The weather is getting sunnier and so is my mood. !!!!Not surprising!!!! I feel like I am pretty susceptible to mood changes due to the weather. Regardless, I feel more motivated and inspired and have a few more goals this month.
Quite a few memorable things happened the past month:
Nono told me that she tells heself an affirmation whenever she rides the YouBike: "I love Taiwan, I am so happy and lucky to be here". I like that, so I do it too. Feeling really excited for the experiences of these last few months, excited to experience and excited to go home and excited to start school. I'm looking forward to hiking more, doing more little weekend trips, go maybe surfing with Nono on weekends (we are going to Yilan next weekend!), waking up earlier. My teacher is pretty strict, harsh, fearful, terrifying; however, I will prevail~ Today, my teacher called those with white/Asian mixed heritage as "mixed breed" (she said that in English), and then in Chinese, using the word 配種. This word, 配種 pei zhong, refers to breeding agriculture/animals to create the "prettiest" product. I've always been taken aback by the abrasiveness used to describe those of mixed races and ethnicities; even the word 混血, translating to "mixed blood," is what people would whisper in China about me and my sisters. I have never really understood how I feel about this myself, but it has always made me a little uncomfortable. <3
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Leon and I decided to spend winter break together. Lemme recap the best moments. To preface, we did not plan anything: Inspired by Leon and his backpacking travels on the Interrail, we decided to be spontaneous, planning hostels, activities, etc. day by day. This ended up having consequences (lol) because this was Chinese New Year, aka the busiest, most touristy, most expensive, most booked time of the year. 2 days before break started I ended up, miracuously, finding a route (one bus, two trains) that could get us to Taidong. We had both never been to Taidong (southeast Taiwan), and heard the southern region of Taiwan was more bustling for Chinese New Year, so we thought it was perfect time to travel. Spent the first 2 nights at a hostel in Taidong...Taidong city recap: Cute little city, spent a lot of time on the park with old train tracks/old train. It was relaxing, walking and shopping and talking. On Chinese New Year, we called *everywhere* if there were spots open for dinner, but we only found 2 open restaurants in all of Taidong, both of which were already full and booked long ago. We ended up going to the night market instead (for the 2nd night in a row), where we met 2 foreigners (one from New Zealand, one from UK). Good food at the night market, though. We drank a beer on the grass and bought fireworks and told stories. It was lovely. Chaos incoming: Ok, the night of Chinese New Year, we still hadn't found a place to stay for the next night. We stayed up until 2 am in our hostel frantically (I was frantic and a bit irritated **sorry Leon**, Leon was much less frantic) searching available hostel options, activities. Zooming into cool looking places on Google Maps, we found a random hot springs a couple hours away from Taidong. We didn't read much into the details of the hot springs (*mistake* lol) but decided to plan our next day around that. We rented a motorcycle that night, already anticipating going around somewhere, and we booked the cheapest hostel closest to the hot springs, which looked about an hour drive from the hot springs. With no other plans, we went to bed. Did the most dangerous thing in my life to reach the most beautiful thing in my life: We left the hostel at 8:45 am, intending to get to the magical hot springs at 11 am. The quest to the springs was long, slightly unpleasant, and pretty: we motorcycled up through a moutain with really cold air, visited this grasslands (wanted to play dead on the field for some reason, see pcture below) and it ended up taking 4 hours instead of the so-called 2 hours (!!!shoutout google maps!!!). 12:40 pm we reached the trailhead (holy grail). Also, along the way, we stopped for lunch at a random stall on the side of the street—it was an aborginal family stall selling delicious food. They were so warm and kind, chewing Beetel nuts, offering to sing Karoke with us, and giving us Congyoubing (aka scallion pancake aboriginal style, aka just a lot more green onions) and this really great beef stew all for $160NTD (about $5.30 total for 2 of us). They were from the Buneng tribe, and talked about how the area they lived in was so behind compared to Taipei. They gave us some advice with the hot springs (i.e., go slow, leave early, wear gloves) and were bewildered that we were going without a guide ("uh oh" was my thought). We wanted to stop on the way back from the hot springs, but we had no time. We got to the trailhead at 12:40 pm. This was really late, and we were also stressed that we had no data. Reviews said that hiking this trail in the dark is way too dangerous; as such, we laid down a hard deadline to be back at the motorbike by 4 pm. Being unprepared as we were, we had no idea how long it would take to hike to the hot springs = anywhere from 20 minutes (what Leon found) to 1.5 hours (what I found. It ended up being what I found hahahehe). Realistically, arriving at 12:40 pm, we realized we only had about 20 minutes at the hot springs if we accounted for hiking times. So, we were stressed and were a little angry at ourselves for letting this happen. But onward we went! The hike ended up being crazy: ropes, huge rocks, at one point I was bouldering to not fall into this freezing river, we crossed a freezing river 3 times, had to strip down to the fundamental clothes. We passed 2 groups on the way which made us feel a lot better, and we chatted with them. Seeing another group do this eased my nerves a lot. We had to wear gloves (there was a pile at the beginning of the trailhead) and follow this rope—across huge rocks, through rivers to finally get to the hot springs which was incredible. At one point, I had to put Leon's phone in my mouth to carry while we swam across the river—we both didnt have a hat or fanny pack to hold above our heads. Definitely one of the most adventurous things I've ever done, and one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The green, the shapes of the rocks, the way the water and minerals shaped the rocks, it was perfect. The water temperature was perfectly hot. We spent about 20 