Trip to Taiwan
It's been a really long time since I've posted anything serious online. I've wanted to write a good post for a long time and I guess this is something to write about.
This summer, summer 2004, I went back to Taiwan and certainly had an exordinary summer that I'll never forget in my life.
Initially, I was quite reluctant to go back to Taiwan just because everytime I went back to Taiwan has been just plain boring and shitty to the core. All I do is sit home and watch TV and play PS2 or something and get bored all day long for a month straight. This year around, Jack wants to go back to Taiwan because he hasn't been back to Taiwan nor has he seen his family for 10 years. I know he's going to be alone in Taiwan with no friends, so I told him I'd go back with him and go out with him and just party. So I booked my flight to come back to US on June 18th.
Due to the fact that I'm only going back to Taiwan for 3 weeks and that Jack is leaving a week before I do. So, as soon as I got back to Taiwan, I went north to Taipei to hang out with Jack. Starting the day I stepped my foot at Jack's aunt's house, the advanture of my summer has offically begun...
That night, I went out with Jack, Jack's sister, and Jack's cousin to a movie. When we got there, Jack's cousin brought her friend, Jessie over and we all went out to bars after the movie. (I'm not ashamed to say anything because I do have a strong feeling towards Jessie but you don't have to read this if you feel awkward knowing about my private life) That night at the bar, I got to know Jessie really well, and I felt an extreme similarity that's between us. A spark was ignited and I took her back to Jack's relative's house and yea. Next day, waking up seeing Jessie in my arms has become one of things I enjoyed the most in my life. For the next couple days, I kept in close contact with her, and she's proven to me that she's a really sweet and caring girl while she knows how to have fun. I was extremely drawn to her and I started sleeping at her apartment until I went back south to my old house. For her, I extended my flight to July 26, to see her a bit more. Stating the 3rd week when I got back to my old home in Taiwan. Every week, I'd ride a 5hr bus ride to go just stay with her until Tuesday then come back. During weekdays, I'd shower her, comb and dry her hair and send her off to work, then sit at her small room and watch TV until 7 when she gets back from work. Yes I was certainly bored, but I felt satisified waiting for her. While she goes to work, I'd hand wash her clothes, take care of her rabbits and sort clean her room as much as I can and bum around. It really was a wonderful time to me.
After a month and half since I met Jessie. Things are getting a bit screwed up. She broke up with me the reason how I broke up with every girl after Marty: I liked Jessie too much, I'm too serious around her. Jessie feels guilty and stressed about the fact that I like her a lot more than she likes me back and that living in her apartment gives her the burden to stay home and hang out with me as much as she wants to go out. I understand where she's coming from since I've been in her shoes many times. Therefore, I just let her go.
Ok time to stop with this sentimentality. Then for the next 3 weeks left in Taiwan, I started actively making friends any way I can: online chat rooms, bars, calling old elementary school friends, try to get to know my existing friends' friends. From knowing no one, I got to know a truck load of people. Everyday, I'd go out with someone and just have fun to the extreme. It's just the liquor, it's not the party, it's the people and their sincerity that touches me in Taiwan. The week before I left Taiwan...Monday I went north with two girl to go shopping all day and got home at 2, Tuesday I spent time with my family and relatives, Wednesday we went to bars and just hang out, Thursday we went to kareoke, Friday and Saturday went to bars and Sunday Lisa, a 34 year old, came to my house and we had a nice long conversation. I found it really awkward that I'm actually having a conversation with a 34 year old when she finally told me her age...(seriouslly thought she's 26 when I met her...) Most of my friends are 24~30 range, they'd take care of me like an older brother/sister even when they hardly know me, that's just something really cute about Taiwan, and I eventually grew really fond of Taiwan and I truly miss it now.
As much as I have enjoy my stay there, there's also a dark side of it. Under the mask of everyone partying and wearing name brand clothes, Taiwan has many problems of its own. The government is extremely corrupted, everyone is greedy. It's not an exaggeration that if you have money, you can do anything and get by with the law if you got the money. There are teenagers who get bored and would ride a mopad pass you and just cut you with a knife for no appearant reason. (which I heard 2 times on the news) Everyday you hear about murder on the news, yes, the only reason for that is only because there's nothing going on in Taiwan beside small trivial things like kidnap and deaths in Taiwan, I'm sure in NY more people get killed everyday than Taiwan. But still, listening to all these horrifing news gets to you after time...I stopped watching these news after a week of it, I'm sick of listening about those child-molesters and government fags.
