Travel Day and Taiwan
Wednesday August 27th, we left New York. The flight to Tokyo, a thirteen-something hour flight, left around three. From Tokyo, we flew to Taipei and then had a four hour ride to Kaohsiung. It was a long travel day.
I never realized travel could be so disorienting. I’ve always heard people complain about the length of plane rides and how uncomfortable they can be. Seeing as this is my first time leaving the country, I had yet to ride on a plane for more than three hours at a time. I didn’t find the length of the flight the problem; it was how disorienting the whole trip. I find not knowing what day of the week it is frightening, and the 12-hour time-zone change has certainly been an adjustment.
The first time I noticed that the people acted differently in Taiwan was before we even landed. On the plane from Tokyo to Taipei, everyone disregarded the “fasten seat belt sign” and wandered around whenever they wanted to. The flight attendants didn’t say anything as everyone kind of just did whatever they wanted to.
In our countless seminars on “culture shock” we have discussed the “w-curve of culture shock.” It describes a “honeymoon” period, and I’m certainly in it. Taiwan, at this point in time, seems amazing. The city we are in is beautiful and clean. Compared to New York City, this place is as clean as an operating room.
I do understand how the things I am so fascinated with right now could become annoying. The smell of eggs on the street is odd, but at this point in time I find it amusing (seriously, you walk outside and it smells just like an omelette). The constant stream of mopeds is neat to look at, but I can easily see it getting on my nerves. I must constantly remind myself that even though something is different than it is in America, it isn’t the end of the world. Different means different. It doesn’t mean it is bad.
Food, Plants, and Subway Stations
Above is a picture from our lunch at a Japanese restaurant near our hotel. It was different than I was expecting, but it wasn’t horrible. Maybe I shouldn’t have expected anything. Pre-conceived notions often lead to disappointment. I think it will take some adjustment before I am accustomed to the food here in Taiwan.
From what I have seen, the flora here is beautiful. Some of the plants do seem similar to Mississippi plants. I saw something that resembled mexican petunias and money tree. I’ll try to snap some pictures of those so maybe someone more apt at plant identification (I’m talking about you, Connor) can figure out what the heck everything is.
Tomorrow, we meet our host families. In the morning, we have more orientation and after that we’re sent off. I’m nervous, honestly. My Chinese abilities is fairly limited, so an small talk can only last so long. Regardless, I am eager.
Today is the first time that I thought that it occurred to me that my host family is probably as nervous (if not more nervous) than I am. I cannot emphasize how much I appreciate them letting me come into their home. That is a huge responsibility.
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