The Past Few Weeks
Arriving in Taiwan
I will try my best to remember all the important events that took place over the past few weeks when I should have been keeping a journal. I arrived in Taiwan via Singapore Airlines on May 12th. Singapore Airlines definitely lives up to its reputation for being one of the best airlines in the world. The friendly service, comfortable seats, good food, and TV screens on each seat, is definitely missing in almost all American companies. It is well worth the hundred dollar difference between Singapore Airlines and Northwest. We arrived in Taipei around 7am and then drove to Nantou. The next few days were spent adjusting to Taiwan time and meeting Vivian's family and family friends.
Taiwanese Customs
Getting used to traditional Taiwanese customs in not easy. When you invite people over for a dinner party in America, you usually sit down at a table, eat some food, walk around, drink some beer, eat dessert, watch TV, etc. The Taiwanese dinner party is quite different. Upon arrival everyone gathers around a large table and sits. This is the place that you will be for the next few hours. Many dishes are served. Throughout the dinner you have to thank everyone by drinking with them. Ganbei means finish your glass. We probably had this same experience five or tens times in the first few weeks in Nantou. Everyone likes Vivian's dad. His friends try very hard to make me comfortable in Nantou. One of his friends found out that I like mango and delivered some to Vivian's house. I could never imagine people treating guests like this in the United States. No matter what customs people have, the most important thing is how people treat you.
The Parents Meet
This is another custom that takes place when people decide to get married. The girl's parents invite the guy's parents to discuss the engagement plans. I experienced this tradition when Vivian's sister brought her fiance, Kiki, and his parents to Nantou. Vivian's dad decided to go to a restaurant and bring a bottle of Taiwanese alcohol that he calls "wine". It tastes more like "vodka" though. Vivian's dad and Kiki's dad both got very drunk. Vivian's dad was like a comedian and no one could stop laughing at his jokes. This got a little out of hand when we all realized that neither Vivian or Kiki's dad could walk anymore. When we got back to Vivian's house, Vivian's dad fell asleep drunk. Kiki's dad kept talking. He said "wo shi shei?", which means "who am I"? The tradition is also for each parent to give a gift. After Kiki's parents left, we opened their gift, which happened to be the same bottle of alcohol that they drank earlier in the restaurant.
Korea
As an engagement gift, Vivian's father took us to Korea for a few days. We had another good experience flying Thai Airlines business class. When we arrived in Korea, Vivian's Korean uncle picked us up and took us to the Sunshine Hotel in Seoul. He treated us extremely well from the beginning to the end of the trip. His friend treated us to a dinner at a famous Korean bbq restaurant. The restaurant is owned by the parents of a famous female golfer. I don't follow golf at all, so there is no way I can remember her name. Vivian's uncle's friend was really impressed that I was from Miami and sang the theme to CSI: Miami to me. We went to many of the famous shopping sites in Seoul. The next day we took a trip to Andong, Vivian's uncle's hometown. It's a very traditional city. They have a village where people live the same way their ancestors have been living for the past hundreds of years. Even though the tourists provide a source of income by buying stuff from the locals, they still do not experience the modern life that the rest of Korea enjoys. Vivian's uncle owns a Korean restaurant and he treated everyone to a meal. Out of the many restaurants that we tried, that was the best food experience I had in Korea. After that we went to KTV (Karaoke TV). Vivian hated this place so we left. That's because I danced with a Korean KTV girl that Vivian's uncle's friends hired. The next day we returned to Seoul. We ate dinner on the top of Seoul Tower, which overlooks the entire city. It is a great mix of beautiful scenery and tasty food. I met several people during this trip that treated us really well, especially Vivian's uncle's entire family. Her uncle's daughter Hana (not Hannah) was especially nice. She is an alumni of my college in Taipei! Her mom is Hana-ma (it is Korean custom to change the mom's name to thier "daughter's name" + "ma"). I made a promise that I will return within the next year and hopefully I can keep that promise and return to the land of Hyundai cars and Samsung phones.
Taiwan National Normal University (Shi Da)
I spent the first few days in Taipei at a hostel in Shi Da searching for an apartment. It took awhile to find a good apartment. One landlord was too serious and I didn't feel comfortable renting from her. Another thought she was the greatest person on earth because she rents expensive apartments. Another apartment felt similar to a jail. I have never been in jail, but I hear they have TV and A/C, which would probably make it a little more comfortable than this place. We finally got lucky when aga jie recommended a landlord friend of hers. I live in the basement, but it is not bad at all. I have a TV, Internet, A/C, and all the other things that makes life comfortable. I'm near tons of restaurants, and best of all, I am just a few blocks away from my school. After taking a placement test I was put with students at a similar level than mine. My class has four Japanese guys, two Thai girls, two Indonesian girls, a Korean girl, and me.
