This is going to be short and sweet. I don't know why I have had such a block to writing my blog recently. I can't find the energy to describe my day, and that makes me kind of sad. I hope I can remember all the good things that have happened.
As ICLP draws to a close, I find myself freaking out much more about this good bye than the many other good byes I have had to say in the past. I feel like I have made some solid friends, and I have thoroughly enjoyed myself while I have been here. I have totally connected to Taibei, and I feel like it is really a city I could live in for a long time. And the friends I have here are amazing. It is such an awesome dynamic, and I am terrified, and so sad to let it go. I have one full day left ehre, and honestly, I don't know what to do with myself. How should I spend my last day in Taiwan? If you have any tips, feel free to share with the class.
Well, I had been planning on going to the beach with Claire again today after class. Both of us brought our beach stuff to school, in preparation. And then we got to class, looked at each other, had a quick conversation, and very quickly came to the conclusion that the beach just wasn't going to happen. In hindsight, this may have been a very bad idea. What are you going to do? I had thought that the beach was just far enough away that leaving at noon, and wanting to be back before 9, was just not possible. Silly me.
But we still wanted to spend some time together. So we finished class (which was rather difficult actually. It was one of those days where it was all I could do to keep my eyes open. I ended up answering most of the questions because in my mind, if we could just get through the questions faster, then class would be over faster. Don't ask) and then headed off to get some lunch. I finally got dumplings! I have had a massive craving for those for a long time. The lady forgot that I ordered them, and I ended up having to wait an obscenely long time before she finally decided to actually LISTEN to the fact that I had indeed ordered dumplings, before finally getting her act together. If I was going to be here longer, the fact that I am declaring I will never go there again would have more of an effect.
After that, Claire and I walked around the streets for an hour, before it became glaringly obvious that we were about to be furiously rained on, and we raced back to ICLP just in time. It was then that she had the brilliant idea of going to see Transformers 3: a great way to spend the afternoon. It's fun, it's easy to understand, and it makes you laugh every time. At the movie of course, not with it.
The subway was not quite as fast as I thought it was going to be, so it took me a while to get there, because I had actually left ICLP by the time we decided to see the movie. We arrived at the theater halfway through the previews, switched seats (seats are assigned in movie theaters in Taiwan, but I didn't like the seats they assigned us) and then spent the next two and a half hours having the time of our lives. We were cackling like two people on crack for the whole movie. It was completely over the top, with explosions, cheesy lines, and of course, the quite obvious "This is America, hear me roar!" Yikes. It was fantastic.
I have a confession to make. I was defeated by a money adding machine this afternoon. On our way back home, we decided to take the subway, and I was completely out of money on my card so I went up to one of the fast add machines. I put my card in (I think it was the right way) but nothing came up on the screen. I pressed all the buttons, turned my card upside down and backwards, and even tried physically forcing the money into the machine, but it all didn't work. So I just gave up, and walked over to one of the people that works there, and had him help me add money. I had to add twice as much (which is still only about 4 dollars US) but I felt like quite the idiot.
And that was my night. What I can't describe is the sight of all the buildings around me as I went about my day, and the feel of the city. It is undescribable. But. Taibei is one of the best cities in the world, in my opinion. I absolutely cannot wait to come back. This is "Good bye for now", not "Good bye forever."
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Fu Long Beach
I had the most amazing weekend. Normally I would try to be modest about it, but in this case, it is not even worth it. Be jealous.
It didn't start out so hot. Saturday morning, I woke up early, and I was exhausted. I still hadn't heard back from my friend Jan after sending him a couple of texts inviting him to the beach the night before. I assumed he was dead. I had to meet my friend Claire at the main train station (which is essentially a zoo) at 10, meaning that I had to get my ass into gear rather early so that I could be a functioning human by the time I had to interact with other people.
When I got to the train station, I figured out that it was just me and Claire going, so we bought some tickets on the next train, and headed out. It was only two dollars for an hour and a half train ride: not too shabby, if I do say so myself. We had to stand the whole way, because there weren't actually enough seats for everyone, and the air conditioning definitely could have been better, I am not going to lie. I don't know if you have smelled a bunch of Chinese people with no air conditioning, but it is not a beautiful thing, let me tell you.
