First Christmas in Taipei

Since Halloween, I’ve been dreading Christmas.  It seems odd, as this is typically my FAVORITE time of the year, but honestly, I’ve not been looking forward to it.  My experience of Taipei thus far has been a positive one, and I’ve felt more or less ‘at home’.  Knowing that I’ve never experienced a Christmas away from my family, AND my family makes Christmas a BIG deal, I was really fearful that homesickness would set in, ruining my positive experience.

Terry has been awesome at doing whatever he can to ensure that we are comfortable and settling in.  To help get us in the holiday spirit, he ensured that we were well stocked with Christmas music, which he faithfully played every morning and evening…in fact, I am now glad that Christmas is over so that I don’t have to listen to it any longerJ. 

At the very last minute prior to our departure, I grabbed a small box of decorations and a small box of ornaments from our Christmas stash and added them to our few precious things which we shipped over to Taipei.  I’m very glad I did as the few decorations we put up really livened up the place and had me feeling a bit more optimistic about this holiday.  To round things out, we took a trip down ‘holiday alley’, which is an area of Taipei where many wholesalers sell their wares to the Taiwanese public (read…cheap ‘Made in Taiwan’ goods).  We were able to purchase our X-mas tree, lights, about 4 strands of garland, and various Xmas wreaths and other decorations for a whopping $60 in total.  One of the benefits of having a small apartment is that it is quite easy to decorate, and a little goes a long way, and the few purchases we made truly made the place simply magical and beautiful!  With all the decorations up, it started to look and feel a lot more like Christmas.

Brianna in particular had a few moments of touch and go as she was missing many of the holiday festivities we participate in back in the USA.  To help battle it, I allowed the girls to invite 3 friends each and we had a mini-Christmas party, complete with cookie decorating, candy-making and a gift exchange.  The girls had a great time and Brianna seemed much happier after that J.

Elaine and Brianna both had class Christmas programs as the European school celebrates Christmas.  For Elaine, her program consisted of a few group songs sang amongst the pre-school, kindergarden, and 1^st grades; as well as each class singing 2 songs separately.  Elaine was even playing the tambourine in one of them…quite the sight.  Brianna’s program was put on by the 2-6 grade classes.  It was also 1 hour and 45 minutes!!!  Some of you were able to catch it live as it was broadcast on the web.  Some of the skits were quite entertaining and funny and some were…well, let’s just say that it was a VERY LONG show!  The super odd thing about it is that it ended with a Nativity scene complete with Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.  Mary even explains how difficult it was travelling while she was pregnant.  I think this was the first time I’ve ever experienced a nativity scene outside of church.  It was a rather odd sight to see; however, it seemed that none of the folks there seemed to mind, and like much here in Taipei, I simply ‘went with the flow’.

The week before Christmas was probably my favorite time here.  I was surprised by how much Taipei gets into Christmas.  There are lights, trees, Christmas carols and other decorations everywhere.  Even the bus drivers were wearing Santa hats and red suits.  Brianna’s excitement about Christmas approaching was contagious.  Each day the week of Christmas I had to go to Chinese class and Terry stayed home with the girls (he had a one-week mandatory shut-down).  When I came home, I was treated to home-made ornaments Brianna had made for Santa Claus as a gift, pictures of wreaths and other Christmas items which Elaine used to decorate her room, a sign which said ‘Landing Strip for Santa Here’, and other fun surprises.  We took a few days to complete our shopping, which consisted of taking the girls to the Taipei Main Station underground mall to shop for each other.  They really loved picking out gifts for each other then coming home and wrapping their gifts.  I was very happy to see them bonding in a more meaningful way.  It seems that the holiday season was in full swing!

As if we didn’t have enough to look forward to, it seemed almost every day we were greeted by a package lovingly sent by our family in the USA.  The girls were beside themselves with excitement as they brought the packages upstairs and began to guess what was in each one.

Christmas morning was LOTS of fun for us.  Terry and I were prepared to be very tired as we had gone to bed very late Christmas Eve; however, to our surprise, the girls slept in until 7:45!  We were delighted!  The girls were patient enough to wait until Terry and I grabbed some coffee and put the Christmas music on.  They then dug into their presents with fervor.  Just watching their excitement and sincere appreciation for the beautiful gifts they received REALLY helped me get over my fears of homesickness.  I really felt at home with them and was relieved to see how thankful they were for their gifts.

The toughest part about Christmas was the afternoon.  I cannot remember a Christmas which was not crazy busy.  My personal experience of Christmas Day is one where we are frantically running from one family’s home to another, trying to rest along the way and ensure that everyone is happy.  This Christmas, we had no where to go and no family to see…in fact, Terry and I let the girls stay home by themselves, and he and I escaped to the gym for a few hours.  We then went to the traditional market and picked up a few things…it seemed like any other day.  That was tough for me as I was really missing the hustle and bustle.  It seemed….well…ordinary.  Thankfully, we had planned a very special evening which made up for whatever I had been feeling.

In the evening, we all dressed up in our fanciest Christmas clothes and hopped on a bus to downtown Taipei to the Grand Hyatt, where we had dinner reservations.  The Grand Hyatt, for those of you who are unfamiliar with Taipei, is one of Taipei’s nicest hotels and is quite formal.  We were NOT disappointed.  Not only was the décor very traditional and beautiful, but the food was fabulous!  We dined at the Café, which had a buffet serving American food as well as Chinese food.  The girls were just as excited as Terry and I were.  While we ate, we were treated to a quartet singing Christmas Carols (which I must say did get me very misty…I am REALLY missing singing, especially this time of year) as well as Santa Claus, who came with gifts for the kids.  We even received a photo of the kids with Santa…granted, this Santa looked VERY different from the ones back at home, but hey…at least we did not break the tradition of the kids’ picture with Santa!  After dinner, we went into the lobby, where a full choir was singing Christmas Carols.  It was quite a lovely sound and yes, as much as I tried to hide it, I did get very misty-eyed as I really did miss my family, the music, singing, and well…let’s just say that music moves me in a way that nothing else can.  I had been fighting the many ups and downs of the holiday season and given that it is such an emotional time of year, I found that music really brought out many emotions in me…and not all of them sad J.

