first off... we went running today and made it about 2 miles before we thought we were going to die. i think i figured out the conversion. take however many miles you ran, multiply it by 10 to account for the humidity, add two miles because of all the stares you're getting for being the only two white people on the track, and you have your total. so yeah, we basically ran 22 miles today (at least it felt like it).
we were going to try and post every other day, but looks like school has gotten in the way. not that we've been to busy, but just so much to do. so yeah, i guess we've been busy. the typhoon came and went and the weather has cooled down quite a bit (compared to the 100F or so it was when we got here). we looked at couches last weekend for a bit. to get a feel for how it felt, imagine walking into an abandoned warehouse on the side of the road and having dozens of different sets of couches, loves seats, and chairs... mixed in with various types of wooden furniture. all this in a two story warehouse that shakes when you walk upstairs and leaks in some places. i don't even think anyone was at the third place we went to. also, we stopped and looked at a few cars last weekend and we're planning on getting one (maybe? not sure how it works) this saturday and hopefully get a couch as well.
let's see... i've been playing wicked games of charades and if there were actual points being handed out, i'd easily be in the top five point getters in taichung (maybe top ten in taipei). i've started to notice the kids will look at you and i found out that most of them speak english, but they're too scared to say anything because all they see is a tall white curly haired ogre staring at them. with that said, i have gotten a few of them to talk to me and today at dinner, i waved at one from across the room and next thing i know, three girls (aged 4-7 years old) were saying/yelling "hello!" pretty loud to me and waving every ten seconds until their moms got mad at them and allison blamed me for getting them in trouble. another thing is the taiwanese adults will stare (and call allison beautiful and cute), which is to be expected and i've started to wave back. haven't gotten to many people to wave at me though, but maybe that is because they're going 45 mph in a scooter with no one following the traffic rules.
alright... allison gets her iphone 3g tomorrow or friday and i'm waiting for the 3gs to come out. they said it was going to come out agust 1st, but pushed it back to august 28thish, but it could still be pushed back even more. we'll get our own internet in the next week or so, hopefully right about the time that my 1tb time capsule shows up (thanks mom!). i know i will never, ever, ever, in my entire life use up all the space, but i couldn't force myself to buy the 500gb one over here, when i could get twice the memory for the same price in the US. also, looking into buying a bike by giant so i can go riding with the pe teacher and also two scooters. wow, we're buying a lot. fortunately, most of it we can resell and it is all stuff that is worth it (so no comments from you stephanie!). ok, more comments to specific people since i never email anyone: drew - i hope your first day back at school is terrible. stephanie - i hope your first day back is amazing. tk - 2.5! see you in december? mom - thanks again for the time capsule. dad - do you read this? want to sub for me? robyn - hope your car is alright (tell jake hi!) megan - don't leave taiwan! engles - allison is doing AMAZING (and i never use caps) virgil and d - will send pics soon! zach - a lot of people go to school for seven years. yeah, they're called doctors (not lawyers). court and mig - get ready to lose. this is fun. it feels like i'm giving an acceptance speech at the oscars. um... i'm sure i'm forgetting people (they always say that) d-mac - drink a liter of beer in germany for me! marie - sorry for not letting you know we were alright sooner! brett - thanks for all the taiwan advice so far. heahter and arron - party at your place soon! ok, this is getting weird. i'm tired and done. bye!
ps don't forget to check out the blonde in taiwan as she winds down her final days in formosa
i'd go with scooters first and then see if you think you need the car or not. the way the cities are set up makes it a million times more convenient to drive a scooter because of all of the parking. it's better for traffic too because you can just zip around the cars. and they're cheap cheap cheap!
ReplyDeletestill love the blog and ya'll. i remember my first few months i always looked for the little kids when i needed help. the teenagers are best if you can get them to stop giggling for 2 seconds. i got to the point one time on the bus where i just walked up to random kids and said i KNOW you speak english! i need help!
I got a shout out! yesssss! You have given me positive attention for being over worried like you guys are my babies. it will only get worse from here.
ReplyDeleteIf you're feeling worried about the warehouses/ getting furniture, you could always hit one of the Ikeas on the Island. They will even make home deliveries :-)
ReplyDeletepeople are looking at you because you keep farting...they do the same thing in the states. take some beeno or go to the potty.
ReplyDeleteallison - buy little jermo some beeno
1 Tb can be used up very easliy!
ReplyDeleteIs it a bad thing to check your blog twice a day? Thank goodness for tweets and emails! Love you
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! ...and 謝謝你們 (xiexie nimen/thank you both) for sharing your excellent adventure with us Taiwan-a-phile readers!
ReplyDelete