken aback as I stumbled upon one while in my jet-lagged haze.
The school packet was not kidding when
Flight to San Fran
Circle crops. Lots of these. they claimed that the girls’ dormitories were surrounded by 6 foot walls topped with shards of glass and barbed wire. Each room also has a club-like the ones policeman carry around. I thought it was very funny and somewhat worrying, but my roommates assure me they’ve never used it.
It’s amazing how much my Chinese comprehension has changed just in the last 24 hours. Being in an immersion situation definitely motivates you to pick out key phrases more. I’ve also been speaking more Chinese than I ever did at school. That said, though, I haven’t been communicating purely in Chinese-Especially with my roommates, we’ve been using a bastardized version of Chinese and English-Chinglish, I guess. With their limited English skills and my limited Chinese skills, we somehow manage to meet somewhere in between.
The reason I can write such a long entry is because it’s the first night here and I don’t have anything to do-and I can’t get in touch with Ryan or Graeme. We haven’t quite got a system of communication yet because apparently we don’t get internet in our rooms until July 1st, when all the regular students are gone and the summer students are all here
Bus from Airport to Taichung
A high class bus for a low price. We like this. and we’ve moved into our permanent rooms.
The amount of cicadas (at least I think that’s what they are) is ridiculous. There is very loud humming EVERYWHERE. There are also quite a few cats and dogs that seem to just wander around the campus. I even saw a couple coming out of buildings.
Classes start tomorrow. I’m a little nervous, as I don’t know that much Chinese and there’s absolutely no English in the classroom-which makes perfect sense.
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Bri
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:D That sounds so cool. Taipei is closer to the equator right? Is it humid hot? hehe That sounds ick. You should talk about the food.