We rounded the night off with a walk around Taipei 101 area, which was just lovely (sorry, I can't get the picture to rotate!).  There were lights and trees and people everywhere.  It was very magical and everyone seemed to have a good time.

I will tell you that there were moments (mostly when I heard people singing Christmas carols) when I was homesick and emotional; however, given how much I had feared the holiday season, my expectations were exceeded.  I have been grateful that Taipei does get into Christmas and VERY grateful for modern technology which allowed us to see most of our relatives and talk with them for quite a while on Christmas.

I will also confess that given the choice, I would prefer to spend Christmas in the USA with our families.  That being said; however, practically speaking that will not always be possible.  Our family created some fun new traditions which made our first intimate Christmas very memorable.  We were able to spend some quiet time together simply appreciating one another and the many blessings we bring into each other’s lives in a very deep way.  While I do look forward to the day when we will celebrate this special holiday with our extended family, I at least know now that spending Christmas in Taipei is not something I need to fear any longer.  For that, I am very grateful.

I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday filled with many memories and spirit.  

Our First Thanksgiving

We are fortunate to have met some pretty amazing people here in Taipei. Among those are the Hodowany’s, Judy and John, and their two kids Audrey and Kyle, who were introduced to us by a mutual friend (THANKS Carl!).

Judy is the epitome of Taiwan hospitality. During my first month here Judy not only introduced me to her hair dresser, but made my first appointment, AND went with me to ensure that it went ok (check out the pics of me later…it looks fine to me!!). She also took quite a bit of time to show me around the university district and all of the universities which offer Chinese Language Classes. Judy was well aware that enrolling in Chinese class ASAP was paramount as it is all-too-easy to get caught up with distractions. Any time I needed help (calling a restaurant for a reservation, checking out information on a website), there was Judy playing translator and tour guide. I owe quite a bit of my early successes to her!

John to me sets the bar. John is a Caucasian man who has been living in Taipei for the past 4 years. In those four years, he has managed to not only conquer the Chinese language, but he reads, writes….hell, he even implemented SAP at his workplace in Chinese! John is now running a Taiwanese business...awe inspiring to say the least! I can honestly say that he is the smartest person I know…and is quite humble about it too, which makes it really hard to not like the guy!

Knowing that none of our schedules would allow for Thanksgiving off (as the British/European school would obviously not celebrate it, and neither did HP Taipei nor my Chinese class), we thought it would be nice to have a Thanksgiving meal the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. As Thanksgiving is about friends and fellowship, we invited the Hodowany’s to come to our small place for a ‘Taiwanese’ Thanksgiving.

Believe it or not, one may find turkeys here in Taipei; however, given the size of our kitchen and the lack of a real oven, we opted to purchase two small roasted chickens from our local Carrefour (think French Safeway). I made mashed potatoes and gravy (which definitely was NOT my best…just hard to do gravy w/o the turkey drippings!), candied carrots (no one in our family cares for candied yams for some odd reason!) and baked brie. The Hodowany’s brought stuffing (which was quite tasty despite being cooked on the stove…again, no ovens people!!!), salad, and a DELICIOUS home-made cranberry sauce (which my girls ate ravenously for breakfast each morning after!!!). I knew I invited the right people when Judy mentioned to me that she found apple pie and pumpkin pie…just like home!!! I pulled out all the stops after dinner when I brought out the mulling spices and made spiced cider.

Terry made the afternoon complete with a football game he had downloaded earlier…while it wasn’t the Cowboys, we all enjoyed watching a bit of the Patriots and the Colts (DAMN what a game!!!).

We ate with abandon and once we realized we simply could eat no more, we went outside and enjoyed the park…partially to work off our meal and partially to allow the kids to work off some energy…being cooped up in our small apartment can take a toll!

The afternoon and evening went very smoothly and we found ourselves enjoying our friends’ company more and more…I was quite sad when the evening came to an end.

I can say that Thanksgiving was a bit different…there was no turkey, the gravy and stuffing tasted ‘close’ but not the same…BUT…the feeling of Thanksgiving…the friends, family, sharing a great meal..ALL of the real essential elements were there. While we did miss our family a bit, we all were so very thankful to share a great day with friends. When the evening eventually came to a close, Terry and I both reflected on the many things we have to be thankful for.

We are thankful for the obvious…we are thankful for this amazing experience and opportunity we have, but there’s so much more. We are thankful that the girls are adapting and are accepting of this opportunity in which they were given no choice. I am thankful for new friends who are gracious enough to share their precious time with us. I am thankful that the apartment we chose to live in just happens to be in the ‘perfect’ spot…a great neighborhood with great people and convenient transportation! I am thankful that everyone around me is patient as I try to learn this language. I am thankful that Terry is supportive and is able to provide this opportunity for us. I am eternally grateful for the support and fellowship of my friends back in the USA who write to me frequently and share with me so that I don’t feel so homesick, particularly at this time of year.

I am thankful to you all who read this blog. I have been surprised at how much I enjoy writing, and I simply giggle with delight at each comment you provide.

Blessings to you all this holiday season. Truly there is much to be thankful for!

Green Island

Given that I am not working for an income during our tenure in Taiwan, I have been designated ‘vacation planner’ as one of my ‘job titles’. It sounds easy enough until YOU try navigating your way around mostly Chinese web sites trying to translate!

So, I’m faced with finding places for us to go; however, our choices are somewhat limited. You see, we must stay in Taiwan for 4 months before qualifying for National Health Insurance, which is Taiwan’s subsidized health care system. OK, so someplace in Taiwan it is!!!

This being the week of Christmas seems like the perfect time to take a vacation. Only one problem….while everyone else is enjoying some well-deserved time off, I have Chinese school. Yes, in fact, class is in session even on Christmas day, sadly. So, I must skip school that day to spend it w/the family…but I digress…back to vacation!

