Muddled

With a lot of luck and some help from the storm walls, my apartment survived Typhoon Saola unscathed. No windows broke and flooding was limited to a few spots in the kitchen and living rooms. After talking with local Taiwanese, it seems that it was a pretty average-sized typhoon for the area and its likely that I’ll see a couple more before the year is up.

The weather since has been beautiful more for the most part, with giant sweeping clouds emerging over the mountains interspersed by pockets of blue sky and sunshine. It truly makes for some dramatic scenery, and a great view from my seventh floor balcony. The apartment is on the edge of a huge forest called the Luodong Sports Park. Its truly a comprehensive athletics center–complete with clay and concrete tennis courts, basketball courts, racquetball, outdoor swimming pools, workout equipment, a chess pavilion and taiqi stages throughout. Best of all, all of these features are free to the public and surrounded by gardens, a winding stream, and a lilly-filled lake. I couldn’t sleep a few nights back and ended up going for a prolonged run throughout the many trails of the forest. It was a literal breath of fresh air, and felt miles away from the hustle of the city just a few blocks away.

I’ve also started to get to know the area a little better, but this is a pretty difficult feat do to the fact that you never know what will be open in this town. I feel like I am playing a game of restaurant

roulette every time I step out of our front gate because a new store front will be open and one that was there just hours before will be closed. I still haven’t figured out the exact timing or days of each stores operation–I have only seen the ice cream shop next door open twice since arriving–but I’m at least getting used to the process. This is a major difference I’ve noticed with China, where shops are generally open at the same time every day with very extensive hours. The Taiwan way makes for some getting used to, but it definitely keeps things interesting.

A couple of days ago, I happened upon a dumpling (水餃）shop two doors down that I had never seen before. Upon entering I was greeted by a boisterous woman who proceeded to jab at my Beijing accent and mainland vocabulary while whipping up the best dumplings I’ve had in Taiwan yet. Since it was 3:00 on a Sunday, I was the only customer and the shop-owner sat down across from me. We talked for at least half an hour, and by the time I left she told me to call her Ayi–Auntie in Chinese. She also promised to teach me how to sound like a real Taiwanese and get rid of that telling accent of mine.

Looking back,  I’m not sure how much I want to gain a Taiwanese accent, but I do know I’m happy to have a friend in the neighborhood.