After returning to 台南 I spent a lot of time at my grandparent’s. It was nice just being able to spend time with family again.

My cousin and her roommate took me out to play and eat whenever they had time. This one place we went to was a used books bookstore. The bookstore was actually a really old house that people converted into a store. That’s something that’s been popular in 台南 recently, converting old buildings into store fronts for a more classic and different feel. They didn’t allow pictures to be taken in the bookstore which is a shame since the decorations and arrangements of books was really interesting and creative. Next to the bookstore is a cafe (i think) with a really narrow door. The cafe is called 窄門 which means…narrow door. You can’t really see how narrow it is in the pictures but the doorway and corridor leading to the inner door was about 2 feet wide. You can see part of the bookstore in the second picture on the right hand side.

Location: Tainan, Taiwan

[Update]

I went back to 台南 the day after I finished with my final presentation and the CIEE goodbye party. I decided to take the 客運 back instead of the 高鐵 because of the cost and also because I had more time to spare this time (and because I was getting poorer as well as getting scolded for spending money T.T). I was SUPER surprised at the cost. It cost me around 200 NT to get from 台北 to 羅東 when I went with my friend so I thought my ticket back to 台南 would cost me at least 400-500 NT. I forget the exact cost but I do remember that when the lady at the counter told me the price (I believe it was still somewhere within 200 NT or even less which is like $6) my mouth almost dropped open. I gladly paid the price though and I remember punching myself inside for not taking the 客運 more. I was really thankful to my 嬸嬸 for taking care of me a lot. She sent me to the 客運站 and even went in before me to ask the counter lady that because I was an international student, if the bus driver could shout out where I was supposed to get off. The thing about 台灣’s 客運 is that although they have official bus stations where they stop, there are also random stops throughout the city where people can be dropped off if they need get off there. My stop was going to be one of those random stops so I guess that was why my 嬸嬸 thought I might not know where to get off. 

The bus ride itself was somewhat uncomfortable. It was kind of packed and I sat at the very back of the bus. Though there was air conditioning, because of the number of people and the unbearable 台灣 heat, it was stuffy inside. “One Piece” was playing on the little TVs but there was no sound and pretty soon, everyone put down their curtains and slept. The ride was going to be a little more than 4 hours long so pretty soon I dozed off too. I remember being in that state of sleep where you are kind of aware of everything around you but you know you’re still sleeping so you don’t really do anything. I do remember thinking that I hoped my mouth wasn’t open when I was sleeping but oh well if it was because I was too tired to do anything about it. Around 4 hours later, I woke up and looked out the window to see that we had arrived in a city. I checked the time and a little less than 4 hours had passed so I thought we had arrived to the final destination. Somehow though, the city I saw outside wasn’t like the 台南 I knew. I soon found out that we had only reached 台中, halfway point only. I guess there was traffic. I remember feeling like crap and my neck hurt from my weird sleeping position. My hair was also messed up but I didn’t care enough to fix it. Hahahaha! We stopped in 台中 long enough for people who wanted to use the bathroom to go and comeback. There was at least 2 more hours before I would reach 台南 but I didn’t sleep anymore. Finally 2.5 hours later we arrived. It was almost dark and the bus driver did indeed yell out my stop but he almost drove off without opening the luggage compartment for me to get my suitcase! 

The bus drove off after I got my luggage but then I realized I had no idea where I was. I thought I would know but the time of day made a difference I guess. I walked around and finally recognized the store my grandpa took me to once to get snacks and I was able to find my way. That was only after I realized I walked a whole circle around when I should have just walked straight. But regardless, I was proud of myself for finding my way by myself and I patted myself on the back.

It was nice to be back in my hometown although it was very very humid and hot. I shall write about my last 2 weeks in Taiwan soon. I also have a ton of videos to upload but alas, my slow internet at home does not allow for me to do so efficiently so I have to wait to get back to Penn State before I can give this blog an official closing.

Location: Tainan, Taiwan

Location: Taipei, Taiwan

It’s hard to believe that I have already been back in the states for a whole week. The last few weeks of my stay in Taiwan went by so quickly but I hardly had any time to ponder over it because of finals and final presentations and papers. It seems like I still wrote blog entries but for some reason didn’t bother to post them. The next few will be a recap on my final weeks in Taiwan with the last being a final goodbye. So…here it goes.

