Twenty-Something Friends

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When I stayed at my friend Emily's and everyone was still sleeping at noon, I realized that I missed hanging out with people my age 😊 Since Emily has introduced me to a few people, my social life is growing. Two weekends ago, we all went to a movie, played pool, & bowled. After a few weeks of wandering around Tainan by myself, the socialization was very welcomed! It also helped that everyone spoke English 😊

Emily introduced me to her friends Brent & Tammy (a couple.) Brent is from Canada, and Tammy is from Taiwan. Tammy is in graduate school for English Literature, so I offered to help her with her papers. In exchange, she'll teach me some Chinese! Last weekend Tammy & Brent invited me to go dancing with them. Brent came to pick me up because I have yet to buy a scooter, and we all hung out at his apartment. As we sat drinking wine (Brent drinking beer,) they taught me a lot about the Chinese language. I only learned a couple of phrases, but it helped to learn about the tones of the language and how Brent was able to learn. I must admit, I was pretty excited to be able to say, "I want an iced coffee" in Chinese 😊 We had a lot of fun dancing for about 4 hours. My feet were killing me after we walked back to Brent's place! Luckily, they made me a little bed so I could stay there with them. The next "morning," we all lazily woke up in the late afternoon, and Brent made french toast. I felt like I was at a fabulous bed & breakfast :-)

So, after only a month, I feel as if I am settling in here in Tainan. My boyfriend and I have "dates" over the internet. Thanks to technology, we can even see each other on webcams! Also, I am acclimated to my neighborhood - cheap food, internet, coffee, and stores. Oh, and I joined a gym! The people here continually surprise me with their friendliness. Even the Westerners seem nicer here! Everyone is traveling, ready to experience meeting new people and seeing new places. Yes, I have decided that I am exactly where I need to be :-)

P.S. This does not even touch on teaching! I will post a blog ASAP about the first 2 weeks of teaching. I'm sorry - I've been sooo busy!

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Photos

New friends
Emily, Kirk, me & Tammy

The women
Tammy, me, Julia, & Emily

The boys
Brent, Ryan & Kirk

Mike, the ladies man :)
Mike with Emily, Tammy, Julia & me

Dancing at the Orient
Tammy, Julia & me during a long night of dancing

Monkey girls :)
Yes, Tammy's nickname is "monkey girl" too :)

Comments

[Marianne]

looks like fun!!

[Dad]

Where's the work?
This looks like Crazy Gringo's to me. Where's Becca?

[Alison Belle]

HAHA, funny, Daddy!
Yes, I actually think "The Orient" is a little crazier than Gringos, but it's very different. Becca would LOVE it here though! ;)