Time's going by fast here
I seriously can't believe I've been here for over a week already, but I'm already starting to settle in. The level of detail I'm picking up on is much lower, which means I'm getting used to the wackiness here.
I cannot get over how backwards a country Italy is. Seriously. Taiwan is way more modern, like, things are open past 9:00, you can have internet and air conditioning in your apartment, and you can even buy peanut butter here. Stunning, really.
So let's see, I've moved into my apartment. I really like it! It's nice and spacious and very very furnished. It's about half an hour from work by bus, which isn't too bad. As previously mentioned, I have internet and air conditioning. I also have two balconies, which is pretty sweet.
I've done some tourist things here, but not too much because heat really does get to me. Today I went to fisherman's wharf in Danshui. The one in SF was bigger and more impressive, but this one was cuter and had better views. It's really pretty here. I also met an old friend, an English language student from Seattle, on Sunday. We went window shopping in Taipei 101, which until recently was the tallest building in the world. She also took me for some delicious japanese food since that area of Taipei is where all the japanese tourists go.
I started teaching. I like my classes. My students are OK. They don't like to participate in class. But I told both of my classes that if they don't participate I will fail them, which instantly resulted in more participation! I'm teaching Monday night from 7-10 and Wednesdays, 1-4:45 and 7-10. Long days, but the trade off is I don't teach T,W,F. Woohoo!
I'm taking an overtime teaching load for the fall, which will mean I'll have a lot of work but get paid extra. Bring it!
More updates later.