Once we got there, it was only a five minute walk to the beach, but it was hot, and absolutely perfect beach weather. Bring on the awesome day. We got some food at a local restaurant for lunch, before deciding to hit the beach.
We saw the beach, and naturally, walked in that direction, before we figured out that we would have to go a different way. But it was beautiful once we got there. The sand was perfect, the water was clear. We had to walk through a small river to get to the beach, because I think that we went a wrong way. Not the main road, anyway. But we got to the right place eventually. And we rented a tent for 7 dollars for the whole day, and jumped straight into the water. That is the life right there, let me tell you.
We stayed in the water for about an hour, just talking, and enjoying the eaves and the sand and the salt. It was beautiful. 20 minutes on the beach, and then back into the water for 20. I am never living in a cold place again.
In the end, we hadn't quite timed our departure very well. We were very close to not making the right train, because Claire had to be back at a certain time, and she wanted to get her deposit back from the guy who rented them (who was the meanest man ever. He took our money, and then told us to get the F*** out.) She ran to get back her deposit, and with 10 minutes to spare, I raced back to the station to get us some tickets on the train. I am happy to report that we made it, with two minutes to spare. And unbeknownst to us, we had gotten a ticket on the faster train, with airconditioning. And no seats. But this time, it only took an hour to get back to Taibei. Not too shabby!
We grabbed some dinner at the main station, and some awesome mochi dessert, and I headed back to my room to crash. What can I say, a long day in the salt and the sun takes it out of you.
It didn't start out so hot. Saturday morning, I woke up early, and I was exhausted. I still hadn't heard back from my friend Jan after sending him a couple of texts inviting him to the beach the night before. I assumed he was dead. I had to meet my friend Claire at the main train station (which is essentially a zoo) at 10, meaning that I had to get my ass into gear rather early so that I could be a functioning human by the time I had to interact with other people.
When I got to the train station, I figured out that it was just me and Claire going, so we bought some tickets on the next train, and headed out. It was only two dollars for an hour and a half train ride: not too shabby, if I do say so myself. We had to stand the whole way, because there weren't actually enough seats for everyone, and the air conditioning definitely could have been better, I am not going to lie. I don't know if you have smelled a bunch of Chinese people with no air conditioning, but it is not a beautiful thing, let me tell you.
Once we got there, it was only a five minute walk to the beach, but it was hot, and absolutely perfect beach weather. Bring on the awesome day. We got some food at a local restaurant for lunch, before deciding to hit the beach.
We saw the beach, and naturally, walked in that direction, before we figured out that we would have to go a different way. But it was beautiful once we got there. The sand was perfect, the water was clear. We had to walk through a small river to get to the beach, because I think that we went a wrong way. Not the main road, anyway. But we got to the right place eventually. And we rented a tent for 7 dollars for the whole day, and jumped straight into the water. That is the life right there, let me tell you.
We stayed in the water for about an hour, just talking, and enjoying the eaves and the sand and the salt. It was beautiful. 20 minutes on the beach, and then back into the water for 20. I am never living in a cold place again.
In the end, we hadn't quite timed our departure very well. We were very close to not making the right train, because Claire had to be back at a certain time, and she wanted to get her deposit back from the guy who rented them (who was the meanest man ever. He took our money, and then told us to get the F*** out.) She ran to get back her deposit, and with 10 minutes to spare, I raced back to the station to get us some tickets on the train. I am happy to report that we made it, with two minutes to spare. And unbeknownst to us, we had gotten a ticket on the faster train, with airconditioning. And no seats. But this time, it only took an hour to get back to Taibei. Not too shabby!
We grabbed some dinner at the main station, and some awesome mochi dessert, and I headed back to my room to crash. What can I say, a long day in the salt and the sun takes it out of you.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Post Midterms Lag
So we had midterms yesterday. Don't get me wrong, I studied. But I had been wishing that I had been more scared about them, because then I would have been more motivated to study. But I tried, and I found that the midterms actually weren't as bad as I thought they were going to be. Totally managable. It's funny how often that happens. You work yourself into a tizzy the night before over the midterms, and then you get to the actual test? Piece of cake.
