Taiwan

Sorry about the late posting....however, we have been having technical difficulties uploading our pictures.  At this point we will post to our blog, but there will be a delay with the photos as we will try to send them vial email to Dad at home and see if he can add them to our post.....so if you'd like to see photos, there will be a delay....

Arriving late last We'd night in Taiwan after losing an entire day in transit, we started our 3 week adventure exploring the culture and practicing our Mandarin.  Thanks to Helen's most excellent directions, we managed to go through immigrations and customs and get to the city in about 45 minutes.  Still, we arrived at 11:30 pm. It was so nice to be met at the bus stop by Helen's cousins and walked to the apartment so we wouldn't be trying the wrong door.  We did have to use our Chinese to ask how to get places.  Well....sort of.  We didn't use complete sentences but we were understood!  We are quite jet lagged today but had fun figuring out currency, buying our you you ka (metro card), shopping for groceries and getting lunch.

hi this is Zoe! here are some new facts about Taiwan. First all animated shows are in japanese.I mean come on! One of the upsides to this is I can't always tell when it's in japanese or chinese or Japanese. Second If I try ordering street food and piont at what I want and say "yi ge" they imediatly understand I'm just a idot tourist not fluent in chinese and star talking english. Third I have decided that heaven is made from bao/dumplings. Fourth rush hour is around 4 or 5. fivth the Taiwanese think 70 is cold (I mean they're walking around in down coats). Sixth the Tiawanese love motorcycles (like with a capitol L, O, V, and E). Seventh there metro trains are so fast I personaly think that they strap rocket onto the back. Eighth the metro trains are compleatly automated. Ninth I honestly have no idea how the chinese stay so thin and lastly Bubble tea is the invention of the ceutry. Well about that bubble tea i havent exactly been able to order it yet. Hey don't look at me like that! The menus don't have any english on them give me a break! any ways gotta go! Also randomness!
Shakespear in the park: Dose Thouest mother know you weareth her drapes?
All done! Bye

Me,
Out

It's strange in Taiwan. Everyone's wearing shirts and coats while we're wearing t-shirts. There's also alot of food everywere. There are also alot of cars and the stopsigns have timers on them. The roads also look very complicated. There are some ups and downs about watching TV. The up is that you can't understand what the commercials are saying. The downs, you can't understand what they are saying in the movie.  At least there are some videos that are english. We finally got to bike today. It was nice and sunny so it was a good ride. But when we turned around, the wind started to pick up. I must be out of practise because I was out of breath and my legs were tired. But at least it was good.
I guess I'll just have to see what tomorrow has to bring.

Post more later,
MH