To be more practical. Two of my 26 year old friends live a pretty...crazy...life. One of them is already in debt 20,000 US dollars (note that 20,000 is can buy like 50,000 worth of stuff in Taiwan since everything is cheap there) She doesn't care about the consequence of being in debt. All she wanted, like many other people, is just to wear name brands and just simply superficial and materialistic. People here are lowly educated about credits and borrowing money...my other 26 year old friend, she's had loan sharks leading gangsters coming to her house and beat her dad AND her up multiple times. There's a lot of drama involved and I'll just leave it as that. Also, everywhere I go, I'd see beggers sitting on the side walk on his knees bowing to us, just to get like 5$ a day. Things like this gets to me, seeing someone living a life like this when I have such a great life. Why are there so many people who are in debt and forced to commit suicide? I don't know the details but all I know is that...there are too many people suffering in Taiwan and mostly is from lack of education and the incompetence of the government. By the way, there is NO such thing as bankruptcy...loan sharks will just chase you down and kick your fucking ass every day until you pay them back. There's so much more about the "other" side of Taiwan...too many that just hearing a bit more of it aches my heart.
Yes I party like a motherfucker, and did a lot of crazy shit too. Nevertheless, It's not just partying, I've done a lot of thinking, met a lot of people and absorbed their knowledge and experience. Seeing the people who suffer makes me realized how fortunate I am to be not worrying about living and eating. I guess now I have a new motivation to work harder: so that my family will live an easier life =) Anyways, I'm definitely going back again next year...even it's been just a short 2 months trip, I know, and I can feel that there are people waiting for me to go back next time, and a place that feels like "home" to me that I'm anxious to see again.
p.s. Last but not least, here's the pictures I took in Taiwan:
http://photos.yahoo.com/teeantsai
This summer, summer 2004, I went back to Taiwan and certainly had an exordinary summer that I'll never forget in my life.
Initially, I was quite reluctant to go back to Taiwan just because everytime I went back to Taiwan has been just plain boring and shitty to the core. All I do is sit home and watch TV and play PS2 or something and get bored all day long for a month straight. This year around, Jack wants to go back to Taiwan because he hasn't been back to Taiwan nor has he seen his family for 10 years. I know he's going to be alone in Taiwan with no friends, so I told him I'd go back with him and go out with him and just party. So I booked my flight to come back to US on June 18th.
Due to the fact that I'm only going back to Taiwan for 3 weeks and that Jack is leaving a week before I do. So, as soon as I got back to Taiwan, I went north to Taipei to hang out with Jack. Starting the day I stepped my foot at Jack's aunt's house, the advanture of my summer has offically begun...
That night, I went out with Jack, Jack's sister, and Jack's cousin to a movie. When we got there, Jack's cousin brought her friend, Jessie over and we all went out to bars after the movie. (I'm not ashamed to say anything because I do have a strong feeling towards Jessie but you don't have to read this if you feel awkward knowing about my private life) That night at the bar, I got to know Jessie really well, and I felt an extreme similarity that's between us. A spark was ignited and I took her back to Jack's relative's house and yea. Next day, waking up seeing Jessie in my arms has become one of things I enjoyed the most in my life. For the next couple days, I kept in close contact with her, and she's proven to me that she's a really sweet and caring girl while she knows how to have fun. I was extremely drawn to her and I started sleeping at her apartment until I went back south to my old house. For her, I extended my flight to July 26, to see her a bit more. Stating the 3rd week when I got back to my old home in Taiwan. Every week, I'd ride a 5hr bus ride to go just stay with her until Tuesday then come back. During weekdays, I'd shower her, comb and dry her hair and send her off to work, then sit at her small room and watch TV until 7 when she gets back from work. Yes I was certainly bored, but I felt satisified waiting for her. While she goes to work, I'd hand wash her clothes, take care of her rabbits and sort clean her room as much as I can and bum around. It really was a wonderful time to me.