It took me forever to fall asleep last night, and I felt like a zombie when I woke up this morning. I have quite the system down now, I roll out of bed, put a bra on (I can't go outside with everything swinging!) and go down to the 7 Eleven to buy fruit and a small thing of milk. Then I make oatmeal, and check my facebook. I know, I lead an exciting life. Don't be jealous now.
I do have a confession to make though. My room is kind of disgusting. Not that there is anything growing on the floors or anything, it's just kind of messy. I have hit the point though where I don't want to clean it, because I am only going to be here for three more weeks, so it doesn't seem worth it to me. I'll let someone else deal with the mess. Although I have to admit, there is a small patch of slime on the floor in the bathroom, because it never totally dries out, and I have no shower curtain. If they don't give me a shower curtain, then I am not responsible for what they have to clean up later. That's all I am saying. But maybe I am being petty.
When I got to class today, I was on fire. We were doing a section on the population crisis, and it was a really easy section. Only one other person showed up for class today (clearly, everyone else was dreading getting our test scores back) but it actually turned out really well. The other guy in my class was from New Zealand, and between the two of us, it was a fun class. I learned how to say "exponential function" today. Think I can call myself bilingual yet?
My other class was kind of a mild disaster. There were three of us, and we were all so tired and dead. After ten minutes, our teacher just stopped, and laughed at us for looking so tired. I couldn't blame her. I would have laughed at us too. I was so exhausted I couldn't think straight. I kept getting lost half way through her sentences. In my single class, I just kept staring at my teacher, thinking, this class has to end. I was that tired.
Thankfully, I got a nap. After a trusty lunch from my favorite bao zi place. I swear, they see me coming, and they just know what I want. I love those guys.
It's bed time for me. We shall talk again soon :)
It took me forever to fall asleep last night, and I felt like a zombie when I woke up this morning. I have quite the system down now, I roll out of bed, put a bra on (I can't go outside with everything swinging!) and go down to the 7 Eleven to buy fruit and a small thing of milk. Then I make oatmeal, and check my facebook. I know, I lead an exciting life. Don't be jealous now.
I do have a confession to make though. My room is kind of disgusting. Not that there is anything growing on the floors or anything, it's just kind of messy. I have hit the point though where I don't want to clean it, because I am only going to be here for three more weeks, so it doesn't seem worth it to me. I'll let someone else deal with the mess. Although I have to admit, there is a small patch of slime on the floor in the bathroom, because it never totally dries out, and I have no shower curtain. If they don't give me a shower curtain, then I am not responsible for what they have to clean up later. That's all I am saying. But maybe I am being petty.
When I got to class today, I was on fire. We were doing a section on the population crisis, and it was a really easy section. Only one other person showed up for class today (clearly, everyone else was dreading getting our test scores back) but it actually turned out really well. The other guy in my class was from New Zealand, and between the two of us, it was a fun class. I learned how to say "exponential function" today. Think I can call myself bilingual yet?
My other class was kind of a mild disaster. There were three of us, and we were all so tired and dead. After ten minutes, our teacher just stopped, and laughed at us for looking so tired. I couldn't blame her. I would have laughed at us too. I was so exhausted I couldn't think straight. I kept getting lost half way through her sentences. In my single class, I just kept staring at my teacher, thinking, this class has to end. I was that tired.
Thankfully, I got a nap. After a trusty lunch from my favorite bao zi place. I swear, they see me coming, and they just know what I want. I love those guys.
It's bed time for me. We shall talk again soon :)
My Realization: 7 Years in the Making
I had a realization today, one that I have been waiting for for the entire 6 or 7 years that I have been learning Chinese. I finally realized why I love learning Chinese. I have a good answer! It is one that might be a little difficult to understand if you don't know Chinese, but I will do the best I can to help you. And the reason that I love Chinese has to do with how you speak the language.
Take English for example. I can say a sentence like "I love the weather" or "The weather is marvelous." You have no idea what my attitude is when I am saying this, or how I feel about what I am saying. I could be sad, I could be happy, I could be ambivalent. And these words, when you say them, have no particular meaning in and of themselves: they make no description of the meaning, they are simply words put together to make a sentence, and the sentence is the thing that has the meaning, not the words themselves. But it is not the same with Chinese. Not by a long shot.
