Settling In

We have now been in Taiwan for over a month.  We got to experience a typhoon day on Monday as there was a Typhoon warning and schools have to close even if it's not a direct hit.  It was a nice day off, but we don't get paid so I would have rather worked.  It barely even rained here, so I don't know why the schools were even closed.

Haven't been doing too much lately.  Besides our one night out on the town with friends last weekend, our days have been kind of lazy.  Last week though, we went to the Taipei zoo.  It was fun and we took a bunch of pictures.  We then went up a gondola to the top of a mountain and ate dinner there in the town.  There were breathtaking views over looking the city.  We were lucky as we got to see the view in daylight, and then come back down on the gondola in the evening.

They told us in training that our first month here would be filled with excitement; discovering and living in a completely new place.  They then warned that everyone would eventually come down from that high and experience a type of low.  I am a few days passed the one month point and I am feeling a bit down.  Nothing in particular, just feeling in a bit of a rut.  It's hard knowing that we won't have much of a vacation til November at the earliest.  Mark and I both have to work Saturdays for the next few months to recruit new students to our new schools.  Having one day off a week does not leave a lot of time for venturing out of the city.  Money is another factor.  I have been living off of my saved money for almost two months now, so my funds are getting pretty low.  I get paid next week, but it only going to be two weeks worth of pay, and since we get paid monthly, that two weeks worth of pay has to last me another 4 weeks.  After paying rent and bills, my check will be half gone, leaving me with very little money to live off of until October.  Another reason why a weekend vacation might not be in the cards for awhile.  I know I came here to work, but working 6 days a week and only accumulating 22 hours a week is not what I had in mind.  If I am stuck in my area of the city, I would at least like to be working more, and making more money!  Enough of the depressing talk.  I know I have to just get over it and get through these first non-ideal months and be patient and eventually things will look up!

Another amusing/annoying Taiwanese thing is that people often stare.  I don't think you can ever get used to this.  And no they aren't staring at you because you are having a good hair day, they are staring at your because you are foreign.  It's a bit awkward at times, and on a bad day you want to yell WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!  It's really weird, but I guess it's something that comes with being one of very few white people in a continent of Asians.

This weekend, we are planning on going to Keelung, a city outside of Taipei on the North East coast which is close to the Ocean.  We have a friend from training that has invited us (we also kind of invited ourselves) to stay with him as he has a spare bed.  We will head up Saturday after finishing work, spend the night and enjoy the beach on Sunday before heading home.  I need these mini vacation escapes from the city and a change of scenery, even if it's only for a night!