Sunday we went to the forest park of 溪頭. It was really pretty there too but the long hikes to the different sites weren’t particularly welcomed after the 1st hike from Saturday. My shoes were still wet so I had wear flip-flops the whole day. Just a side note, I wouldn’t recommend wearing flip-flops to go hiking. Seems like common sense but when you have no choice and try it yourself…

After 溪頭 we went to 集集火車站. It was a really old train station that used to be an artery for goods and shipments all over Taiwan. I think I went there with my mom and dad when I was really little because I recall seeing pictures of some of the sites at the train station. I shall compare them with my baby pictures when I return home.

After visiting the train station, the tour bus returned back to Taipei. Vacationing with a tour guide sure is tiring.

On Tuesday, my chinese class went to 西門町 to eat hot pot together. It was an all you can eat hot pot place with all you can drink beverages, including Taiwan Beer. That was a first for me to see. It was…almost heaven. Better than any other buffet I’ve ever been to in my life. Words cannot describe how much I love that place. I would totally go there again if I could, but sadly, chances of that are very very slim. Gah…so good.

Tomorrow is the last day of finals and the last day of my Chinese class. I look forward to not waking up every morning before 7 but I will definitely miss all my classmates. Since the class was composed of 11 people, I got to know each person and hear their stories. All of them are so diverse in backgrounds and personalities that each person brings a different taste to class. If any day, a classmate is missing, the class that day has a different feel to it. It seems like a cliche thing to say, but when you have that small of a class, you really get to understand that feeling.

 

Location: Xitou, Taiwan

This past weekend, I went with my aunt on her company vacation. Every year, Taiwanese employers give the company a certain sum of money that the company must use on their employees. Most companies use the money for company vacation in which most or all of the expenses of the employees are already paid for. My aunt’s company decided to go to 溪頭 [xi tou]. We left early Saturday morning and took a small rented tour bus down. There was karaoke and movies on the bus. I was surprised because we watched Thor. That movie recently just came out in Taiwan so I didn’t think it would be out so soon. I think the tour guide PPS-ed it. Hahahahahaha!

We stopped by 紫南宮 on the way to 溪頭. It’s a temple that’s famous for bringing wealth to the people who go there. Those who go can borrow money, around 600 NT (around $18-ish), from the 土地公 to invest in some kind of money making business or investment. When a profit is made with that money, borrowers will repay the sum along with a little offering. Generally, the rule is whether you make a profit or not, you should repay the money within a year. When my aunt’s co-worker went to borrow some money though, she found out that she didn’t repay her debt from about 10 years ago. So she had to repay that debt before taking out another loan.  While we were there, we saw a man who would take sticks and knives and beat himself, drawing blood out. Where his blood fell on the ground, people would spread paper money which would later be burned. I forget what you call the people who do this but basically, they believe that while they’re doing this, they aren’t completely themselves, there’s a spirit or someone else that’s within them so when they get beaten and cut, they aren’t really hurting themselves. It was a little hard to understand but it was something like that.

The place where you can borrow money from the 土地公

After the temple, we visited the 5 Star Restrooms of the area. The building was built to look like bamboo shoots because the area is famous for the bamboo and sweet potatoes. I didn’t think there was anything particularly special about the bathroom besides the architecture and design of the building…and that it was cleaner than most restrooms in Taiwan.

Later that day we went to 竹山天梯. We had to climb a million stairs and climb a billion hills to finally get to the 天梯 which was basically a suspended bridge. It started to rain when we were halfway to the bridge. Though very uncomfortable, the whole trip was an adventure and I like adventures. The view was also a sight to behold. I was unable to capture the beauty of it all on camera but these things are usually best experienced in person anyways. I almost died on the bridge though. It was amazingly slippery on the bridge so I almost fell twice. I’m surprised people were still allowed to go out with such bad weather but I’m glad I did.

