Q & A session
Ni hou ma? How are you?
Hi friends! Some of you have expressed concern that I haven’t written for a few days, fearing that I may have been hit by a bus or died of food poisoning. Well, I’m alive and kickin’ it. I’ve decided that this journal will be an answer session to the questions that I have received via email, facebook, and phone call. Okay, here we go!
Q: What does NT actually stand for? I know it's money, but what is the money called? And is it the same that they use in China?
A: N.T. stands for New Taiwan (dollar) It is not the same in China. China uses the RMB. This stands for Renminbi which is Chinese for "people's currency"
Q: Why do the students call you Ge teacher (I can't remember what teacher was) why isn't it the other way around? Or is it just a grammar thing?
A: Students should call me,"Ge Lao Shir." This is pronounced: Guh Louw Shuhr. It would translate to "Graebert teacher" In Chinese, you always use the surname before the title.
Q: While watching the Olympics are the people of Taiwan cheering for China or does Taiwan have their own people in the Olympics?
A: Taiwan has their own team and the U.S. just kicked their butts in baseball. Anyway, China claims ownership of Taiwan so Taiwan is literally listed as, "Chinese Taipei". The Taiwanese are angry about this. I wasn't able to see any of the U.S Olympics here, including Mr. Phelps :( Speaking of sports, look what I found at the junky paper store!!!
Q: How do the people react to you? You said that you guys are the center of attention, do they stare or what’s the deal?
A: Sigh* I'm starting to get used to it but people will literally stop us in the street to ask us where we're from and why we are here. Little kids will run up to us and say some English phrases they have learned. I have even had two little kids shouting “Maigorin, Maigorin!” “American, American!” as they rode their bikes past me yesterday. I think they may have accidentally crashed into something because their heads were still turned. And the weirdest part by far is the shopping. If we're in a clothing store, a worker will literally stand one foot from you as you look at things and move with you on every step. At first we thought that they didn't like us but it turns out that they just want to help us every second. It’s a culture issue I guess. :)
Q: What’s your apartment like?
A: It’s quite nice. We have a kitchen, living room, two bathrooms, two bedrooms, and an office. The different things are that there is no bathtub in the bathrooms and our washer and dryer are located outside on one of our balconies. Here are some pictures:
This is our kitchen. It has an American stove and a wok stove. The counters are too short for me but perfect for Tiph.
Our living room/dining room. Every table comes equipped with a lazy susan. Those are our bikes in front of the door.
This is my bathroom with the shower head next to my sink. This is actually very convenient.
This is the view from my bedroom balcony. Yes, those are rice patties outside of my window. The left corner of it is a chicken farm.
This is my bedroom.
Q: Have you had real food yet? What do you typically eat for each meal?
A: Haha! Yes, I have had real food. You just have to know where to get it. I could choose to go to the hole in the wall squid soup restaurant but there are many choices in Taichung. As we learn what stands to order from, we have developed a taste for certain foods. For breakfast I like to eat at “Hong Ya” or “Tomato Delicious.” I usually order a chicken and egg sandwich, a tortilla egg roll up, or turnip cake. For lunch we sometimes go to FM Station which is a modern coffee/bakery/deli. We also may just eat fruit from a street vendor and grab a drink at 7/11. For dinner we like to get fried rice from the village area stand or we eat some type of rice/chicken egg dish from wherever we are. Also, if you ever come to Taiwan you must try the pearl milk tea. It's milk and tea mixed with sugar and black tapioca balls. It's good! But the slimey balls must be chewed before you swallow.
Hehe...this is a terrible picture but I wanted to show you the tapioca balls that you suck up through the straw.
These are some of the delicious and beautiful confections one will find at my favorite place: FM Station. Guess which one was mine.
Q: Do they eat strange things there like calf brains and deep fried insects?
A. Probably. Honestly, they eat everything here but I think you would have to go to the more traditional places towards the outer villages to find that stuff. It wouldn’t surprise me if I have eaten that stuff without knowing it. It all tastes pretty good and in the matter of food, ignorance is bliss. Oh, only the Cantonese eat cats and dogs. It's illegal here.
Q: Do you have to barter at market?
A: Not really. Prices are set lower than what you would ever pay in America. I’ve never seen anyone barter. However, some vendors might cut you a deal after you have shopped there a few times. Also, markets are extremely busy, especially at night. For example, this evening we went back to the downtown college hangout. I lost Tiphanie; she's short with black hair :) So I took a picture by stretching my arm up. My hope was that I could see her ahead of me. It's like playing "Where's Waldo."
Speaking of Tiph, we finally found her a real man:
Q: Is it dirty there?
A:Yes. It is very dirty here. It’s not like there’s disgusting stuff in the streets but more like there’s a plume cloud of pollution in the air all the time. We live on the 8th floor and the dirt particles come flying in every day. It takes a lot of sweeping and scrubbing to keep our home clean. It’s not unusual for our feet, legs, and faces to be grayish, black after a day out.
Q: How’s Mandarin going?
A: It’s going well! I'm on the second book a day early so I'm excited. It is hard because there is absolutely no alignment with the English alphabet or grammar. But, honestly, their language makes more sense than ours. Like we have 12 verb forms whereas they do not. So we would say, "I ate yesterday" and they would say, "I eat yesterday." It makes more sense. :)
Q: What’s in a knock off Starbucks drink?
A: Knock off Starbucks drinks are a blended drink of ice, cocoa powder, instant coffee, and a little bit of milk. They are to die for and they cost 1 U.S dollar for a large.
Q: Can you find clothes?
A: Yes, I can find some things. There are two stores that have shirts and dresses that fit me. I can find flip flops at some places but shoes are out of the question. Here is my new dress:
Well friends, it's been fun sharing with you this evening. I have to go to bed now. I have village church in the morning. I'll let you know how that goes. :) I miss you all like crazy!
Love,
Jenna