Everything's Smaller in Asia

It’s Thursday afternoon. Usually that would mean I would have one more loooonnnnggg work day to go before the weekend, but not this week! We get the 4^th of July off, even here, and we’re going to celebrate right.

 

Tonight at midnight we’ll board an overnight bus for Kaohsiung and then it’s back to Kenting. We have a beach house for two nights. It’s probably a beach shack because everything’s smaller in Asia but we’re going to have an amazing time no matter how tiny our place is, how exhausted we are, or how long it takes to get there.

 

But more about that next week. It’s time to reflect on days past.

 

Last weekend started with the USC office’s monthly Happy Hour. It was held at a bar near Taipei 101, and we rolled in around 7:00 to mix and mingle. I met alums, new students, and those with no legitimate connection to USC, including a random American guy wearing a shirt with license plates all over it. But even despite the interlopers the Trojan Spirit was palpable. There’s something pretty neat about traveling halfway across the world and going to a gathering where the USC flag hangs proudly.

 

After Happy Hour our group hit up a local club called Babe 18 for a fun night. We were like rock stars again, practically the only non-Taiwanese people there, so in typical Global Fellows fashion drew a lot of attention to ourselves. That night brought my dancing on stage in Taipei tally to three.

 

Saturday allowed a little bit of sleeping in, as we didn’t have to be at the SCendoff until 1:00. For those not affiliated with USC, a SCendoff is a gathering where incoming USC students can get a little more information about how to prepare for their transition to USC and meet other incoming students from their area.

 

SCendoffs are held across the U.S. (not in Louisiana, though, it’s apparently too hick or something to merit one) and also in many international locations. The one in Taipei drew a crowd of about 110. Taiwan is something like the number five exporter of students to U.S. places of higher education and USC has a large international student population especially in its graduate schools.

 

As we Fellows instinctively put up two fingers in the USC victory sign and started fighting on while on stage in front of all the students, I was reminded that their experience with the Trojan Family had not really begun yet. Some people followed our lead and enthusiastically put up the victory sign, some did so more shyly, and some didn’t do it at all.  But that’ll change soon.

 

I can’t imagine what it’s like to move to an entirely new country for college: I was a nervous wreck just moving to another state! I really admire the students from Taipei who are going to make such a big journey in August and wish them all the best.

 

Following the conclusion of the SCendoff we joined some alums plus Pei and Jeanie from the USC office and had a gluttonous dinner at a delicious restaurant. It was one of those places where the food just seems to keep coming and coming, and where you start to feel your stomach expand to pregnancy status. We were hungry, and it was good.

 

A pleasant stroll on the streets of Taipei back to our hotel ended the activities of the night. I love that it never gets chilly here. Yes, it is sometimes uncomfortably hot during the day but the nights are mild and warm. It has been wonderful not to have to worry about bringing a sweater wherever I go. Just an umbrella.

 

On Sunday I got some much-needed rest, waking up around noon refreshed and with no thought of needing more sleep. I hopped on the MRT and went alone to the National Palace Museum, which has in its collection more Chinese artifacts than any other place in the world – including China.

 

I’ve never been a museum person, but as the National Palace museum is a must-see in every guidebook I felt obliged to check it out. The exterior is vast and stunning with huge, white, temple-like buildings carved into a hill.  My camera was out of battery power, otherwise I would have taken pictures.

 

The inside of the museum was standard. I always feel guilty when I go to museums that guide books or culture/art aficionados rave about because I just don’t get it. I stop and look at things that catch my eye, but there’s no way I would ever read every information card or spend more than a few seconds at a porcelain bowl. So I powered through the museum in about an hour and peaced out in the pouring rain.

 

After returning to the hotel and drying off – thunderstorms in Taipei are powerful – I joined some other members of our group for a visit to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. Chiang Kai-Shek led the nationalist party exodus to Taiwan in 1949 and is a controversial figure, since he ruled as a dictator. But his hall is definitely nice to look at. We were there at night with barely any other tourists wandering the plaza.

The ground and the grandiose buildings were glistening in the gentle rain, and all the buildings were illuminated.

 

After making our way up the stairs on one of the buildings to get a nice view of the lovely plaza and taking obligatory pictures, we jumped back on the MRT and made a return to the Shilin Night Market.

 

It was sensory overload round two as we traipsed throughout the various food stalls, munching on favorites and new items. I’ve developed an affection for hot dogs here, as I’ve mentioned before, and I had a delicious one with a rice bun and some dumplings. That plus mango milk juice made me feel as though I were going to explode, so I had to turn off the eating for the rest of the night. My sister recently suggested I rename my blog “fatass” and I guess I don’t really have any room to argue with that.

 

This week’s weeknights were pretty chill; they mostly involved eating dinner around the hotel and relaxing. I tried Tuesday night to buy a swim suit for the umpteenth time in the past couple weeks but had no luck. I stupidly only brought one, and I guess it will just have to do. Being an American girl shopping for a bathing suit in Taiwan is just not a pleasant experience. The styles are blah and the sizes are tiny. Saleswomen push you into a miniscule dressing room (note: a curtain hanging from the ceiling that I could see over while standing flat-footed) and recommend styles to try-on. I would just crinkle my nose, shake my head, and walk out feeling defeated.

 

Last night we had a pre-party for Cyndy’s 21^st birthday at Alleycat’s, recommended by the Lonely Planet as having the best pizza in Taipei and the only place to get hard cider on tap. The pizza was so-so (I like my crust thicker) but the cider was really good. It was somewhat like beer, but sweeter.

 

The party continues in Kenting this weekend! Wahoo it’s almost the weekend!