- Chucks are really popular here. Why? The weather here makes canvas shoes completely illogical. But my friend here did say that Taiwanese girls will do anything for fashion...
- All the girls here are so skinny, it'd be impossible to not have an eating disorder if anyone were to move here.
- After absorbing all the advertising, I'm actually starting to believe that porcelain white skin, curly brown hair, and being stick thin really is the way to go. But once I go back to the US, I'll probably go back to thinking tan is pretty. It's all so very confusing!
- I was shopping around today, and I heard a song come on the radio. I knew for SURE that it was Hilary Duff's song, "With Love" (don't knock it, it's catchy). But the lyrics were in Chinese, and the chorus was different. So I wonder, who stole from whom?
- A little disappointed that people here also drive on the right side of the road, and that the phone numbers are also (xxx) xxx-xxxx.
- I still manage to attract every mosquito in the house.
- I haven't been hungry since the day I arrived, but am still being fed 3 meals a day. :sigh: Eating is very tiring, no matter how good the food is.
- Taiwan is so beautiful because it is very mountainous yet is also surrounded by water; I don't think I will ever settle down in a place as boring as Ohio. Watch as things don't go the way I plan and I end up staying in Ohio forever, AUGH!
- Why is everything so crammed together? People really are living on top of one another. On the other hand, it's nice to walk out the door and have a noodle restaurant, convenience store, hair salon and doctor as your next-door neighbors.
- I've witnessed one of the most disgusting things ever - a person shooting his snot onto the street. This is normal here :(
- Clothing here isn't any cheaper. At least clothing that won't dissolve in the washer. The fashion isn't too much different than the US either - babydoll, longer shirts, pregnant-style shirts (heh), flats, hairbands and big belts are trendy here too.
- Mahjong is SO. MUCH. FUN!
- Traditional Chinese weddings are flip-flopped from American weddings (at least this is how my cousin's wedding went). Everyone is invited to the engagement party, and it's a huge ordeal with a reception, DJ, and everything. The wedding is intimate and witnessed by close family, and takes place in the bride's house. The bride serves everyone tea, and when everyone is finished drinking, she collects the cups that now contain a red envelope (which contains money) (I also decided that this was an element that I needed to add to my own wedding, heh). Then she sits on a high chair (the higher the better), and the husband puts on the ring. The mother-in-law puts on a necklace and the father-in-law puts on a bracelet. Then the bride puts a veil in front of her face, and essentially MOVES OUT! She says goodbye to her parents, and takes all her belongings, and she and her husband go to her husband's place. Once there, the husband removes the veil, and that's about all that was on the video. I think I like American-style weddings better ^_^
- Traditional Chinese medicine is all ground roots and herbs. Note to self: Pick up the book that all Chinese doctors have, The Compendium of Materia Medica and try to find out what I ate.
- I really want a scooter, and I believe that New York City should adopt it as the city's main vehicle. Really, it just makes sense.
- Keep looking at my photos and reading the commentary! Still being updated semi-daily: http://www.flickr.com/photos/berderp (As much as I love Flickr, its simplicity, and its community, I really dispise the yearly fee, and I am considering switching...)
