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Published: June 20th 2007
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Chinese class
Left to right: Will, me, the teacher, Jennifer Tuesday/Wednesday, June 20/21, 2007.
Most of the photos were taken over a two day period. I can't remember exactly which were from which day so I've lumped them all together to show what Taichung is like.
Wednesday-Back to class. I started the day by joining Jennifer and Will for their Chinese lesson at the university. There are 3 other students in the class, which makes it great for personalized attention... and do they need it (just kidding guys). They go two hours a day, five days a week. It was interesting to see everyone struggle with a language that is so foreign to English. But they all put in a valiant effort. I heard later that I missed the best part when one of the other students wasn't as prepared as she should have been, getting the silent treatment from the teacher. Darn! All in all though it looked like a fun class. Maybe fun isn't the right word.
When I left the class, I took the bus down to Taichung train station to try to arrange a tour bus to see some Taiwan sights. Unfortunately, it didn't work out the way I planned. So I had to
make my own way, finding the right bus, and making the right connections. More in my next blog.
During the two days, I wondered around taking in the sights. I've included the pictures here. One of the photos is of a common feature found in Taiwan- the squat toilet. I don't think it needs much explanation. And the basket? I'll leave that up to your imagination. I left that photo for last. Don't want to gross you out right away.
Weather-wise, it's hot, damn hot! And it's not a dry heat. Asia is notorious for its humidity. At least the sun is shining. For the last two weeks, it's been raining.
Some things of note:
Taiwan is a great example of what I think of when I think of a Liberatian society. Just about anything goes here. For example, the small shops apparently own the sidewalks in front of them, so the sidewalks are all a little different. Unfortunately, that sometimes means a drop of a foot from one section to the next. I had more than one jolt casually walking along. You've got to watch where you're walking.
Also, Taiwam doesn't seem to have traffic
Starbucks in Taichung
Gotta love globalization. What would I do without a Java Chip Frappacino? laws, rather they believe in traffic guidelines. Like most of the time (in the states) you'd go only one way on a one-way street, basically the direction of the arrow. But not here. If you get disoriented (I won't mention any names but I didn't drive while I was there), it's OK. Even though other cars are coming, the "right" way, and the road is very narrow, the drivers don't seem to mind. No road rage here. And just about anything goes. I guess that's why the sidewalk IS the parking lot. Of course, if all those scooters, and there's thousands of them, were cars, traffic would be unbelievable.
Enjoy the pics. My next blog will be about the sights outside the city.
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S Fred
non-member comment
Wow!
Hey Paul! Pretty Cool! Keep the advenntures coming!-Steve