Reverse Blogging

Wow.  Taiwan was so amazing I hardly know where to begin.  One thing that was great about the E-camp program was that they also highly encouraged journaling and reflection.  So in the following days I'm going to post some excerpts from my journals - albeit, two weeks late.

For now, some minor observations and trivia about Taiwan:

1. People there seemed pretty open and talkative.
2. Yes, the weather was over 35 degrees C every day and very humid.
   
3. Almost all take out food was fried and/or oily.
4. As with most of the rest of the world, water pressure is not high enough to flush your toilet paper, so you leave it in a trash can by the toilet.  Don't let the small things get you down. ;)
   
5. Scooters are awesome!  Nearly everyone in Taiwan uses them, and they are very fun!
6. Some Buddhists in Taiwan are actually very serious about being vegetarians.
7.  It is not uncommon to see stray dogs wandering around.  My students told me this is because people love puppies but not dogs.
   
8. The streets are generally wider here than in Japan.
9. They drive on the right side of the road. 
   
10. Don't be surprised if traffic doesn't stop for you.
11. I agree, Mandarin is not a language you can "just pick up".  I generally don't  believe in this idea anyway.
12. Politics seemed to be a somewhat taboo topic, while religion was discussed very openly - this seems to be the opposite of America.
13. It is very common to eat "family style".  I loved this!  If you have one of those rotating platforms on the table, what out for random drinks and serving utensils when you turn it.
    
14. It is not ok to slurp your noodles in Taiwan. :(
15. Stinky tofu is definitely stinky.
16. Shaved ice here is amazing!  And they have almost any fruit for toppings.  Taiwan is practically tropical.

Ok, that's enough for now.  Pictures of things will be on Flickr.  Pictures of people will be on Facebook.  Enjoy!