Travel & Discovery
These past two weeks have been a fantastic experience, full of lessons learned and memories that will definitely last a lifetime. Over the next several posts, I plan to recap what happened over the two-week Chinese New Year vacation.
Day 1-3: Outer Taipei.
Day 4: Visa Troubles.
Day 5: Hong Kong in a Day.
Day 6-7: Central Taiwan
Day 8-9: Southern Taiwan
Day 10-12: Kenting
I can’t believe it’s already been a month since I’ve been in Taiwan! I realized that my past posts really haven’t been about my life in Taipei. So to update in brief:
Housing. I was surprised by how fierce and quick competition can be to get a place here in Taipei. I was lucky to find a place that’s only a 15 min walk to classes, 5 minutes to the MRT and to a huge park, and within walking distance to friends’ apartments. I live in a 4bd/2br apt on the 7th floor, and can see Taipei 101 from my bedroom. I live with three 20-somethings that all speak Chinese (and English). Our schedules don’t really overlap, so I don’t get to see them much, but whenever they are around, you can bet I am practicing my Chinese! So glad that my living situation worked out the way I had hoped for.
Social. It’s been only a month, but I’ve met countless people from all over the world though mainly from EUR, AUS, and NZ and some from JP and the States. It’s such an amazing thing to be able to learn about everyone’s background, goals, etc whether during meals, sports (already played some soccer while here), sightseeing, or a night out on the town!
School. The purpose of why I’m here. Homework is intense, but definitely manageable. I’m getting more comfortable using Chinese on a day-to-day basis, and I know my tones are getting crisper. The no-pressure feeling to succeed also helps ease the stress.
Happy Belated Thanksgiving Everyone!
When I was considering vacationing in Taiwan over the holidays, I worried a little that I’d be missing out on everything back home. But, life is what you make of it right?
I began Thanksgiving Day with no plans; but, since the weather was great, I decided to go hiking at Yangmingshan National Park – about an hour or so out of Taipei by public transport. After reaching the base of the mountain, I panicked a little while trying to figure out my bearings. Luckily, I met three other Americans who were also on their way to the top.
All three were teaching English in Taipei, and one of them actually also randomly joined the pair that same day as they were on the same bus. I ended up joining their little group and we began our trek. We found out that the National Park has a shuttle service that takes visitors to the base of various mountains. We caught one of them for Qixingshan – the tallest peak in Taipei. The trail was about 1.6km of straight vertical the whole way. On our way up, we passed these sulfur pits that smelled nasty like rotten eggs. It was as if the Earth was farting.
Throughout the hike the wind would just not stop. I felt so alive, trying to hike up that mountain with the wind howling. It took probably an hour or so until we finally made it. The view was absolutely stunning! Looking west, I could see Taipei; to the east, I could see Keelung and the Pacific Ocean.
Being atop of the peak felt great. After some time taking it all in, we decided to have an impromptu thanksgiving “lunch” atop the peak eating our snacks that we brought along. I had this triangle-shaped rice+chicken aka musubi for my snack. Afterwards we returned to Taipei, parting our ways.
The Thanksgiving Day festivities continued back at the hostel. The staff bought 2kg of sweet potato fries and duck. There were probably more than 15 of us that night at Eight Elephants just chilling and hanging out. Great times. Afterwards, the fun continued at the Roxy Rocker, a nearby bar that a lot of expats visit.
Despite these memorable experiences, I do wish I were still back in The States celebrating the holidays with familiar faces! It’s just not the same; no turkey, no pie. There’s something uniquely American about the holiday season, specifically Thanksgiving, that just feels weird celebrating it in another country. Until next year!
I did it! I can’t believe I’m actually here! After deplaning, I picked up my luggage, exchanged my money, and headed out to catch the bus to the city. During the hourlong bus ride, I made several first impressions about my new home:
After getting to Taipei Main Station, I made my way through the maze of this massive building for my metro. Although carrying my luggage with me was an inconvenience, I managed to find the train, bought my EasyCard, and hopped on. Three stops later I arrived at Guting station, found my hostel, and checked-in.
I’m staying at Eight Elephants Hostel for a week. I’m in a single, but besides the room itself, everything else is shared. This place has a real homey vibe to it! I’ve already met a bunch of people: some on holiday, some students like myself. My only plan for this week is to find housing, and perhaps a job teaching English. Besides that, I’m really just going to play it by ear and go with the flow – I love this feeling.