After lots of internet surfing and asking around to various people here in Taipei, I booked us 4 days and 3 nights on Green Island, a small island off the south-east coast of Taiwan, in Taitung County. The travel agent I spoke with assured me that while it is low-season on Green Island, the average temperature is somewhere around 16-20 degrees (which is about 68-75 degrees). So, not knowing what to expect, I booked the trip, which included hotel, snorkeling, scooter rental, and a trip to a natural salt-water hot spring (one of only 3 in the world).

As few as 2 weeks ago, it was about 75-78 degrees in Taipei, so I felt we would be ok UNTIL….about 3 days before we left, the weather dropped significantly. On the day we left, the high was about 62 degrees. Always the optimist, I was not swayed as the southern part of Taiwan is typically warmer than the northern part. So, not knowing what to expect, we hopped on a train for the next 5 ½ hours down to Taitung where we would spend one night as the ferry to Green Island wouldn’t leave until Saturday morning. Our hotel was definitely very ‘local’….not quite as nice as a Motel 6, but it was clean, and it was only for one night, so I thought, why not?

Oh yes, I forgot to mention one key piece of information…it is quite common and expected that Taiwanese homes and hotels do NOT have heaters, as it doesn’t typically get that cold. To battle the cold weather, people either pile on the blankets else they purchase portable heaters.

Saturday morning, quite tired from getting to bed late Friday night, we boarded the ferry to Green Island. I had heard that the ferry could be rough, so we all took some Dramamine prior to leaving. I knew it was a bad sign when we noticed plastic baggies by every window. Terry looked at me nervously after we boarded and said ‘better sit towards the back…the security guard told me that is the best place to avoid motion sickness…she also said that today was an especially rough day’…an ominous statement indeed. To say that the ferry ride was rough is an understatement. Not one of us 4 took our eyes off the window during the entire 45 minute ride as the boat continued to get knocked around on the way over. Elaine giggled with glee over the process, and I was alright until the last 15 minutes, when my head finally began to feel a bit woozy. We were one of the lucky ones…many people got a LOT of use out of the plastic baggies J.

Upon arriving on Green Island, we were transported to our hotel, ‘Jack’s Boutique Hotel’, a charming name indeed. From the outside; however, it looked very ‘local’. A girlfriend of mine who recommended Green Island as a destination had mentioned that the accommodations at most places weren’t very luxurious; however, I was a bit surprised at how ‘local’ the place was! On the inside, the hotel looked like a surf shack, and it was about as nice as the hotel in Taitung. However, the hotel owners were quite nice and the place was clean, and given the price we paid….it wasn’t so bad. The only thing which I REALLY did not like was that the floors were all concrete tiles and with the weather being cold, the room was pretty chilly. Oh yes, and as part of our ‘service package’, we were expected to make up our own room…I don’t think I’ve ever stayed in a place where the beds weren’t made, but there’s a first for everything!

Given our bumpy boat ride over and the weather, I braced myself for a lot of complaining and whining. The girls were definitely not in the best of moods; however, after a hot meal and with some coaxing from Terry (who can help but be happy when Terry’s entertaining???), everyone got in the spirit. Our package included the use of 2 scooters, which everyone found WAY cool to ride on. Armed and ready to go, we went off to explore the island. First stop…salt water hot springs.

The hot springs on Green Island are one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. The hot springs reside in a park built by Green Island which embraces the natural beauty of the coast line with the hot springs. The park is built right on the coast line and some of the hot spring pools are literally right on the beach…although they were closed when we went due to the high winds and cold weather. Outside in the elements, the park has a number of cooler pools with showers and gorgeous sitting areas surrounding the area, with one VERY VERY hot spring in the middle (it was too hot for any of us to try…even with the weather as cold as it was!). The park had one closed-in building which contained a hot spring pool where we all decided to congregate. It reminded me of an indoor pool you’d see in Hokaido (not that I’ve ever been) or in Tahoe. It was absolutely breath-taking. We all warmed up quickly, except Elaine who took about 45 minutes to get used to the temperature! I wound up holding her most of the time so that she wouldn’t get too cold. When she finally was able to get in, most of us were ready to go, but such is life, eh? With more relaxed attitudes and warm bodies, we rode our scooters into town to a place called ‘Crazy Fried’, which had a nice, bright cheery décor. We were greeted by a very friendly woman who promised us a great meal. We were not disappointed.

We warmed up with a hot bowl of rice soup, but the best part by far was the pork braised with basil…the best I’ve had since coming to Taiwan!! It was THAT good. Brianna ate about ½ the plate I think! We also had some ahi sashimi, of which Elaine ate ½. I guess the girls were hungry after all. We lounged for quite some time, chatting w/the owner about Green Island. We found that apparently, we picked the coldest weekend to come, as the owner said she’s never experienced such cold weather in all her 5 years here.

After discovering that there is NO night life on Green Island, we bought some UNO cards and some candy at 7-11 and went back to the room to goof off. Terry fell asleep fast, as he did not nap that afternoon when the rest of us did. The girls and I played cards for a few hours then watched movies until we were tired enough to sleep. We were hoping for a break in the weather, as apparently the best snorkeling time is at 8am. With the alarm set for 7am, I went to sleep with high hopes for a warm morning.

The next morning, I got up quickly and went out for a cup of coffee to see how warm the weather was. After riding my scooter the short distance to the 7-11, I realized that snorkeling in 60-degree WINDY weather was NOT the way to start the day. So, we opted for a nice breakfast and a scooter ride around the island instead. I tell you…riding these scooters around the island was the BEST part. The ride around the island is only about 1 hour, and the entire road is along the coast line. The island is lined with giant volcanic rocks and dramatic cliffs with the bluest ocean I’ve ever seen. We stopped quite frequently to take in the views, check out some cool caves, and just enjoy ourselves. Check out the climb in this picture. That tiny orange dot is me with the girls...climbing the 'Little Great Wall' out to the cliffs overlooking the island. The view was amazing!!

While the weather is less than perfect, it’s not as cold as I was expecting. With long pants and warm coats, we were all quite comfortable riding around in the elements. Yes, it was very windy, but the trade-off was that there were no cars or scooters on the road. We felt as if we had the whole place to ourselves. The food was fabulous and the girls had plenty of time to rest and watch their movies. As you can see, I’ve benefitted as well as I FINALLY have time to update my blog!!!