minutes, which ended up being perfect, and headed back up. Night in Hostel at Chenggong Township: We got to the motorcycle at 3:45ish pm, just before our goal. We were relaxed and ready to go drive to the next hostel in the daylight. It took a physically painful (glutes were sore for the whole next day) 4 hours to get to the hostel. By the time we got there, we were just so tired, hungry, cold, sore, a little miserable, and in need of shelter and a break and a beer. But alas, we received no reward. We entered our room in the hostel and started laughing/crying because it was the worst hostel both of us had ever been to. The beds were all wooden mattresses, and the one piece of decor was a Heiniken tapestry. The bathroom shower had a floating 7-11 spoon in it, and there was a big spider that I kept an eye on the whole time I was showering later that night. Anyway, we were so tired and hurting, but we ultimately thought it was a funny adventure. Upon leaving the hostel to get dinner, we quickly realized why the hostel was so cheap: the township had nothing in it. There was about one intersection of stores and resturants. Cold and distressed about where we were gonna eat that night and where we were gonna sleep the next night, we ended up eating at 7-11 because there were no other adequate options. I had a microwaveable Indian curry and a hot choclate to ease the distress. After eating, I recall crying because we had no plans for the next night and Booking.com/Airbnb/Hostelworld/VRBO was all way too expensive. We decided we needed a change. It was rainy and cold, so we needed sun. We were like, okay, let's go to Kending and camp (because there were no affordable hostel options at all). I have to say, though, one good thing about this night was that I was there with Leon. It was the best thing to experience all this unexpectedness with him. The next morning....we drove down to Taidong, visited a cool bridge, dropped off the bike, and took the next bus/train to Kending. I called approximately 20 tent places at the train station and finally found one place that allowed us to rent a tent: on the phone, they said we could take away the tent to another campsite. We intended to do this so that we could camp on the beach! We get to Kending after 4-5 hours of travel from Taidong. So, it was dark. We got to the tent place, and once we got there, the worker told us that we couldn't bring the tent away from the camp site. The problem was that this campsite that we rented the tents from was boring, there was no view. But, there was a campsite on the water that looked great. However, things were fine because Leon haggled a bit, and we were able to bring the tent away. **thank you leon!!** Leon loves hitchiking. So, we ended up hitchiking to the other campsite (although I was cringing the whole time his thumb was up and he was smiling at cars). It was a nice family. I saw their car earlier, and it looked like they pulled to the side for a few minutes, talked about it, then turned around and picked us up. We were so grateful. It was fun. I was kind of on edge, didn't really know what to say, I felt awkward, so I felt like I left absolutely no space for silence. lol. Feeling thankful for that family! Got to the campsite, set up everything with our phone flashlights, said hello to our neighbors, and headed to the night market for good food (we tried a bunch of different meats, rices, treats, watermelon juice). Aftwards, we stopped for a beer at our favorite place (from last time we were in Kending)—this Jamacian outdoor bar. It was great vibes, and although we were a bit cold, it felt nice to have a place to stay. Got back to the tent and fell asleep without a mat, but luckily with sleeping bags. It was hard rock and dirt (no pad :( but at least we had shelter). It was kind of funny how things worked out so humorously unfortunate for us on this trip: the first night it was pouring rain the whole night (good thing we put the fly up!),. The second day, we were a little miserable. We hadn't showered for a while, it wasn't actually sunny in Kending (it was like windy and cloudy). But, we spent the day running around on the beach to the water (highlight!) and getting a tap beer at 7-11 (whaaaaat?). We were like, OK, we spend one more night with the tent, then leave first thing in the morning because we really just wanted our beds. We ended up going to a rechao for dinner—like a big Taiwanese pub where you drink beer and eat small plates. Yummm! That night in the tent, it was so windy. The sides of the tent were brushing against my face. We were on the water, so it makes sense. Anyway, we were so excited to leave in the morning, although it was cutting our break a little short. Lastly, of course, they were sold out of seated tickets to Taipei, so we bought standing tickets to Taipei. We sat in-between cars, on the floor hearing the loud noise of the train, for 5 hours. It was actually funny. The rest of the break, we studied and chilled (much needed). Although the trip seemed pretty unfortunate, there were so many happy things. A stranger gave me and Leon snacks to welcome us as foreigners. I was able to see the sea. I chatted with friendly strangers. We used big fireworks! We drank a beer on the water in Kending. We motorcycled through these great gorges. We laughed a lot about how everything was so up and down. I think that was the last time I will ever visit those cities in my life, so I am grateful it was really memorable. The Hualien weekend was such a highlight: great company, beautiful scenery, trying new things, and relaxed vibes. [Hualien: October 1 - October 2, 2022] To maximize the fun and experiences for the weekend, we decided to catch the early morning train @ Taipei Main to Hualien. Sluggishly bought a coffee and breakfast at 7-11 before buying my ticket at the station at 7 am for about $10USD (after several redirections and almost buying the wrong ticket) and met up with le squad on the train platform: Leon, Mika, Nono, Manon. The perfect group. We took the train over to Hualien (4 hours ish). Scenery was beautiful on the train--so many greens and blues. Made it to Hualien with no injuries and proceeded to our most amazing hostel--there were exactly 6 space-ship-themed beds (see photo) in our shared room (us 6 took all the beds). The purple night lights, container-shell beds, and white decor felt like we were sleeping in clothing-washing machines. Sequence of events is not too clear to me; however, the following are activities that we did.
