But after a less that stellar landing in Taipei, and a long drive to Taichung, it was official. I was "home". One of the Chinese teachers showed me to my apartment. And then there I was...by myself...half a world away from home. I didn't know how to read the Chinese to turn on the air conditioner, I didn't know how to get drinkable water, I didn't know what to do with toilet paper after I wiped, I didn't know where I was, I didn't know anything. After staring out of my window into a sea of never ending lights for about 3 minutes I went to sleep.
The next morning we went to the hospital to get our health checks. They had to take a vile of blood, which I was really excited about. I bit my lip to keep from passing out. Not fun! The rest of the week we just went thru orientation and training.
I have been here about 5 days now, and the best way to describe it so far is major sensory overload.
Every street has a million flashing lights and signs, with street vendors set up every 5 feet. There are thousands of people swerving in and out of traffic on their scooters. And let me just say, the stereotype about Asians being horrible drivers is 100% spot on! They are literally insane.
The smells are completely foreign. Some are insanely good. Some smell like a combination of sewage, vomit, and burning rubber and are usually drifting from a busy street vendor. I just don't get how people like stinky tofu. Absolutely awful! Another smell I am not to fond of is the smell of exhaust blasting in your face from all of the scooters. Most people wear nose and mouth covers when they are scootin'. Smog is a huge issue here.
The food so far has awesome. Every day it seems I experience a new taste or texture.
Some much better than others, but stinky tofu has been the only truly awful thing so far. And it's crazy, people actually cook the food from scratch at their restaurants. Western chain restaurants should give it a try sometime.
But, BY FAR the best thing about Taiwan is the people. I haven't met a single person that wasn't over the top nice. None of them get angry when I speak English, or worse, attempt to speak Chinese. With all of these new things around me, the people are the only reason I haven't felt overwhelmed yet. I think I am really going to like it here.
So what the hell did I get myself into? Early signs are pointing towards a lot of fun.
Ill try to post some pictures soon. Monday I become a real teacher.
*Sorry if there are typos or it doesn't make sense, I didn't edit it...I aint in college anymore!