After a month and half since I met Jessie. Things are getting a bit screwed up. She broke up with me the reason how I broke up with every girl after Marty: I liked Jessie too much, I'm too serious around her. Jessie feels guilty and stressed about the fact that I like her a lot more than she likes me back and that living in her apartment gives her the burden to stay home and hang out with me as much as she wants to go out. I understand where she's coming from since I've been in her shoes many times. Therefore, I just let her go.
Ok time to stop with this sentimentality. Then for the next 3 weeks left in Taiwan, I started actively making friends any way I can: online chat rooms, bars, calling old elementary school friends, try to get to know my existing friends' friends. From knowing no one, I got to know a truck load of people. Everyday, I'd go out with someone and just have fun to the extreme. It's just the liquor, it's not the party, it's the people and their sincerity that touches me in Taiwan. The week before I left Taiwan...Monday I went north with two girl to go shopping all day and got home at 2, Tuesday I spent time with my family and relatives, Wednesday we went to bars and just hang out, Thursday we went to kareoke, Friday and Saturday went to bars and Sunday Lisa, a 34 year old, came to my house and we had a nice long conversation. I found it really awkward that I'm actually having a conversation with a 34 year old when she finally told me her age...(seriouslly thought she's 26 when I met her...) Most of my friends are 24~30 range, they'd take care of me like an older brother/sister even when they hardly know me, that's just something really cute about Taiwan, and I eventually grew really fond of Taiwan and I truly miss it now.
As much as I have enjoy my stay there, there's also a dark side of it. Under the mask of everyone partying and wearing name brand clothes, Taiwan has many problems of its own. The government is extremely corrupted, everyone is greedy. It's not an exaggeration that if you have money, you can do anything and get by with the law if you got the money. There are teenagers who get bored and would ride a mopad pass you and just cut you with a knife for no appearant reason. (which I heard 2 times on the news) Everyday you hear about murder on the news, yes, the only reason for that is only because there's nothing going on in Taiwan beside small trivial things like kidnap and deaths in Taiwan, I'm sure in NY more people get killed everyday than Taiwan. But still, listening to all these horrifing news gets to you after time...I stopped watching these news after a week of it, I'm sick of listening about those child-molesters and government fags.
To be more practical. Two of my 26 year old friends live a pretty...crazy...life. One of them is already in debt 20,000 US dollars (note that 20,000 is can buy like 50,000 worth of stuff in Taiwan since everything is cheap there) She doesn't care about the consequence of being in debt. All she wanted, like many other people, is just to wear name brands and just simply superficial and materialistic. People here are lowly educated about credits and borrowing money...my other 26 year old friend, she's had loan sharks leading gangsters coming to her house and beat her dad AND her up multiple times. There's a lot of drama involved and I'll just leave it as that. Also, everywhere I go, I'd see beggers sitting on the side walk on his knees bowing to us, just to get like 5$ a day. Things like this gets to me, seeing someone living a life like this when I have such a great life. Why are there so many people who are in debt and forced to commit suicide? I don't know the details but all I know is that...there are too many people suffering in Taiwan and mostly is from lack of education and the incompetence of the government. By the way, there is NO such thing as bankruptcy...loan sharks will just chase you down and kick your fucking ass every day until you pay them back. There's so much more about the "other" side of Taiwan...too many that just hearing a bit more of it aches my heart.
Yes I party like a motherfucker, and did a lot of crazy shit too. Nevertheless, It's not just partying, I've done a lot of thinking, met a lot of people and absorbed their knowledge and experience. Seeing the people who suffer makes me realized how fortunate I am to be not worrying about living and eating. I guess now I have a new motivation to work harder: so that my family will live an easier life =) Anyways, I'm definitely going back again next year...even it's been just a short 2 months trip, I know, and I can feel that there are people waiting for me to go back next time, and a place that feels like "home" to me that I'm anxious to see again.
p.s. Last but not least, here's the pictures I took in Taiwan:
http://photos.yahoo.com/teeantsai