For every Chinese character, sure, there is an English translation, but there is also so much more. For every character, there is a meaning that can only be explained to you in Chinese. There is a feeling, a tone to every character, and small specifics as to the use of most characters. Each one also has a feeling that goes along with it. So when you say a sentence in Chinese, the wording matters. Not only are you conveying the actual words that you want to say, but you are also conveying the meaning. You are sending emotions to another person, and therefore you are connecting on a level that you can't in English. There are sentences you can say a million different ways, all depending on the feeling you want to send to someone.
The characters are the same. You aren't just writing A or B or C, you are drawing a picture of what you want to say. You don't see people writing English in beautiful flowing script. But every character is actually a picture, a description. For example, the character for "safe" is literally a woman in a house. The character for "society" is God and earth. So even just writing a typical, easy sentence, you are drawing story, and sharing a little bit of yourself with someone. You are showing them one of your talents, and they are showing you one of theirs back.
This is why I love Chinese. Because when you communicate, you aren't just speaking words, you are showing people some of your feelings and thoughts and hopes. The words you use, and the grammar that you use with it, all is an extension of what you are actually thinking. And it is that story, that connection, that I am obsessed with. There is always so much more going on with Chinese than what you can see on the surface, and getting underneath the surface to the real meaning of the characters is what I have been striving for for nearly 7 years now. That is why I love Chinese. That is what I have been working for. And there is no way, in one life time, that I can ever really understand all of the nuances of Chinese, but I am going to dedicate my life to trying.
Take English for example. I can say a sentence like "I love the weather" or "The weather is marvelous." You have no idea what my attitude is when I am saying this, or how I feel about what I am saying. I could be sad, I could be happy, I could be ambivalent. And these words, when you say them, have no particular meaning in and of themselves: they make no description of the meaning, they are simply words put together to make a sentence, and the sentence is the thing that has the meaning, not the words themselves. But it is not the same with Chinese. Not by a long shot.
For every Chinese character, sure, there is an English translation, but there is also so much more. For every character, there is a meaning that can only be explained to you in Chinese. There is a feeling, a tone to every character, and small specifics as to the use of most characters. Each one also has a feeling that goes along with it. So when you say a sentence in Chinese, the wording matters. Not only are you conveying the actual words that you want to say, but you are also conveying the meaning. You are sending emotions to another person, and therefore you are connecting on a level that you can't in English. There are sentences you can say a million different ways, all depending on the feeling you want to send to someone.
The characters are the same. You aren't just writing A or B or C, you are drawing a picture of what you want to say. You don't see people writing English in beautiful flowing script. But every character is actually a picture, a description. For example, the character for "safe" is literally a woman in a house. The character for "society" is God and earth. So even just writing a typical, easy sentence, you are drawing story, and sharing a little bit of yourself with someone. You are showing them one of your talents, and they are showing you one of theirs back.
This is why I love Chinese. Because when you communicate, you aren't just speaking words, you are showing people some of your feelings and thoughts and hopes. The words you use, and the grammar that you use with it, all is an extension of what you are actually thinking. And it is that story, that connection, that I am obsessed with. There is always so much more going on with Chinese than what you can see on the surface, and getting underneath the surface to the real meaning of the characters is what I have been striving for for nearly 7 years now. That is why I love Chinese. That is what I have been working for. And there is no way, in one life time, that I can ever really understand all of the nuances of Chinese, but I am going to dedicate my life to trying.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Live and Learn
I slept phenomenally last night. Seriously. It was glorious. I went to bed at 11, woke up at 7:45. And I was so fast asleep when I woke up, that I didn't know what the fuck was making noise to wake me up, much less where I was, or what my name was. It took me a couple more minutes of lying there to bring myself back to present. I was quite incapable of thinking of a good reason for me to leave my bed and go to class though. Why on earth would I do that? Unfortunately, I had no choice.
I also slightly screwed up breakfast this morning. That is the one meal of the day that I still really can't figure out. What do I eat? This question is even harder to answer while I am in China. I got a small bowl of cereal and some fruit for breakfast this morning, and planned on getting some bao as a snack on my way to class. However. I ended up talking to someone on the phone for far too long, and only got out of my room with 10 minutes to spare to get across campus and back to class. I made it, but I didn't get any food.
