Pull Out A Map: My First Week in Taiwan

In my previous blog post I said to be adventurous, and that’s how I was feeling when I arrived at Taipei Main Station at 12:30 am last Monday! I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to walk around and explore the area, get the lay of the land, while making my way to the hostel.’ I was brimming with confidence and didn’t think I needed to pull out a map. ‘You’ve seen it so many times, it’s only half a mile. It’ll be easy.’ Of course, I go in exactly the wrong direction. I ended up at least a mile from the hostel with my two cases of luggage dripping sweat like I’d been in a steam room for 20 minutes.

I had to flag down a taxi, and get the hostel’s neighborhood. But after the driver dropped me off, I couldn’t find the place. So I look around for 15 minutes, before I ask this guy who’s cleaning up his restaurant, “Qing wen, er shi qi (Please can I ask you, 27).” He knew I was lost, and took me straight to number 27. I was so thankful. “Xie xie ni.” So my inspiring advice on this blog post is: no matter how confident you are, just pull out a map.

Got lost here.

That was the first of a chain of events that set up a disappointing first week here in Taiwan…just kidding! That really couldn’t be further from the truth. What a week it’s been – a wide range of emotions (a little culture shock, missing friends but ecstatic to be here, etc) and unbelievable sightseeing mixed in with some amazing people and celebrations.

The people I have met so far are kind, open-minded, and always down for a good time. On Friday, we went out to Xinyi District, near Taipei 101, and then again on Saturday to a British/American style pub called On Tap to celebrate July 4^th. Our friend Spencer from Taiwan put on his best American impression and finished second in the watermelon eating competition due to some questionable officiating. Amira, a USC junior from Georgia, and I woke up at 7 am to root on the USWNT versus Germany then on Monday to win the Women’s World Cup against Japan.

July 4th at On Tap

I’ve spent a lot of time this week going out and exploring the city, visiting Taipei 101, Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, Taipei Zoo, and learning the metro system (MRT). Taipei 101, from 2004-2010 the tallest building in the world and listed by CNN as one of top 25 greatest engineering achievements by mankind, makes for an incredible sight both looking up at it and down from the 89^th floor. Definitely one of the coolest places I’ve ever been to.

 

I’ve been able to pack a ton into my first week in Taiwan. It’s a weird feeling because this week has gone by slow when I look at it day by day, but overall, it feels like it’s gone by quite fast. Time “slows down” when you’re processing new information, and I’ve been seeing, tasting, smelling, hearing things I never have before. At a couple moments during the week, I wouldn’t be aware of the time, and my guesses were ahead by 2+ hours. If you’ve ever been in a different culture, you know what I’m talking about. I love learning, exploring, and meeting new people, which is more reason why I chose to move to a different country.

I am loving life in Taipei so far, except for the insane humidity, and I’m looking forward to doing much more! At the top of the list: baseball game, Yilan beach, Confucius temple, Danshui District, and Maokong Mountain.