While I cannot say it’s the BEST vacation we’ve ever had, I will say that the Island is absolutely worth coming to. The place is very local, quite charming in its unspoiled way, and relaxing. Given the fast pace that life has taken since I’ve started Chinese class, this way definitely the break we all needed.

For the rest of the pics (taken w/Terry's fancy new camera), check out Terry's web album at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tmohr2/GreenIsland#

My First Day of Chinese Class!

I thought I’d write a quick note to let everyone know that I started Chinese classes today. In typical Taiwanese fashion, I was notified last Thursday that the school decided to open the morning class I needed. I was then instructed to come to the school that afternoon to pay the tuition. Thankfully, I had called earlier in the week and had been expecting this to happen, hence I had planned that time! Once there, I was then asked to come to the student orientation which was scheduled for the following day at 2pm….naturally. Of COURSE I had nothing else on my calendar!!! Obviously, I did not make it. I was told that I wouldn't need the book for 2 weeks, so I put off buying it. I was also able to find my classroom # and the time of the class from the website so at least I knew where to go and when.

This morning, I left with more than enough time to get to school, as I did not want to stress out about arriving on time on my first day. I found that I had enough time to walk from the MRT station to the school, which is about a 20+ minute walk. Given that we had celebrated Thanksgiving with friends the previous day, I could use the extra walk (I’ll blog about that later this week)!!

My class has about 8 students; 3 from Vietnam, 2 from Japan, 2 from Thailand, and me. Prior to today, I had been very proud of all the Mandarin I had acquired and had expected to breeze through the first week or two, until the class exhausted the few catch phrases I’ve picked up. Much to my surprise, the teacher asked (it’s all in Mandarin of course…no English spoken!!!!) everyone to come up and introduce themselves. She then asked a few questions of everyone. I was very humbled when every person there introduced themselves in Mandarin, said what nationality they were, how long they had been in Taiwan (most have been in Taiwan less than one week!!!!) and what their age is (except me…is this age discrimination??!!!). Needless to say, I KNOW I’m going to have a LOT of work ahead of me given where the starting point is!

I found out that I DID indeed need the book today, and yes, apparently, I was the only one who didn't know this, so I quickly ran up the 4 flights of stairs to grab one (like I said...gotta work off that dinner from yesterday!) Today we learned the basic Mandarin sounds…the ‘buh puh muh fuh’. Any Mandarin speaker can tell you the sounds used when first learning Chinese/Mandarin and identify the characters that are associated. This is how Mandarin speakers learn to pronunciate new characters. It’s the equivalent of phonics in English. I’ve often wondered how a Mandarin speaker knows how to pronounce a character when there is no alphabet. Now I know…they use the ‘buh puh muh fuh’ characters.

When I accompanied Brianna to Chinese school in California, I was introduced to what I thought was the 'buh puh muh fuh'; however, I soon learned that the school in California taught ‘pin yin’, which uses the English alphabet to pronounce the Chinese sounds. So, while I'm pretty good at the pin ying, one can imagine now how difficult it is for me to try and memorize the sounds using the Chinese characters! You can see my attempts at ‘drill and kill’ (sorry for the sideways picture)…I figure if I write the characters enough, perhaps some of them will be committed to memory? Personally, I’m praying that the teacher takes pity and lets us use the pin ying. If I have to use the traditional Chinese characters to pronounce and spell words, it will take me three times as long!!!

After the first hour of just practicing our new sounds, my jaw felt like I had been grinding my teeth all night long. I think I was so focused on getting a good accent that I held my jaw clamped tight nfor about 2 hours straight. As I'm writing this, I'm still sore!

The three hour class went by surprisingly quickly and before I could get a full-on headache from all the new characters, I was released from class. Knowing that I had my second job to go to (picking up the kids), I decided to relax and read a brainless novel on the way to the girls’ school…it was just what I needed. I found that I was mentally exhausted from the class. I did find the energy to do my homework tonight however, which was just practicing the characters, memorizing them, and looking at some of the words we’ll be learning tomorrow.

I must admit that I’m a bit more cautious about the level of difficulty I will face these next 11 weeks; however, I am excited and relieved that classes have finally begun. We’re already speaking more Mandarin at home and Terry is VERY encouraging. He has been helping out by asking more and more questions in Mandarin first and letting us squirm around to figure out how to respond. Brianna is the best at trying Mandarin. She has no fear and is quick to pick things up. Elaine tries her best, but doesn't quite seem to have the fearless attitude Brianna has. I personally think that Brianna and I may be neck-in-neck, and I expect to surpass her quickly, much to her disappointment :). I'm personally hoping that once we increase the amount of Mandarin spoken at home, things will begin to flow more naturally and this language won't be such a huge obstacle to conquer!

Who knows…when I come home this summer, perhaps I’ll be able to hold an entire conversation with the in-laws (when Terry, his brother, and his mom get together, it’s primarily in Mandarin)!!

Banking Frustrations

I must confess to those of you who read this that I absolutely THRIVE on the positive feedback I’ve received. However, that being said, I find that I am almost afraid to blog as I feel I have nothing witty to say, or I’m quite scared that this won’t live up to your expectations…the pressure is building!!! I will keep on writing; however, I have absolutely NO idea if my insight on Taipei living will continue to be appealing, particularly as we continue to settle in. I do promise that I will make a strong attempt at sharing with you the many odd things about Taipei living that take adjusting…they’re not good nor bad…just different. This concept can be quite a difficult one for most to grasp; however, I assure you that for the most part it is just that…different.


As of late, what’s captured my attention, (or more fittingly, my frustration) is the banking here in Taiwan. Last week our realtor was generous enough to take me to my bank to help me transact an electronic transfer of funds to our landlord (in hopes of submitting it for automatic withdrawal). I had also expected to wire some funds to an account we still hold in CA. Having had much experience in transacting international wires, I knew the requisite information and was excited to complete yet another task on my ever-growing to-do list.


