So, how would you like to get a little glimpse of the experiences that I've already gone through?
One of the first things we did was explore the surrounding area of our dorm. Although I have already been in Taiwan before, I didn't have the chance to explore all the nooks and crannies of the city. Man! There are so many things going on the city and there are so many different shops. Although the color of asphalt and the buildings are the same as back home in Maryland, United States, everything feels a bit different. Although the most prominent difference is the language, just the feel based on the personality of the Taiwanese people is different. Perhaps even the slight tackiness that is able to be pulled off (such as the fun cultural sidewalk pillars as shown below) owns to the fact that culture of Taiwan may be a little less hard-edged as downtown United States.
On our exploration of the city one the more unique places we saw was the many different markets. While in the United States I would go to a grocery store to buy fruits, vegetables or edible foods, it seems that the cheapest and freshest way to get your groceries is to head to the markets on the side of the streets. The closest thing that I can compare these side markets to are farmers markets. However, the Taiwanese take these farmers markets to whole new level: the famed night markets.
Ah, the night markets, or specifically, the Shi Lin Ye Shi. As our whole group exited the jie yun (Chinese for the metro rail), I was hit by the sheer sight of lights and people. Down the whole street, lights filled up the sides of the road calling for your attention with store names in Chinese and interesting English (one clothing shop was called King Burrito). Yet this is just the beginning, the surface shall we say? All long the side of this one road there were small side alleys and roads filled with people brushing shoulder to shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of the things to the sides. In fact, the flow of too many people walking in a narrow alleyway caused our group to lose each other multiple times (although we agreed to meet at a decided time in the event of such separation). Ah, the sight of such vibrant life! Yet it doesn't stop there, the smells of the multitude of foreign foods fill the air with its sweet, salty, spicy, and sometimes odd aromas permeate the cramped alleyways of the night market.
Perhaps this is a tourist draw to real in people to the few unique spots in Taiwan. Perhaps this is the cliche thing to talk about when talking about Taiwan. Well folks, this place has me hooked. I got to try a flavorful blast of fried chicken unlike anything I've had in the United States. I got to try stinky tofu with a smell that kicks unlike any other food I've had in the United States. I got to try some green-tea flavored Yakult (a yogurt drink) unlike any drink I have had in the United States. But aside from the food, I'm surprised by the people that filled the streets.
I'll be upfront and honest about my own country: it's quite a big place and it's filled with people that have sub-par manners. If you want to stick a whole bunch of Americans in a cramped place there is bound to be someone who hates their personal bubble space being invaded and will make it clearly known about this breach of space. However, even though these Taiwanese people are packed, they form neat single-file lines naturally because the width of the alley has space only for about two shoulder lengths. From what I can observe, the local people are well-mannered and polite (anyone who bumps into me says 'excuse me' in Chinese).
I could rant on forever about the new experiences that I have, but I would sitting at my desk forever typing away! But a student needs to eat and prepare for the next day of classes! I cannot wait for the next meal just to see what kind of delicious and/or experimentally new foods that awaits my next meal. Tomorrow we will be finally beginning our language (written and oral) and I can only wait (excitedly) to learn the language of the land in order to finally speak fluently with the locals and local students!
Thank you for reading this far! Time to go eat crazy foods!
Ah, the night markets, or specifically, the Shi Lin Ye Shi. As our whole group exited the jie yun (Chinese for the metro rail), I was hit by the sheer sight of lights and people. Down the whole street, lights filled up the sides of the road calling for your attention with store names in Chinese and interesting English (one clothing shop was called King Burrito). Yet this is just the beginning, the surface shall we say? All long the side of this one road there were small side alleys and roads filled with people brushing shoulder to shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of the things to the sides. In fact, the flow of too many people walking in a narrow alleyway caused our group to lose each other multiple times (although we agreed to meet at a decided time in the event of such separation). Ah, the sight of such vibrant life! Yet it doesn't stop there, the smells of the multitude of foreign foods fill the air with its sweet, salty, spicy, and sometimes odd aromas permeate the cramped alleyways of the night market.
Perhaps this is a tourist draw to real in people to the few unique spots in Taiwan. Perhaps this is the cliche thing to talk about when talking about Taiwan. Well folks, this place has me hooked. I got to try a flavorful blast of fried chicken unlike anything I've had in the United States. I got to try stinky tofu with a smell that kicks unlike any other food I've had in the United States. I got to try some green-tea flavored Yakult (a yogurt drink) unlike any drink I have had in the United States. But aside from the food, I'm surprised by the people that filled the streets.
I'll be upfront and honest about my own country: it's quite a big place and it's filled with people that have sub-par manners. If you want to stick a whole bunch of Americans in a cramped place there is bound to be someone who hates their personal bubble space being invaded and will make it clearly known about this breach of space. However, even though these Taiwanese people are packed, they form neat single-file lines naturally because the width of the alley has space only for about two shoulder lengths. From what I can observe, the local people are well-mannered and polite (anyone who bumps into me says 'excuse me' in Chinese).
I could rant on forever about the new experiences that I have, but I would sitting at my desk forever typing away! But a student needs to eat and prepare for the next day of classes! I cannot wait for the next meal just to see what kind of delicious and/or experimentally new foods that awaits my next meal. Tomorrow we will be finally beginning our language (written and oral) and I can only wait (excitedly) to learn the language of the land in order to finally speak fluently with the locals and local students!
Thank you for reading this far! Time to go eat crazy foods!
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