Hopefully I get time to see Hualien again before I leave, but I think this weekend was pretty perfect, so if I don't get to see it, no worries for me!!!
Hiiii. Back from my little hiatus. I'm currently in a slightly off-beat coffee shop (also my favorite coffee shop), Cafe Macedonian. The owner knows me as the “摩卡女生” aka the "mocha girl"; I love him! It's about a 4 minute walk from my apartment. I'm sitting at the corner table with my hot chocolate (dabei), my hoodie, and Leon, sitting across from me. I have been feeling really grateful the past few days: hanging out with friends (unlimited hotpot at Guoin & thrifting at Fuhe market with Manon, lunch with Indie at vegetarian place next to Guting while spilling our gossip, late night studying/laughing/complaining/etc. with Mika) and travelling out of Taipei (Keelung and Yangmingshan with Leon) has really meant a lot to me recently. I have fallen into a routine life now in Taipei, and oftentimes, moving out of routine feels like a task to me--it's a large undertaking. I don't totally know why--usually too lazy and tired?--but when I travel, decide to go out with new friends, go on a walk in the evening, it feels new everytime. It's so refreshing. I need to remind myself to do that. So, do that, Andrea!! I have a little itch in the back of my mind that is fearful that I'm not maximizing my experience here to the fullest, going out more, or travelling more. But, isn't that the most normal fear all people in their 20's have? It's always good to remind myself that I have done so much, and also that it's ok to have a limit to what I can do. Little moments of kindness towards me that I want to remember: Manon told me the other day that her mom calls me the "magnificant one who dances" when referring to me. I was dancing on the beach one day while Manon was facetiming her mom. Another one--Ray, Indie was telling me, told me that Ray said that she is so grateful for me, and that I am so kind and funny. She said she hopes other people describe herself the way they describe me. I'll start with New Year. Totally surreal/happy/exciting that I was able to see the Taipei 101 fireworks. Definitely a highlight for me! I used to watch it on TV, so even though the fireworks were eh, I was so excited the whole time. We had an amazing view at Sun Yat Sen memorial (although it was crowded and a little cloudy) with Lola, Leon, and Mika. We went to look for a 7-11 to finish our beers afterwards. I got a hot chocolate, and we sat until 2 am, but then I was feeling tired so went home. Thinking back, I wish I went out drinking, but in the moment I was pretty tired so it's okkkk! OK, funny moment. the next day, Leon and I went walking around a temple, and we saw on the wall a bunch of candles with wishes written on them, so we went to the temple desk and asked to get our own. We filled out the paper with our wishes on it, then handed it over to the lady at the desk. Then, she told us that it costed money (after we already wrote our wish) and she told us it was $20USD!!!! HUH?? There was no going back although we asked to cancel it. The thing is, Leon bought 2 one for his sister and one for himself because it was free, so he spent $40. We were both laughing/crying/distressed/trying to make ourselves feel better. A little funny. But, our wish is up for one year. January 1, 2023-2024. So, that's pretty cool. I am glad now to have spent the money. I'll go visit my candle soon.
