Running Out of Novelties.

I've been here a little more than a month and I'm finding myself revisiting the same spots over and over again. The goal of studying abroad is to travel, but I'm finding it harder and harder to find new spots to go with the constraint of homework looming overhead. Thus, generally we're stuck to a certain radius of places we can go to every day after class before we have to start heading back to dorms to do homework. Generally, we go to the same places, so there isn't really anything new to take pictures of and show you guys.

It's been nothing but study, study, study here in Guo Qing dorms. Today I had three tests; one test in every single class. Yesterday, I had three reports due; one report in every single class. It's been busy for me which means late, late nights studying and writing. It also means less outings. Yesterday Cris, David, Nancy, Romin, Jenn, Tiff, Laura and I went back to Xi Men Ding in an effort to find Halloween costumes. Whoever said Taiwanese people are not into Halloween was 100% wrong. There is store after store of Halloween costumes in Xi Men Ding, with really intense costumes. Most of them you have to rent, and originally the plan was for five of us to be Power Rangers, but I simply am not too crazy about shelling out 500NT just to dress up as Blue ranger for a day. Cris says he is not opposed to simply wrapping himself in Christmas wrapping and be a Christmas present for Halloween. We'll figure something out later, I suppose.

Today Jenn and I went to Taipei 101. I heard that in general, Taiwanese people don't really like going to Taipei 101 because it is a tourist trap. They are 100% correct. While the 101 was nice in that it reminded me of home (underneath and beside 101 are very, very westernized malls with the normal stores you'd find in an American mall, like Lacoste or Tommy Hilfiger, etc.) it sort of bummed me out because being reminded of home is exactly NOT what you want in a study abroad experience. Instead, you want to see new things, be immersed in new cultures. Still, it was a change from the normal Taiwanese 小吃 and street vendors. We didn't get to go to the top because it was a largely overcast day; we'll save the top of 101 for a clearer day.

We had the most intense shrimp in the WORLD for dinner. It was raw shrimp with basically two spoonfuls of fresh, raw garlic on top of each one. We had dinner like five hours ago and I can still taste the garlic in my mouth, and feel it burning holes in my stomach. Intense.

I should get some sleep; tomorrow I must find the immigration office in Taipei to get my visa renewed! So until next time, zai jian!

-Justin