About Me
About Merandom thoughts of taiwan.
driving. when I look at people driving in taiwan, I'm reminded of the wild west in movies. there's this general lawlessness of lines and rules. since there's a massive amount of scooters/motorcycles that don't follow the rules too, U need to avoid them. that also causes U to cross whatever line U use. but whatever the case, U just need to be mindful of UR surroundings. honking UR horn in the states, I would have to say is more like "U friggin idiot UR in my way." in taiwan it's more of a, "hey I'm here, just letting U kno." don't get me wrong it still can mean what it means in the states.
polarized. I love my polarized sunglasses. not only do they help block out the sun, they make things even darker by removing lots of glare, reducing even more amounts of light, so the color donesn't have to be as dark to do the same job. being in taipei, I did notice that when I put them on, there's this rainbow effect. I saw it on cars, helmets, scooters, even someone's hair. I never seen that sort of thing in the states. I have no idea what that sheen on everything is.
election propoganda. saturday is an election. originally I was going to leave that day, but my mom thought it would be too busy for everyone to drive me to the airport and they would have to entertain me for a few days longer. so I decided to come early and spend thanksgiving with my girlfriend, then she broke up with me... moving on!! everyone's gearing up for election time!! it's a little funny seeing a car with a giant megaphone telling you to vote for someone. I swer they're trying to brainwash me or something. it reminds me of what happened in world war II, where an enemy would Use a megaphone and say things to demoralize you.
time feels different in the country. I don't kno if it's because my aunts and uncle aren't working, there's nothing to really do, or I was taken to a time warp. but time out in the country feels slower. I like that pace. I was very relaxing, expecially since I get in manic moods when I'm rushing to get something done. no pressure, no deadline, no countdown. UR just here.
business/homes. I've noticed that lots of people's shops are their homes. if U walk in the back of the building, there's a bathroom where U can shower. it's not a built in shower. how bathrooms are in taiwan, there's a drain in the floor, so essentially U can get the whole bathroom wet, it'll just go down that drain. so it's as easy as attatching something to the foucet, have it's own spout, with a removable showerhead holder attached to the wall. whatever the case, it's easy to turn most of the bathrooms to have a shower. many places have a second floor where they would live. it's more in the countryside than in the bigger cities.
wah bu yiaw!! I saw a little girl I would put her around 8 and her grandparents while I was in a restaurant. apparently she didn't want to eat at that restaurant. and throwing a hissy fit. she kept on saying "wah bu yiaw" and crying. her grandmother was talking to her fairly calmly, telling her to just eat here. this is where I would let her cry, and be like... well we're eating here, U don't have to eat, but if UR hungry later, we're not going anywhere else. yes, I believe kids should be kids, but kids need to learn to make the best of a situation early, so when they're faced with tough situations later, they can manage. my kids will SOOOOO hate me. I hope they'll appriciate me later on in life. I feel like I'm like that.
sanitary food. in the states, restaurants HAVE to meet certain sanitary conditions. sometimes I don't belive it's true in taiwan. I've seen restaurants where the concrete floor is black/grey, fans have a layer of dust on them, tables have some stickyness to them. for some reason, those places seem to have the BEST food!!
bugs. mosquitoes: 50. me: 5. I think they won. I only managed to kill a handful of mosquitoes. I'm scracthing my arm and all I feel are bumps. it's like I have chicken pox!!