We went into the branch and began filling out the paperwork. All was going smoothly until…..she asked for my ID. When I provided my Taiwan ID and she compared it to my ATM, she said that I would be unable to do any banking that day. Upon seeing my frustration, my realtor translated for me that because the account was in Terry’s name, I would be unable to access any of the funds. To add more to the frustration, it turns out that there is no such thing as a joint account in Taiwan. If I want to access any money in Taiwan, I have to either (1) rely on Terry to give me cash; or (2) I have to open my own, separate bank account.


Say WHAT??!!! Are you serious? In discussing this with the realtor, apparently the laws in Taiwan are quite different. Not only is there no such thing as a joint account, the laws of community property are quite different as well. A local married couple has joint responsibility for all of their debt (even that acquired prior to marriage), but no joint privileges regarding their assets. So, if Terry were to skip town on me (and we were Taiwanese citizens), I would have to pay all of our debt and yet not be able to use any of his bank accounts, cash, retirement, etc. to pay for it! How do you like that?!!!


Needless to say that this banking system is quite inconvenient for me given that I typically handle our daily financial needs. I have now had to rely on Terry more than I had planned, much to both of our annoyances!


I am uncertain as to why there is no such thing as a joint account, or even a concept like ‘community property’, which would be very helpful, particularly for couples where one works and the other does not. However, this is just not the case here. While I wanted to blame the system on being too patriarchal, Terry kindly pointed out that if our roles were reversed, he would experience the same frustration that I had.


This is definitely a case of not good…not bad….just different. Like much of our new life in Taipei, this was just another idiosyncrasy which will require a new mental attitude. Just add it to the list!

7-11 More Than a Convenience Store

I remember when we vacationed in Taipei 4 years ago that 7-11 was Brianna’s FAVORITE store in Taipei. Everyone (including us) thought it was so funny that 7-11 could have had that big an impression on Brianna. However, I must tell all of my CA friends that truly, 7-11 is a one-stop shop. Honestly…you won’t believe the things that most people do at the average 7-11.

For one, Taiwan is primarily a cash-driven society. There is very little in Taiwan that you can do with a credit card. That being said, 99% of all 7-11’s have ATM machines, where most people get their cash. Oh, but wait there’s more! These are no ordinary ATM machines…these are ATM machines on steroids! These ATM machines can handle transferring funds from one’s bank account to another. Again, in a cash-driven society, rents, deposits for vacations/travel agents, etc. are handled through the 7-11 ATM machine. I must simply type in the Bank Code (much like the routing #) and the recipient’s account number, and away we go!

7-11 is also quite convenient when you’re hungry. Yes yes, they have the usual slurpee (yes they have those in Taipei), chips, candy, etc. But, 7-11’s here don’t have just hot-dogs. They also have tea eggs (hard-boiled eggs soaked in black tea and soy sauce…quite tasty), cappuccinos, lattes (they make a MEAN latte!), soups, and other small, hot snacks. One of the most unusual, which is apparently unique to Taiwan, is Ti-hoeh-koe, or pig's blood…which sounds positively gross, but after keeping an open mind, I’ve tried it and I must admit that it's not half bad. For those of you who are curious, check it out at http://www.echinacities.com/InPictures/?F=381&P=1) (Cyndi, this is ONE of the foods that I will ensure that you try when you visit!!!!). There are also small bento boxes which are like mini-lunches. They even have a microwave where they’ll warm up your lunch for you!

Most Taiwanese don’t consume beverages during their meals. Most Taiwanese consume their beverages (including alcohol) after the meal. We found it quite an adjustment to go to a local restaurant and not have ice water available…even upon request! So, it is now a given that we stop at 7-11 before going out to dinner. The girls now love this as they get to choose their own drink, and there are sooooo many new choices than in CA! The beverage selection is quite large. There are any number of different yogurt drinks, TONS of teas (plain tea, tea with milk, tea with milk & sugar, etc), lots of cold coffee (in cups or cans), lots of bottled water, soda, etc. As this is a major metropolitan area, the local Safeway is not just around the corner. Going to the grocery store takes careful planning and possibly multiple trips (depending on if you have a car or not!). So, the local 7-11 often fills in the gaps. Did I mention they make a decent latte?

In Taipei, rather than paying for your garbage on a monthly bill, in order for one to dispose of household trash, one must use an official garbage bag…purchased at 7-11. The bags come in 5 liter or 14 liter sizes and are blue. Remind me to blog another day about Taiwan’s amazing waste disposal system (which I LOVE, by the way!).

The thing I find the most surprising about 7-11 is that I can pay just about all of my Taiwan bills at the 7-11. Yes, that’s right…I don’t have to mail out a check payment, I don’t have automatic withdrawal (remember it’s a cash-driven society). I just take my invoices (which can all be scanned at 7-11) and the appropriate cash (heaven forbid anyone try to use a credit card) to the cashier. The cashier then scans the bar code at the bottom of my invoices, takes my cash, and gives me a receipt. That’s it…my electricity, gas, internet, phone, water….you name it! I believe I can even pay for a Taiwanese credit card (but that’s at the ATM machine), but that would mean that I’d have to have a Taiwanese credit card an outlet in which to use it!

So there you have it…7-11. Who knew it was such the wonder store? Oh yes, and did I mention how abundant they are here in Taipei? We live about ½ a mile away from the MRT station (Taipei’s subway) and there are literally FOUR 7-11 stores before we get to the MRT station. There’s also a Family Mart, which is like a 7-11. I have NO idea how these stores keep from cannibalizing one another, yet it seems to work.

Now that we are living in Taipei, I think I concur with Brianna’s initial assessment…7-11 is ONE of my favorite stores in Taipei.

7 Things I Hate About Taipei

I’m sure that many people are asking…come ON…it’s not ALL lollipops and roses? You mean that it’s that EASY to move to the other side of the globe to a country where you can’t speak the language?? You’re right. There are good days and bad. I feel very fortunate that the good days definitely outweigh the bad; however, there are a few annoying things about Taipei that can definitely drive me crazy. I’ve decided to share with you some of my favorite pet peeves about Taipei from the most benign to the #1 which drives me absolutely bonkers.