That night we stayed at 米提大飯店, a 5 star hotel in Taiwan. The moment we pulled up in front of it, it felt so familiar to me though I was sure that I never stayed there before. It looked a lot like the hotel in a drama I recently watched called “幸福最晴天.” I wasn’t sure the whole time I stayed there even though the feeling kept getting stronger and stronger. I finally confirmed it when I came home Sunday and checked online. So if you ever watch the drama, well, I was there. 🙂

Location: Xitou, Taiwan

This past weekend I went to 美麗華百樂園 (Miramar Entertainment Park). It’s a mall in in Taipei that has a ferris wheel on the roof. I believe it was a film site for “Why Why Love” among some other Asian dramas. Call me a nerd but I actually was super psyched to see this place. It was cool for me to walk around and be like, “Oh yeah, I remember seeing this in this scene.” And why wouldn’t I be excited to see a giant ferris wheel attached to a shopping mall? The ride on the ferris wheel was kind of pricey, 150 NT for a 20 minute or so ride but I really enjoyed it. I felt really content that day even though I got attacked by an army of mosquitoes while sitting outside Starbucks that evening.

It’s been raining for the past couple days now. Yesterday after class, the rain got steadily harder and harder as I walked down the hill toward the girls’ dorms When you mix heavy rain with wind, the umbrella becomes almost useless…at least your head still stays relatively dry. I met a little friend on the way…

I hope to make a “Day in the Life of Melody in Taiwan” soon, complete with pictures and hopefully videos soon. I’ve been meaning to do it for a while now but I keep forgetting to utilize the camera. 

Location: Taipei, Taiwan

The culture here still blows my mind sometimes. I mentioned before that it is culturally ok for people to take your laundry out when the washing machine stops so that they can wash their clothes. It would actually be rude of you to not leave your laundry basket there for them to take your clothes out for you if you’re not there in time to do it yourself. Last week when I had to do laundry, I had to take a girl’s laundry out since there were no other washing machines available. I waited a minute or so before starting to take the clothes out. In the middle of doing that, she came in and actually apologized to me while I was apologizing to her. It was crazy for me. This kind of behavior doesn’t stop there, whenever I get on the school buses, the bus drivers will always say thank you to each person as they are getting off the bus as if you did them a special favor or something by riding on the bus they drove. When I take my trash out whenever the garbage truck comes, the workers say thank you. I guess it kind of makes sense somewhat because you’re supporting their business but this kind of people treatment isn’t what I see and am used to in the US. It makes me wonder how the world would be different if we were more polite to one another and in tune to the different cultures around the world. 

Location: Taipei, Taiwan

Today, right after class, one of my friends and I went to 羅東, a city close to 台北. I didn’t know what to expect at all and just trusted completely in my friend to take me wherever. It was after we got to the bus station that I realized she didn’t really have a plan either and wasn’t TOTALLY sure how to get to the destination as well. Hearing that made me nervous but she said that she liked this kind of vacation, not really knowing what to expect and just go with the flow. It kind of intrigued me since I usually like to have plans. Anyways, we boarded the 客運, which is sort of like the greyhound but nicer, as pictured. I fell in and out of sleep during the hour there. Finally when we got to 羅東 and got off the bus, we saw this:

That was pretty much it, with a train station to our right. I thought it was so funny because we both didn’t know what to do. We decided to check for info at the train station and blah blah blah…decided to go to the National Center for Traditional Arts. Our bus driver was so nice to us and kept telling us to remember to not miss the last bus or else we’re screwed and pointing out the river and scenery. He called us 妹妹s which was kinda weird. Anyways, this was what we saw going in through the gates. There were little shops on both sides that sold traditional clothes, snacks, and souvenirs. Everything was so interesting to look at.

 We also had this really really good 蔥油餅 (green onion pancakes) there. It was kind of expensive but it was the best that I’ve eaten in my life. Sooooooo good. It was slightly crispy on the outside but soft on the inside and there was egg on it to top it off. Ahhhhhhhhhhh! So good.

Blah blah blah…we ended the day by going to 羅東夜市. It was ok, like most of the 夜市s up here in the north. Overall…I think it was a good day…interesting but good. I can’t wait for 台南 this weekend. Yay!

Oh! And last night I finally felt my first earthquake! I never felt the ones that happened before. It was certainly something to experience.

