Our First 24 Hours in Taiwan

Well, we made it!! We started traveling at 4:00 pm your time on Thursday and did not arrive in Taipei until what would be 6:00 pm your time on Friday (for us it was Saturday morning already). So, the trip was LONG! We did not realize how long 24 hours of travel would really seem, but we made it through with lots of games, movies, crosswords, and reading......and also lots of sleep! We both tried to sleep a lot to try and get on Taiwan's sleep schedule, and since we still haven't slept yet, I think we're doing pretty well!

It was funny on the way here because we could really see the gradual shift in culture as we traveled. By the time we got to China Airlines international terminal in LA, we were some of the few Americans there. I only counted about five other white people on our entire double-decker to Taiwan, so it was a good transition into being a minority. It sounds silly, but it really is strange to be in the minority when we so obviously stick out, especially Alaina with her blonde hair. I have already seen several little kids, and even adults, look her up and down and seem really infatuated with her hair.

Many of our biggest fears have already been eliminated, which makes things a lot easier. When we arrived at the airport, we were one of only two flights that were there so early in the morning, so it made getting our luggage, exchanging money, and navigating the airport really easy. We were SO nervous we would not be able to find the person who was picking us up, but all for nothing, because as soon as we got outside we saw a huge sign that said "Katie DiMarino and Alaina Hurley" on it. Pretty simple after all that! We were picked up by our school principal's secretary and her husband. They were very nice and seemed to want to take us on a hiking trip and to a couple sites in Taipei, which was really nice. They took us to Harriet's apartment, where we will be staying.

On the highway, it's almost impossible to realize that we're not in the USA, but as soon as we took the exit towards Harriet's place, it became quite evident. We are living right smack in the middle of the city!!! There are tons of motorcycles, like you might see lining the streets in Europe, jetting in and out of alleys. After winding up some narrow lanes with high, packed apartments, stores, people cooking, etc etc anything and everything else, we are at Harriet's second floor apartment.

Alaina and I will be sharing a bedroom and bathroom. When we first saw the space I felt really overwhelmed since the layout is much different. However, we took some time to unpack our things and now I feel MUCH better and it feels much more like home. We also share the apartment with Harriet's recently acquired puppy. His name is pronounced "Dehng Dehng", although I have NO IDEA how to spell it! Already I've been told two of my four Mandarin vocabulary words are incomprehensible....thank goodness almost everything is labeled in English as well.  Except for the menus, that is......

Harriet took us around and showed us where to catch a bus, take the MRT, etc....and then we went to the Carrefour (supermarket/department store) to pick up a few things and have lunch. I was feeling pretty optimistic about the food, since I'm pretty open to trying new things. However, once inside, Alaina and I both felt completely overwhelmed. Everything was only labeled in Chinese, and we had NO IDEA how to tell things apart. We knew this would be the case, but somehow it didn't sink in until I was standing there trying to figure out something to eat. So, after asking us a couple of questions, I decided to try a spicy soup with pork and cabbage (and a lot of other unidentifiable items). We also had rice, and we had to eat the meal with chopsticks, naturally. However, it did not come quite so naturally to me and I felt pretty conspicuous trying to use them in the middle of a busy food court. I could feel the eyes of the little boys at the table next to me each time I took a bite. I'm sure it was a site to see.....and then Alaina and I found something in our soups that looked like a block of sesame, and right as she was about to take a bite, Harriet told us what it really was.......dried pig's blood! Although I am adventurous, I wasn't quite ready for that by meal one!

So, we picked up some items for breakfast (lunch will be provided at school) and then headed home. I'm praying Alaina and I can find our way on our own the next time, since all of the alleys and streets look the same to me (this should be no surprise to anyone who knows me at all though....same story in America!)

Tomorrow we will walk  to the MRT station where we will meet Sonia. We will have lunch together, and then she will give us more advice on how to navigate Taipei, etc etc. We start school on Monday. More good news: We no longer need to take the MRT to the city bus in order to reach the school. We will only need to do about an eight minute walk and then we can take the school bus all the way to KC. This will be much cheaper, easier, practical.....so we are excited.

Oh, I'll also mention that my internet isn't working so I'm on Alaina's computer right now. Hopefully I can have someone at the school look at it on Monday, but we have plenty of other computers for now to use.

Overall, everything is going really well so far. I feel like we've already learned and seen so much after only one day, which might sound silly but it's so true! However, this first day was a roller coaster of emotion, and I know that it will not be easy. Still, I am confident that we are well prepared for the experiences ahead of us and having each other as a support system in both teaching and living situations will become invaluable.