Hello there!

I can't believe I've been in Taiwan for almost a month now. It simultaneously feels like I've just arrived a few weeks ago but also like I've lived here for a couple months. Yesterday was our last day of training, so today we all went to the DMV to either take the written test (which allows you to drive a 50cc scooter without taking the driving test) or the written plus the driving test, which is necessary if you want a scooter more than 50cc. Since I have no intentions of buying a scooter, I opted to take the written portion just in case I ever have to rent or ride a 50cc scooter. The DMV in Taiwan turns out to be pretty similar to DMVs in America. In short, it was not very exciting and pretty crowded. I took my electronic test, which consisted of 40 questions all about road signs and road safety. I gotta admit, they threw in some tough questions and I was pretty nervous that I would fail. Luckily, I passed, and headed along with HKSG members to take a 90 minute course, all in Chinese, on scooter safety. Our teacher was one tough cookie; she started the class by separating all the HKSG members and then listing a set of rules, like no talking, sleeping, phones etc. I ended up breaking one of the rules when I nodded off and closed my eyes, in which she abruptly shook my shoulders to wake me. Out of fear of this woman's wrath, I stayed awake the rest of the class. I couldn't understand anything the woman was saying, but we did watch a series of escalating and terrifying real life scooter accidents. So if I took away anything from the class, it's that scootering can be very scary. And that most people in Taiwan aren't following proper road protocol.

A few days ago, a some ETAs and I were asking each other what things we have done here that we normally wouldn't do in America. I've done a lot of things in Taiwan that I normally wouldn't do back home, like eating out everyday, talking to strangers on the bus, using public transportation, etc. But overall, I think being abroad pushes you to do things outside your comfort zone, which sometimes leads to sort of bizarre events. A prime example of this is when we all went out to try some Vietnamese food, and ran into a Vietnamese-American man named Danny, who was super nice and spoke great English. He gave us his card and suggested we visit his restaurant. A few days later, we call him and ask whether we could stop by his restaurant for dinner. Unfortunately, Danny's restaurant is only open on weekends, but he suggested we meet him and he would show us another Vietnamese restaurant. So we met up with him and follow him into this large semi-run down mall. It's one of those places that seems like it would have been hopping back in the day, but is now sort of past its prime. We went up on the elevator and step out into a huge area where most of the stores were either closed or barred up. Immediately, we're also hit with loud Vietnamese karaoke coming from afar, which was slightly eerie considering there was no one there in sight. In the end, the pho we had was delicious! Looking back, we essentially followed a stranger into a large fairly deserted building. I probably would've never done that alone, but it makes for a good story now!

Among other things I normally wouldn't do in the US is grueling tough workouts. The Hello Kitty Scooter Gang recently started doing Insanity workouts. While I'm doing the workout, it feels like I can vomit at any moment. That being said, I enjoy working out overall and it sort of helps balance out the multitude of sugary teas and desserts I've eaten so far. Sometimes, if we exercise in the school's playground, we even get a crowd of adults and kids watching and making comments like "Oh, that one is slowing down." Sometimes, they even mimic our movements, which is sort of really cute! As the saying goes, the group that sweats together stays together!

Getting fit on the playground

We also recently went to visit Rainbow Village, which consisted of really cute buildings all painted by one man.

I start classes on Monday (EEEKK), so till next time!

Chia