Location: Luodong, Taiwan

Last weekend I was able to go to 天母 [tianmu] which is a district in Taipei where the more wealthy people live. I visited the traditional market there as well as another traditional market where the richer people visit. You can really tell the difference between these markets and the regular traditional markets. The ones that richer people go to are so much cleaner, you don’t have to watch where you step, and vendors actually sell make up brands like Dior or Burberry perfume, etc. There were also a lot more nice nice cars parked around waiting to pick people up.

I finally found a night market that I love in Taipei. It’s called 饒河夜市 [Raohe Night Market]. I kinda bought a lot of stuff…and they had amazing amazing food though I didn’t eat a whole since I was really full from going to Mr. Onion Steakhouse with my cousin and her aunt for dinner. I was able to eat my favorite 雞蛋糕 which are these little cake things made into shapes. The one’s my cousin and I ate were superhero shapes. Alas, a tragedy occurred. While I was about to eat one of the superheroes called 麵包超人 [Super Breadman] my clumsiness got the better of me and dropped it on the ground. It was so sad. At that moment, my cousin and I were eating 剉冰 [shaved ice] so as we ate, we had to watch 麵包超人 being kicked further and further away from us and smooshed by feet and wheels.

Fast forward to this past weekend. My cousin had to work for another McDonald’s event again this past Saturday so I spent much of the day in the area around Taipei 101, a place with many many department stores. I felt kinda uncomfortable walking through the near empty halls of one of the department stores with GUCCI and FENDI glittering all over the place. I think it was more the emptiness and the quiet that was uncomfortable rather than brands. It was really weird. Not busy and loud like a normal mall. And it was too clean.

On Sunday, my cousin took me to 剝皮寮. It was in one of the oldest developed areas of Taipei and there they had some of the old buildings restored and rebuilt so you could see how people lived in the earlier years. That area was close to 龍山寺 [long shan si], a famous temple where many people go, but there were also a lot of homeless people who gather there. The atmosphere was stifling for me and I can’t say that enjoyed it much though I can’t really explain why…I guess I felt uncomfortable with the dirtiness of the streets and it was heartbreaking to see people still living on the streets in filth. The homeless population was made up mostly of old and disabled people. It was hard for me to see that after seeing the glitzy and glamorous part of Taipei just one day earlier. My mood was pretty down the rest of the afternoon and into the night. I didn’t even feel like shopping and looking around when we went to 西門町.

That night, we met up with another cousin of mine for dinner and he took us to a cool pizza place in  西門町. They had eccentric flavors. The 3 that we got were 1) Ginger and salty duck egg 2) Apple cinnamon 3) Mushroom with Pesto sauce. And we drank their honey vinegar drink. It was pretty good though I wasn’t to fond of the ginger on the pizza.

Location: Taipei, Taiwan

This past weekend was a long weekend since most of Taiwan’s schools recognized 清明節 [tomb sweeping day] and 兒童節 [children’s day]. I returned to Tainan to visit during this long holiday and felt a little displaced. 4-5 weeks ago, Tainan was my home and my safe haven, and I missed it terribly my first 2 weeks in Taipei. Though I still love it here in Tainan, it felt a little weird to be back since I had just started to get used to life in Taipei. It felt a little bit like when you’re switching in between a hot tub and a cool pool. The hot tub is nice and comfortable and you feel vastly uncomfortable when you suddenly jump into the cool pool. After a while though, you get used to the soothing cool of the pool but when you return back to the hot tub, it’s almost too hot for you to handle. Now, when I’m just about to get used to the warmth of the hot tub, I have to return to Taipei. But I did realize one thing through all of switching back and forth. Both places have their pros and cons and are different, I love them both.

I have been getting sick pretty regularly since coming to Taipei. Right before I left for Tainan I had a bad cough and headaches and since returning from Tainan, the cough has returned and has gotten worse. I woke myself up last night because I kept coughing. So in consideration of my roommates, today I donned the Face Mask. I have officially become more Taiwanese. Now I am 110% Taiwanese. The Face Mask is very fashionable in Taiwan. Don’t laugh. It’s for reals.

Location: Taipei, Taiwan