#7 - Carrying Everything

I do find it a big adjustment that I cannot simply purchase what I need at the grocery store, hardware store, Ikea, etc. While there are ample taxis available, it’s not as easy to simply park and make multiple trips from the car inside the house. I find that I have to carefully plan my day and ensure that I don’t wait too long to go to the grocery store. I also keep forgetting to bring my bags with me and wind up having to purchase more bags, which just adds to the collection which is already too big!

#6 – Laundry

I’ve accepted the fact that Taiwanese people mostly don’t use the dryer. I’m fine with that. I HAVE used our washer/dryer combo on occasion; however, in the process I’ve melted one of Elaine’s nightgowns. So, I reserve it only for towels! The problem I have is that while my laundry smells clean, it certainly doesn’t LOOK clean. No matter how hard I scrub, it seems that I just can’t get stains out! At first I thought it was the washing machine. However, a friend of mine has a new theory which I’m anxious to try out (to help keep me from replacing MORE socks!). She found that the Taiwanese detergents were simply not strong. She gets her detergent from Costco…the American kind…the good stuff, she says…TIDE. I’ll try it out. I realize I’ll pay an arm and a leg for it; however, I figure it’s cheaper than replacing the girls’ socks each week!

#5 – Sidewalks

The building in Taipei is quite haphazard. I don’t anticipate that the City Planning Commission is very particular or picky. It seems that when someone wanted to remodel or build, they simply build over what was there previously. If the elevations are slightly different, then a step is built. Sometimes the steps are marked with a yellow strip to differentiate the elevations, but not always. It’s not uncommon to have a 3-ft gap in one sidewalk and then have the same gap with 2 steps to help ease one down to the street. All I can say is that it would absolutely BITE to be crippled or handicapped in Taipei. If you visit, better get in shape first…especially one’s knees!

#4 - LONG Street Lights

Everyone walks in Taipei. It is a densely populated region where use of public transportation is quite the norm. It also has a lot of people on scooters and buses. To help ease the traffic, the lights are typically about 2 minutes each. What that means is that when the girls and I cross the street TWICE to get to school, if we don’t time it JUST right, it could take us 4 minutes to cross the street; 2 minutes to cross from East to West, and then an add’l 2 minutes to cross from South to North. While we live less than one mile from school, it takes us about 25 minutes using public transportation and about 10 minutes using taxis, mostly due to the long lights.

#3 – Cooking

Taiwan kitchens are ridiculously small. They’re more like galley kitchens. There are no dishwashers and the stoves are typically 2 gas burners. They are typically away from the action, and off to the side of the apartment…out of sight, out of mind. The feminist in me sees this as the patriarchal society’s way of ensuring that women stay out of sight, out of mind; however, perhaps I’m skewed? The absolute most WORST part of cooking in Taipei is that THERE ARE NO OVENS IN TAIWAN KITCHENS. I have found that many of the expats living in Tienmu have more ‘Western’ style kitchens and have ovens. We’re deliberately stayed away from the expat area of Tienmu to get more of a local flavor (and that public transportation is not as readily available in that neighborhood, as beautiful as it is!), so that’s what we must live with. I do have a microwave oven which has a convection oven feature. I have yet to try it out, and the oven itself is very small; however, I figure I’ll try out some cookies first. Worst case, we’ll just eat the dough! So, cooking is just not fun. I’ll keep you posted as I have hope that perhaps I’ll just become the queen of sauté!

#2 – Weather

I understand now more than ever why people pay exorbitant amounts of money to live in CA. The weather in Taipei is just plain icky. It’s very wet and sticky most of the time. It’s now November and it can be as chilly as 65 degrees one way, with winds that are simply biting as the weather is still damp, and then 82 degrees the next. My clothes are never quite dry even after 48 hours, and I’m never sure whether to leave the house with the umbrella or not. I put on makeup as it makes me feel pretty, but it simply melts away within the first few hours, leaving me feeling sticky and icky. I find myself showering twice a day and finding that I cannot get too close to the girls as I always find them sticky. This is definitely not something I am adjusting to….I’m simply accepting.

#1 - Slow Walkers

Yes. That’s it. My NUMBER ONE pet peeve is SLOW WALKERS. I HATE THEM!!!!!! I tell you, when I am on the streets, I typically have a purpose. I must get from one place to the next. The walkways in Taipei are fairly narrow, and there are a lot of people walking around. The frustrating thing is that many of them are completely oblivious to those around them. These slow walkers will meander across from side-to-side of the walkway as if they had all the time in the world. I feel like screaming at them ‘GET OUT OF MY WAY…DON’T YOU PEOPLE HAVE ANY PLACE TO BE??!!!’ It’s crowded enough around Taipei. I’m not certain why people don’t simply step to one side if they must stop to pick their nose or look up at the moon. I get the fact that there are a lot of people here…I just don’t like that people seem to congregate right in front of me while I’m trying to get from one place to the next.

So there you have it. That’s the 7 Things I Hate About Taipei. If you catch me on a particularly hot day where I haven’t had much sleep, have had to wait in one too many stop lights with very heavy grocery bags, have missed the bus because I was late wearing wet clothes and have been slowed down by one too many slow walkers…yeah, I’ll tell you that Taipei sucks! Well, it sucks on that day, anyway. Thankfully, I haven’t had a day like that yet :).

Half Term Holiday Day 6 - Halloween

In case you’re wondering what happened to Day 5, I didn’t forget about it. We had planned to go to the Fine Arts Museum, as I’d referenced earlier. The kids and I lounged around in the morning and left around 11am. We arrived at 11:30 to see a line which wound its way around the museum into the parking lot. After giving it 30 minutes in wait time, I began to see that the line wound its way up the stairs, and then wound around three times before one could see the sign which said ‘Buy Tickets’. I realized that all of the people in line were going to try to see the same exhibit we were…I have NO idea how they pack THAT many people in the museum. We decided to pitch the idea and we spent the day eating a nice lunch and lounging around…nothing exciting.

