Some Extras from Day 1

Well, we had some major excitement our first night after I posted, and I had to wait to post since the internet was still down. Harriet had given Alaina and I a power strip to use with our laptops. We realized that it required a 3-prong outlet, and at first we didn’t see one anywhere. Then, later, we realized the outlet was up higher on the wall, towards the ceiling. So, we plugged in the adapter and BOOM!  We saw a huge spark, and next thing we knew the power went out! We went out into the living room and Harriet was walking around bewildered. We had to admit what we had done and she said, “oh no! That’s the outlet for the air vent, which runs on 220 watts.” Soon, we realized that the electricity in half of the apartment wasn’t working, and the appliances had shut off. We tried flipping the breaker a couple of times but to no avail. It was almost 11:00 pm, and Harriet had to call the electricians to come out and take a look. Alaina and I of course were MORTIFIED and at first we were laughing (probably to avoid crying) until Harriet told us that it might have fried the all the wires and they would need to cut into the walls to rewire the house…..time went on and we waited and prayed for the electricians to get things going.  After messing around with the switches for awhile, the power came back on.  Thank goodness! Harriet said, “Don’t worry, it happens,” and I said, “No, I’m pretty sure it actually doesn’t.” We felt SO DUMB, but honestly it really looked exactly like our 3-prong outlet. That’s when we learned our lesson that when in doubt, we must always ask if we have a question. That was the SECOND technician that came out during that one day, since earlier in the morning we had someone out to get the wireless working on our laptops. We felt horrible, but I guess there’s nothing we could do about it and it’s a little funny to laugh at now that we didn’t need to rewire her entire house.

Yesterday, we met Sonia at the MRT station and she helped us get a card and showed us around another section of Taipei. On our way to do some sightseeing, we passed a group of students who were doing a service project, collecting receipts (in Taiwan, receipts have a code at the top, and when donated, the government will provide a reimbursement to various causes). These kids went nuts when they saw us, all calling out “Hello! Welcome to Taiwan!” Next thing we knew, dozens of them were swarming around us and a camera man asked if he could take a picture of us pretending to donate some receipts for an advertisement, so we said, “ok!” I knew that we would be some of the only white people around, but I guess I didn’t realize that, for the most part, we would be the ONLY ones. We really draw attention everywhere we go. I pictured more business men, etc for some reason, but we really aren’t in the business district but rather immersed with all of the locals.

Also, while riding the MRT yesterday, a girl came up behind us and grabbed Alaina’s shoulder and asked where we were from. She is from Switzerland and has been studying here for two weeks. She started some conversation with us and then asked if we would like to go to a Night Market with her sometime next week. She looked so relieved to talk to us and took down a way to contact us. Afterwards, we realized how bizarre it really was. I mean, it’d be the same as getting on a bus in NYC and making plans with a random stranger in the seat next to you. It just goes to show how unlikely people are drawn together by a shared commonality-in this case, speaking English. We’ve only been here two days so we weren’t in dire need, but we could see how relieved she was to find someone to speak with who was in a similar situation.

We also got to tour an older, famous temple today. It was PACKED with people chanting, singing, burning incense, and making food offerings. t was really interesting for me to hear about their religious beliefs from Sonia, and also, because I did not realize how many Taiwanese practiced religion.

We are thrilled the internet is finally working at home. We  feel a lot better  knowing we can contact the outside world. I realize I keep saying “WE” instead of “I.” I don’t know what I would do without having Alaina here to debrief with and talk to. I am realizing just how important that is, because even though things are going well, we’re still struggling with culture shock quite a bit. You don’t realize just how different every little detail is until you go through the daily routine. We feel silly and helpless a lot of the time, but everyone has been very gracious and helped us without question. We also think it will get easier once we settle into a routine, and hopefully school will help with that.