Just got back from Yangmingshan with Leon. We spent 4-5 hours walking and laughing at Qingtiangang fields: walked in the fields, hiked to a viewpoint to see the sunset, hiked to a waterfall. It was so chill, but felt like such a big day. I loved it. Thankful for Leon who is always up for something fun. I'm proud that I let myself come to Taiwan, that I rebelled against the little voice that wants me to rush through everything. Sometimes it can be difficult to see change in my life, but I can truly tell that my Mandarin is improving. I am thankful for my friends here that feel like family to me, my parents, my sisters, my friends back home. Unexpectedly, I feel more inspired by medicine and feel so secure that it was the correct decision to better my Chinese and go to medical school. I am experiencing a new set emotions: a sense of loneliness and distance from family and friends that I never understood until now; a new sense of independence and freedom; new friendships that feel old, like family. I am grateful for these emotions, I am living! This is life. I am confronted with uncomfortability, fear, and insecurity here, and I am trying to learn how to fully accept them and let these feelings be my guide. I'll recap the other months I missed in other posts! See ya, Andrea WOW!! Hard-launching this blog at 8:26 pm while in my sturdy little bed, in my lovely little apartment in Zhongzheng District. It has been exactly one week since I left my (meager, dire) quarantine hotel, and I feel so grateful for the fun people, my kind teacher, and just how quickly everything is moving. It has become so much more clear to me, coming out of quarantine, that I made the right decision to defer. I've never wanted to improve my Chinese more!! Slightly unsettling, however, I am feeling a little sick (my 2 COVID tests have been negative). I am resting for the next few days in my room without going to class in-person. Lemme recap the last few days. August 31, 2022: My first day out of quarantine was a busy day. Indeed, I left my quarantine hotel (good riddance!) as early as I physically, humanly could (I can't wake up earlier than 9:30 am). I ate lunch near my apartment (*picture below on the left!*), registered for classes (snagged a 10:20 am class) and took my Chinese placement test (level 3), went to Ximen to grab dinner (*picture on right*), then scrambled to Ikea before it closed (sadly, did not have the time to buy meatballs). I came home pretty late with a massive Ikea bag full of random necessities to see my roommates for the first time all chatting around the table. They are wonderful. Half of the roommates are foreigners: American (Corinn), Lithuanian (Kamille), Italian (Gulia) and Spanish (Cosima), and the other half are from Taiwan (Roy, Ian, Xiaoyu, ATao). A total of 9 people living here! It's quite funny, Ian is in love with Cosima. I'll keep you all updated. The foreigners talked for a while, but then we split away to each go through with our evening plans. I was going to go out with Leon from Belgium and Ben from Switzerland (met them on the flight from Taipei to Istanbul) to Shida Night Market, but realized that I had a telehealth appointment at 11:00 pm, so couldn't make it :( Later that night, I ran into the Taiwanese roommates--they are so sweet and fun! They go to a performing arts college and don't speak English. We are planning to go to their end-of-year performance in November! Early September, 2022:
A couple notable normal-life things: 1) Orientation was about 3 hours, and we learned...nothing. But, no fret because grabbed coffee & 牛肉面 at a place near campus with some new classmates. 2) It was bound to happen, but 3 of my roommates ended up getting COVID :( they are doing okay! But, I had a sore throat for a few days, so I took some classes over zoom until my sore throat went away. I tested negative 4 days in a row (but still have a nasty sore throat), but I think I'm in the clear. 3) Toured around to Ximen and Longshan temple! 4) Climbed Elephant mountain during sunset with Leon! Had a Taiwan beer at the top. Actually, I like Taiwan beer, and it's only about $1 at 7-11 for a huge can. Some notable going-out things (Another Brick, 23musicroom, TikiTaipei, Triangle, Revolver): Okkkkaaay so Taipei nightlife is actually more bustling than I thought. There's a lot of live music here than in Seattle. 5) Met some fun people from my school (NTNU MTC) at Triangle that I'm getting lunch with next week, also this was crazy: I MET A 20-YEAR OLD WHO WORKS at qfc wallingford???? And went to Garfield?? Wow, it's fate. 6) This 26-year-old Taiwan-Singaporian that we met at the bar was with us for one of the nights, and we were talking about how we wanted to hear I Want it That Way by the Backstreet Boys, and literally~7 seconds later~ the song plays at the concert/bar, and we run up to the front and sing with the singers in the mic. So funny. We ended up seeing him at another bar a few days later, and we had a huge huggg. ALSO, 2 DRINKING TIPS FROM THE EUROPEANS THAT I DIDN'T KNOW: 1) When you cheers your drinks you MUST maintain eye contact until your lips touch the liquid when you sip. It's bad luck and weird if you don't. Did not know that. 2) When you go out, always buy your own beer at 7-11 for less than a dollar, bring it with you to the restaurant/bar where you order a glass of beer, and when you finish your beer from the bar, you sneakily pour your 7-11 beer into the cup. Very very clever. |
施安雅我是個愛喝咖啡 吃東西 和朋友家人在一起的人。我從西雅圖來台灣學中文 學九個月。歡迎! Archives
March 2023
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