Hello again!
I thought I’d write another short theme-less post in an effort to get back into the habit of regular postings.
First off, our week started with the usual meeting with our Chinese co-teachers. Except that this meeting was interrupted by a loud spraying sound outside the windows of our school. Later, many cockroaches were seen belly-up near the street grates along our local streets. The annual slaughter has taken place. as it always does, when the weather starts to get warmer.
We’re so weak, we are looking forward to the predicted cooling on Thursday. Even this pitiful 79F got us sweating up our classrooms. Add humidity, and you’ve got one hell of a morale-screwing reminder of the coming summer.
In other news, I bought some red pants this weekend. Nick bought some purple sneakers. I fear we have been taken with a kind of fashion fever that can strike those who live here. You buy lots of awesome, one-of-a-kind shit here, look all snazzy walking around Nan Kan, and then you get back to the US and some stranger tells you that you look like a peacock. We shall see.
Because the weather is getting warmer, we suspect the pool in our apartment may be heating back up. This means swimming again and feeling generally healthier. We’ve been frequenting the gym as well (well, so far mostly Nick) and I’ve been taking a dance/exercise class with the ladies from my school.
We went to the driving range last week with our co-worker Steve, and our friend Nicky, who is a pro golf instructor here. He gave us some tips, we drank a few beers, and headed to Nicky’s apartment, where I would have a realization that will likely haunt me for the rest of my time in Taiwan.
And that is: we were totally and completely ripped off when we settled on our apartment. Now that I have seen what a remarkably similar monthly rent can get you here, I feel betrayed and restless. Nicky’s apartment is Japanese-style, NEW, with super high ceilings, tall windows, a sunken den space, a sunken bedroom space, and a lofted storage/chill area. I can’t really explain how awesome it is, except to say that now I feel like cracking some MotherFing skulls.
Which leads me to my next update: our recent return to the Sopranos saga. What a freaking awesome show. We’re in the 5th season now. And thanks to my mom, who some years ago, before I’d been introduced to the show, blurted out from her bathroom that she couldn’t believe they killed ****, I totally know how it ends. But that’s fine. It’s still great. Nick is copying all the seasons to his hard drive.
Well that’s all for now. I’m looking forward to possibly practicing my swing with our coworker Elsa and her boyfriend Tony. Also I’m looking forward to my next bowl of chua-bing, and to cleaning our shit apartment, solving Steve’s pseudo-Rubik’s cube again, and fewer mosquitos due to the warmer weather.
Love, b
PS I had my first food-related “illness” in Taiwan. I mention it because lots of people ask about food safety here. Well, it happened. Only the food wasn’t bad, it just had something in it that was incredibly strong-flavored and happened to make me feel like barfing. Even thinking about the taste right now is making me gag a little. So strange, everything looked familiar, and a whole lot like a particular food that I really really like, so I stuck a really huge piece of this roll in my mouth, took two bites, and suspected a serious problem. I excused myself from our crowded table, hurried past the other restaurants and manage to spit out the stuff onto some railroad tracks before I actually vomited. Then I had a few heaves on my way back. From then on, small bites to test new foods. (Even if they look super tasty.)