Saturday was Halloween in Taipei. While it is true that Halloween is not a Taiwanese holiday, there are many stores with decorations and a few places which were offering trick-or-treating. What I found are that all of the pre-schools and kindergardens celebrate the holiday; however, the older kids are mostly left on their own to find an American community in which they can trick-or-treat. Brianna had managed to spot a sign advertising a haunted house and celebration in Tienmu square, which is up the street from our apartment. Knowing that a lot of expats live in Tienmu, we figured this would be as good as it gets and decided to check it out late that afternoon.

Before we went to the Halloween festivities, we began the day with some new friends, the Hodowanys, at an American brunch (THANKS again Judy and John for a GREAT treat!). We then split up a bit to do some shopping and errands. Terry, the kids, and I stopped by an arcade where Terry and I tested our strength. Oh yeah...I beat him that first round 12-11; however, he beat me the next 11-12...so I suppose we're equally as strong (thankfully my man is comfortable enough with his masculinity that this didn't seem to bother him :)!!). Our family then went to the Taipei Coffee Festival, as Terry and I are STILL on a search for a good cup 'a joe here. What we're finding is that there are some decent places out there, but the beans are quite expensive. While Taipei does grow and roast its own beans, it is a small market and therefore highly priced. Sigh. For now, we'll stick to asking Terry's co-workers to bring our favorite coffee beans from CA when they come to Taipei (THANK YOU McCarthy!!)

Later that afternoon, we met up with the Hodowanys at Tienmu Square for the Halloween festivities. When we arrived, it was PACKED…and HOT HOT HOT. At 4:30pm, it must have been about 80-85 degrees. This Halloween was definitely the warmest I could remember! At first, it simply appeared to be a bunch of booths with people selling crafts, food and stuff. However, we saw a sign for a haunted house, and decided to give it a go. I have to say…the Taiwanese did a pretty good job. While this haunted house was not quite as elaborate as those we see in CA, it had plenty of good stuff. There were some simple wood coffin-outlines, a few grave sites, and lots of black cloth draped here and there, creating a labyrinth-effect. The creepiest thing which really scared the kids were the various teenagers dressed in ghoulish make-up, who jumped out at every corner. THAT was pretty creepy…even I jumped when someone grabbed my ankles!

After the haunted house, we saw that a few girls playing MC were going to start some kind of show. While we couldn’t really understand much of what they were saying, Judy, her children, and mine decided to sit and watch while the dads talked shop. Within a few minutes, the MC’s were asking for volunteers to come up on the stage to participate in a game. Judy’s daughter, Audrey, was one of the first to volunteer. Not to be outdone, Elaine raised her hand and was soon whisked away up onto the stage. Mind you…the whole thing is in Mandarin!! While Elaine stood there looking as cute as can be, the next thing she knew, a microphone was shoved in her face and people were screaming at her to shout something out…I think she managed to shout ‘Tienmu’. Next to her, Audrey, who can understand both English and Mandarin, took up the slack and shouted ‘Tienmu gou sen me gui’ (Tienmu…what’s happening!). The surprising thing in all of this was the smile which appeared on both Elaine and Audrey’s face and participating. I was so proud of Elaine for not being shy and walking right up there…even though she had NO clue what was going on!

After the kids took their turn screaming (I think there was a prize for being the loudest), we were treated to a dance troup (dancing to Boom Boom Pow, which, along with ‘Poker Face’ is ALL we hear around here!!) and fire-throwers. While the dance troup was fun for the kids (VERY amateur, but hey, one couldn’t beat the price!), the fire throwers were really fun to watch. All of the acts were amateurs who were volunteering their time to perform, but still very fun to watch. We managed to keep everyone sitting and watching for about 1.25 hours!

After the show, we all hopped in a few cabs and had the best pizza we’ve had since arriving in Taipei…Alleycats thin crust. Yummy (Thanks John for introducing this to us!)!!

To ensure that the girls didn’t miss out completely on Halloween, we stopped by 7-11 on the way home and bought a bunch of candy. Terry and I then took turns hiding in the bedrooms while the girls, dressed in costume, knocked on our doors and said ‘trick-or-treat’. While it wasn’t the same, we tried to stay as true to tradition as we could. Certainly we ALL miss the pumpkin-carving, the baking, the smell of a warm fire and cookies baking. We miss riding our bikes through Golden Gate Park admiring the changing of the leaves. We miss our friends and the Halloween parade and the AWESOME haunted house on Shearwater Court. While the holiday of Halloween found us all a bit homesick, I’m thankful that it wasn’t quite as bad as I was expecting. We found that the company of new friends helped to lessen the homesickness and helped us to create new memories which I know we’ll cherish for a lifetime.

Half Term Holiday Day 4 - Ice Skating

Today was nothing particularly exciting to write about. I mean, don’t get me wrong…each day can have its own challenges; however, today I simply took the kids ice skating. Brianna went once for a friend’s birthday party in California before we left and is now hooked. So, when we found out that Taipei has an ice rink, I knew this would be a fun activity (and also cheap…cost about $20 for us all including equipment for the entire day, of which we lasted about 3 hours!).

One of Brianna’s new friends, Heather, agreed to come with us. Apparently, Heather does NOT like getting her picture taken, as this was the only photo she’d allow! It was also lucky for us, as Heather is fluent in Mandarin and was able to help out once or twice in asking for information here and there (and who’s the adult here???). Brianna and Heather had a GREAT time skating round and round and trying to twirl around like some of the kids at the rink (I tell you, there were QUITE a few good skaters there!).

Elaine was content to stay with me and try her hand at skating. She did quite well and within a few tries was brave enough to go on her own. By the end of the day, she was able to skate the entire loop on her own (close to the wall for comfort of course!). Just by chance, a few friends of hers were there too, receiving their 3rd of 4 lessons. They joined us after their lesson and took turns seeing who could skate the fastest…quite fun!

