Touchdown in Taipei

Time: 10:30pm

Location: Taipei

Weather: cloudy, 26C

How things have changed in just a week! In less than seven days I have flown to the other side of world, settled down in a brand new city, started at a new work place, and rediscovered a side of myself that has been for the most part concealed for the last 13 years. Despite the Mandarin overload, the cultural shock (or reverse culture shock depending on how I look at it) has been not too bad, a lot less than when I went to Europe I would say. This ease of adaptation is of course aided by my background. On the first day, I discovered how non-fluent I am but I ask my colleagues lots of questions and am pleased with how fast I'm learning everyday. My colleagues are all really cool and patient people with quite the varied travel experience which I can't wait to hear more about. 

My first impression is the heat! Leaving from a place where the temperature was less than half of what it is here, I started sweating profusely as soon as I stepped off the plane. Fortunately it is getting a little more bearable now (I'm praying for winter to come) although my Malaysian roommate is already finding it too cold. In spite of its noises and bustles, I quite like Taipei and really believe I would be able to feel at home here. Taiwanese people that I have interacted with are all very friendly even if I have to often ask them to repeat what they are saying. Although traffic is quite the craziness especially with the number of motor bikes on the road, there is still an order to the madness, unlike China. Pedestrians line up to get on public transport and wait for crosswalk lights, and cars will actually stop for you (even if sometimes very very close). Taipei, which isn't too big in land area, is full of historical sites and located in a basin surrounded by mountains, and Taiwan is actually covered with beautiful natural and cultural sites that I can't wait to explore. Additionally, I have to mention how amazing the food is here, definitely not in the Western way though. On top of the night markets (so many! There is a small one right by where I live and I also went to one of the biggest, Shilin, last Saturday), there are small, very affordable eateries everywhere that are open pretty much all time. In fact, it can't get more convenient because all stores are open until very late. My favourite Taiwanese food that I have tried so far is pork blood cake, yes real pork blood! 

My jetlag was almost nonexistent (only I know how brutal it will be when I go back home) and I was thrown into the working life right away (as in the morning after I got off the plane). Over the weekend and Monday I got to tag along two of the tours organized by my company, one being a walking tour at Chihshanyen where I learned a lot about Taoism, and the other helping single mothers sell sweet potatoes on the street. I also went up Taipei 101, the outside of the National Palace Museum (planning to return for the inside another day for sure), and made use of Youbike, the awesome public bike share program here. I even did a very short hike up to Xiangshan, literally in Taipei's backyard and I am very happy to learn how accessible nature is. This weekend is a long weekend due to the National Day on Saturday and I'll be sure to report how that is!