Unfortunately, because I had slept so well, and hadn't gotten enough food this morning, my morning classes were a little interesting. I was so tired, because I still hadn't properly woken up, and I was hungry. By the end of classes, I was in full on bitch mode. I gave my speech about Persephone and Hades, and then only one class to go. And I was SO HUNGRY. I think that I might have been a little cross with some people before I got food. You know how it is.
For lunch, I went with Jan and Will to a small hole in the wall noodle place. I was ready to eat an entire field of cows at this point, so I ordered 6 dumplings and a bowl of noodles. Carbo rush much? But the dumplings were amazingly good. Super fresh, and delicious. The noodles were decent, but I am definitely going to go back for the dumplings. We ran into another Californian while sitting at the table, and I talked to him for a while, but my hunger was still screaming at me. I really shouldn't be let out in public when I am hungry. It just isn't fair.
After lunch, I made the terrible decision to go to the gym. I was full on a ridiculous amount of carbs, but I still decided that lifting a bunch of heavy weight would be a good idea. Duh. I am never doing the whole sugar low, sugar high thing again. That was a terrible idea. I feel so embarrassed. I am going to have to eat by myself for the rest of the week.
The gym did not go so well, surprise surprise. I was so full, and I could barely do anything. I did some bench pressing, but abs were strictly out of the question. It only took half an hour for my stomach to be upset and my head to be spinning. I wish I could say I was surprised. I called it quits, and headed back home. I know, I am ashamed too. I showered, and took a nap. It is so god damned hot I have to nap all the time.
My one hour nap turned into a two hour nap, and then it was time to do my homework, and get dinner.
The only other happy thing that happened was that I went to play pool. Even though there was airconditioning in the pool room, it was filled with smoke. I smelled like an ash tray by the end of the night. Don't get any ideas, I am absolutely terrible at pool: I will occassionally make some good shots, but those are totally flukes. But it was a lot of fun. I had a splitting headache by the end of the night because of the smoke, but what are you going to do? It was totally worth it.
I also slightly screwed up breakfast this morning. That is the one meal of the day that I still really can't figure out. What do I eat? This question is even harder to answer while I am in China. I got a small bowl of cereal and some fruit for breakfast this morning, and planned on getting some bao as a snack on my way to class. However. I ended up talking to someone on the phone for far too long, and only got out of my room with 10 minutes to spare to get across campus and back to class. I made it, but I didn't get any food.
Unfortunately, because I had slept so well, and hadn't gotten enough food this morning, my morning classes were a little interesting. I was so tired, because I still hadn't properly woken up, and I was hungry. By the end of classes, I was in full on bitch mode. I gave my speech about Persephone and Hades, and then only one class to go. And I was SO HUNGRY. I think that I might have been a little cross with some people before I got food. You know how it is.
For lunch, I went with Jan and Will to a small hole in the wall noodle place. I was ready to eat an entire field of cows at this point, so I ordered 6 dumplings and a bowl of noodles. Carbo rush much? But the dumplings were amazingly good. Super fresh, and delicious. The noodles were decent, but I am definitely going to go back for the dumplings. We ran into another Californian while sitting at the table, and I talked to him for a while, but my hunger was still screaming at me. I really shouldn't be let out in public when I am hungry. It just isn't fair.
After lunch, I made the terrible decision to go to the gym. I was full on a ridiculous amount of carbs, but I still decided that lifting a bunch of heavy weight would be a good idea. Duh. I am never doing the whole sugar low, sugar high thing again. That was a terrible idea. I feel so embarrassed. I am going to have to eat by myself for the rest of the week.
The gym did not go so well, surprise surprise. I was so full, and I could barely do anything. I did some bench pressing, but abs were strictly out of the question. It only took half an hour for my stomach to be upset and my head to be spinning. I wish I could say I was surprised. I called it quits, and headed back home. I know, I am ashamed too. I showered, and took a nap. It is so god damned hot I have to nap all the time.
My one hour nap turned into a two hour nap, and then it was time to do my homework, and get dinner.
The only other happy thing that happened was that I went to play pool. Even though there was airconditioning in the pool room, it was filled with smoke. I smelled like an ash tray by the end of the night. Don't get any ideas, I am absolutely terrible at pool: I will occassionally make some good shots, but those are totally flukes. But it was a lot of fun. I had a splitting headache by the end of the night because of the smoke, but what are you going to do? It was totally worth it.
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