This evening is Terry’s mom’s last night in Taipei. She goes home to California tomorrow. I’ve got mixed feelings over her leaving. I mean, it’s always challenging having my spirited mom-in-law staying so close for so long; however, I honestly do get along with her, most of the time. I will miss her quite a bit. Let’s face it…I will also miss having my laundry magically folded and all of my dirty dishes magically disappear! Mostly, though, I’ll miss watching her and the girls. It’s been so heart-warming to watch them all interact. There’s such an innocence to the way they show their affection…all of them. I will miss watching that. I can tell that she’s torn as well. She does enjoy Taipei and its conveniences and its exciting, happening culture. However, she doesn’t seem to want to rent an apartment (I think she feels it would be a waste of money as it’s not an investment towards anything), and purchasing an apartment seems too scary given that she’s not certain how ‘long term’ our stay will be. Ultimately, I’m trying to stay neutral and let her make her own conclusions. This way I save myself from having ANY blame in her decision!
So, it’s with mixed feelings that I sign off tonight. I suppose that now that we’ve just about hit the one-month mark, our honeymoon phase should begin to wear off and this culture shock I’m supposed to be experience should be setting in any day. I promise to keep you all posted!

Half Term Holiday Day 3 - Babyboss City

I am still getting used to how most Taiwanese spend their free time, which is primarily shopping and eating. It seems almost like a mini-Vegas the way the malls are constructed. Each shopping mall has its own unique flavor with one trying to outdo the other. They each have similar attractions, e.g. an upscale grocery store in the basement, a food court, a movie theater, and a play area for small children. But each one seems larger than life in its own way; whether it's the the world's 2nd largest tower, the world's 2nd largest ferris wheel, or a giant globe in the middle...each one seems unique and alluring.

I’ve often wondered what families do around here besides shopping...especially when it's raining. Isn't there SOMETHING else to do besides shop when it's raining? Even if it’s not raining, I'm noticing that the majority of people I speak with tend to stay away from the outdoors...even with the AMAZINGLY beautiful Yangminshan mountain range behind us! Which brings me back to my original pondering…what do most families do for entertainment BESIDES shopping? Today I got one answer….and of course it was INSIDE a shopping mall.

The shopping mall we went to today was called the ‘Living Mall’. I believe that this shopping mall is geared mostly to kids, as it had a jumpy house and several jumpy-water attractions in the front of the mall. Inside the mall there were floors such as ‘Cinderella Floor’. There was also a HUGE globe in the middle…not certain what it is for, but it looked really cool. On the 7th floor was our destination….BABYBOSS (http://www.babyboss.tw/english/).

I hadn’t heard of this place before Sunday when some friends mentioned it to us. Babyboss City is an entire floor with about 40 stations dedicated to various professions which children can ‘try on’ for about 30 minutes. Each child is outfitted with a costume of sorts, and then led through a series of tasks which each profession requires. Some of the professions represented were: dentist, hospital emergency room, surgery room, hospital nursery, space mission, airplane, hotel, bank, court, broadcasting, news reporting, runway fashion model, fashion designer, pastry baker, beauty parlor, dairy farmer, car rental, fireman, policeman, courier, etc. You can see the appeal?

We were invited to go today with another family, who happens to work with Terry…they have a 4-year old boy and a 7-year old girl. While we all started together as dairy farmers, it became QUITE clear that we all wanted to do different things. So, I took the girls to do ‘girly things’, and Richard took Justin to do ‘boy things’.

I have to remind people reading this that we took the kids on a WEDNESDAY at the end of October…a random week where our kids have no school, but the rest of Taipei DOES. We thought we’d have this place to ourselves! Unbeknownst to us, there are pre-schools out there who take their classes frequently during the day. So, there were about 2-3 schools there along with us. Each station has a fixed number of children which are allowed to participate. Each station also has set times when the 20-30 minute activity will begin. We found out the hard way that just because there is no line 30 minutes before the activity…a 20-25 minute wait was quite normal. In fact, a few were about 30 minutes +!

We felt fortunate that we were able to do most things, although I did have one incident when I had to speak up and force my kids in. When I counted the number of children in line, there were 7…which was fine as my 3 made it an even 10, which was the max allowed. After turning my head for 2 minutes, I looked up and saw that somehow 3 more children snuck in…and I couldn’t tell which ones were the sneaky ones! To top it all off, my girls were already in the back, so at first it looked as if we may have to wait…but after speaking my mind…mostly in Chinglish (my broken Chinese mixed mostly with English), someone bowed out and we were allowed in. While I did feel slightly guilty, I did feel justified in speaking up. Boy, that’s one thing I detest…it’s people taking advantage!!

Thankfully enough, the rest of the day went nicely. In fact, at the end of the day, we had wanted to play ‘airplane’; however, there were too many children. While we were before a few children, given that we had already ‘won’ earlier in the day, we felt happy to give up our spot to someone else…it just seemed right (boy, does THAT sound pious or what!!!).

I do have to say; however….this was a ONCE ONLY kind of place. While it sounds like a lot of fun, it was mostly hurry up and wait for the adults. While the kids were inside their activity, we adults were relegated to simply watching or, as in my case, sleeping and playing on my iphone. It was SUCH a boring day for me, and to top it all off, my girlfriend had to rub it in that the weather was BEAUTIFUL outside (did I mention that we went to Babyboss rather than the hike that I had planned?).

In the end, it was the ‘right’ thing to do as the girls I’m SURE are getting sick of simply spending time with just me, and this was a chance to play with other friends, which is always welcome. The kids truly had a wonderful time, and we had a lovely dinner with our friends afterwards (Terry and Richard’s wife Grace were able to join us as well). I am now REALLY looking forward to our hike, which we’ve rescheduled to Sunday.

BTW...have to share my fun moment of the day. We were waiting in line (which you do a LOT of at Babyboss, btw) and Elaine wanted something. In Chinese I told her 'Dei-sha', which means 'wait'. Elaine looked at me plainly and said 'But MOM, I AM Dei-sha-ing!!' I laughed so hard I thought I'd pee my pants. I absolutely loved her 'Chinglish'. I am also glad that she is SLOWLY getting more comfortable with the language. While Brianna has a harder time with the outside things (such as missing her friends and the fall season), Elaine has a MUCH more difficult time attempting to speak Mandarin. Brianna is FEARLESS in her attempts at the language, but Elaine is more withdrawn about it. All things must come in time, so we're simply being supportive and patient (and practicing in the comfort of our home).