I will try my best to remember all the important events that took place over the past few weeks when I should have been keeping a journal. I arrived in Taiwan via Singapore Airlines on May 12th. Singapore Airlines definitely lives up to its reputation for being one of the best airlines in the world. The friendly service, comfortable seats, good food, and TV screens on each seat, is definitely missing in almost all American companies. It is well worth the hundred dollar difference between Singapore Airlines and Northwest. We arrived in Taipei around 7am and then drove to Nantou. The next few days were spent adjusting to Taiwan time and meeting Vivian's family and family friends.
Taiwanese Customs
Getting used to traditional Taiwanese customs in not easy. When you invite people over for a dinner party in America, you usually sit down at a table, eat some food, walk around, drink some beer, eat dessert, watch TV, etc. The Taiwanese dinner party is quite different. Upon arrival everyone gathers around a large table and sits. This is the place that you will be for the next few hours. Many dishes are served. Throughout the dinner you have to thank everyone by drinking with them. Ganbei means finish your glass. We probably had this same experience five or tens times in the first few weeks in Nantou. Everyone likes Vivian's dad. His friends try very hard to make me comfortable in Nantou. One of his friends found out that I like mango and delivered some to Vivian's house. I could never imagine people treating guests like this in the United States. No matter what customs people have, the most important thing is how people treat you.
The Parents Meet
This is another custom that takes place when people decide to get married. The girl's parents invite the guy's parents to discuss the engagement plans. I experienced this tradition when Vivian's sister brought her fiance, Kiki, and his parents to Nantou. Vivian's dad decided to go to a restaurant and bring a bottle of Taiwanese alcohol that he calls "wine". It tastes more like "vodka" though. Vivian's dad and Kiki's dad both got very drunk. Vivian's dad was like a comedian and no one could stop laughing at his jokes. This got a little out of hand when we all realized that neither Vivian or Kiki's dad could walk anymore. When we got back to Vivian's house, Vivian's dad fell asleep drunk. Kiki's dad kept talking. He said "wo shi shei?", which means "who am I"? The tradition is also for each parent to give a gift. After Kiki's parents left, we opened their gift, which happened to be the same bottle of alcohol that they drank earlier in the restaurant.
Korea
As an engagement gift, Vivian's father took us to Korea for a few days. We had another good experience flying Thai Airlines business class. When we arrived in Korea, Vivian's Korean uncle picked us up and took us to the Sunshine Hotel in Seoul. He treated us extremely well from the beginning to the end of the trip. His friend treated us to a dinner at a famous Korean bbq restaurant. The restaurant is owned by the parents of a famous female golfer. I don't follow golf at all, so there is no way I can remember her name. Vivian's uncle's friend was really impressed that I was from Miami and sang the theme to CSI: Miami to me. We went to many of the famous shopping sites in Seoul. The next day we took a trip to Andong, Vivian's uncle's hometown. It's a very traditional city. They have a village where people live the same way their ancestors have been living for the past hundreds of years. Even though the tourists provide a source of income by buying stuff from the locals, they still do not experience the modern life that the rest of Korea enjoys. Vivian's uncle owns a Korean restaurant and he treated everyone to a meal. Out of the many restaurants that we tried, that was the best food experience I had in Korea. After that we went to KTV (Karaoke TV). Vivian hated this place so we left. That's because I danced with a Korean KTV girl that Vivian's uncle's friends hired. The next day we returned to Seoul. We ate dinner on the top of Seoul Tower, which overlooks the entire city. It is a great mix of beautiful scenery and tasty food. I met several people during this trip that treated us really well, especially Vivian's uncle's entire family. Her uncle's daughter Hana (not Hannah) was especially nice. She is an alumni of my college in Taipei! Her mom is Hana-ma (it is Korean custom to change the mom's name to thier "daughter's name" + "ma"). I made a promise that I will return within the next year and hopefully I can keep that promise and return to the land of Hyundai cars and Samsung phones.
Taiwan National Normal University (Shi Da)
I spent the first few days in Taipei at a hostel in Shi Da searching for an apartment. It took awhile to find a good apartment. One landlord was too serious and I didn't feel comfortable renting from her. Another thought she was the greatest person on earth because she rents expensive apartments. Another apartment felt similar to a jail. I have never been in jail, but I hear they have TV and A/C, which would probably make it a little more comfortable than this place. We finally got lucky when aga jie recommended a landlord friend of hers. I live in the basement, but it is not bad at all. I have a TV, Internet, A/C, and all the other things that makes life comfortable. I'm near tons of restaurants, and best of all, I am just a few blocks away from my school. After taking a placement test I was put with students at a similar level than mine. My class has four Japanese guys, two Thai girls, two Indonesian girls, a Korean girl, and me.
posted by Matt Eckmann at 5:10 AM
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