Current music: Kiss With A Fist by Florence and the Machine
So...it turns out it can actually get sort of cold in Taiwan. Not by Canadian standards by any means, but so much that I can wear jeans and a hoodie and not die from heat exhaustion. I want to stress that it is always really warm here, as no houses ever have insulation.
Night markets are a big thing in Taiwan, and they are exactly what they sound like. They open at around 7 or 8, whenever it gets dark, and you can buy all these different weird foods, clothing, toys, whatever. They span about one city block, and when they are not set up they look like a parking lot. Jane and I went last week, instead of getting dinner. I was going to try an octopus on a stick, but decided that it probably wasn't the best idea when almost nursing a hangover. I also don't know if I'd be allergic to it, but next time I think I'll risk it. I got some strange little apple cakes, some sushi, some really good dumplings, a kabob and some sugar waffles that were in the shape of Spongebob Squarepants. Taiwan is obsessed with Spongebob, he is everywhere. Spongebob and Hello Kitty. Everywhere.
Current music: Sounds Like Hallelujah by The Head and the Heart.
Last night I went for dinner at the BBQ place that I went to my first weekend here. It was basically a repeat of that night, except this time I could order things in my terrible Chinese. It is the only place that I have found here where you can get genuine Cantonese food. Fantastic. All the English teachers from my school were there, and they like to buy me beer, which I won't complain about. I was smart enough not to challenge Hopey to a drinking contest, so I challenged Les. I picked an easy contest to make up for the shame of the last time. Victory. It was good to celebrate Bonfire Night with actual English people instead of just me watching V for Vendetta.
I just finished subbing for one of Amanda's classes while she is in Kenting for the weekend. Why people here insist on some classes 7 days a week is beyond me. It's fucking Saturday, I wanted to sleep. It was a small class of 3 high school girls, who were the quietest people. Easiest class ever. I need to get some more private classes once I get a scooter and can actually move around this city. My bike is falling apart and making weird noises that sound like a seal being slaughtered. I have faith in it though. I went scooter shopping last week and Sonja and Amanda were gracious enough to come with me so I wouldn't be a moron and buy the first shiny scooter I found. Which would completely happen if I was unsupervised.
After many shady scooter people trying to rip me off, Amanda eventually took me to her mechanic, who by chance just obtained a 125cc scooter which is probably from the mid 90's and was in pieces. Apparently David the mechanic is a stand up guy and a scooter wizard, and he is going to spend the next week or so fixing the scooter up to be functional. It will still look like it's been through a war, but I can cover it in stickers. When he is done, he will call me up to go look at it and see if I want it. It's cheap too, which is what I wanted. We'll see, I'm in no rush. My squealing bike suits me just fine.
I learned to drive a scooter last week, much easier than I thought it would be. The traffic is what fucks things up. People here can't drive. They make up their own rules as they go. It's really quite extraordinary, and I can't put it into words. You have to see it to understand the full extent of the crazy.
Current music: Canadian Lover, Falcon's Escape by Destroyer
I started my kids on rehearsing my Christmas play this week. My big kids have to have lines. We go on in 5 weeks. Which is more scary than I like to admit. Outwardly, I'm as cool as a cucumber about the situation to the other teachers, but my kids are terrible at performing. Except Duncan, he'll be my saving grace. It's not like they're doing Les Mis, but their parents will be there. Watching and judging. If I just have them constantly do jazz hands and smile, I think I'll be OK. The babies don't have lines, so if I just throw them on stage in costumes, everybody will be so blinded by the cute that they'll forget about everything else. It's a foolproof plan.
Thing I miss of the week: The use of a dryer. They are totally unnecessary here, but that doesn't mean I don't long for dryer fresh clothes.
Avoiding the bars this weekend. Last weekend was almost too crazy. Probably going to get some 7-11 beers with Jane and wander around.
Out.
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