quarantine pt. 2

嗨～ i'm almost free!

i have moved to a hotel in 士林區 (shi lin district) for the last week of quarantine called the self-health reporting week. during this last week of reporting to the government, we are allowed to go out and i can't tell you how much the sun and fresh air makes a difference. we can also connect with our fellow classmates a lot easier.

tuesday

it was a sunny, warm, breezy day – a complete 180 from the rainy day just before. it was much appreciated though becuase this was our first time out since we first arrived. we took a taxi to the new hotel, settled in and then explored the surrounding area. now that we are allowed out, we go out and pick our own meals. my first was taiwan's national dish, 牛肉麵 (beef noodle soup). walking around the streets remind me of the pedestrian-driver relationship in china. for most westerners, cars and the scooters come way to close to pedestrians, especially on turns. in general, all parties involved are very assertive. but really, the drivers are all hyper-aware – i've started to feel them gauging my pace and adjusting as they approach. after finishing up our meals in our rooms, i studied in the park across the street and then went to check out 劍潭公園 (jiantan park), but quickly gave up because it was literally all stairs. 😭

wednesday

i woke up to the sunlight streaming through the window! this hotel is so much better than the first one in all aspects (the lighting in the room, the view, the balcony...i could go on). anyway, it was back to class this morning to discuss interview culture here. after class, i got snacks from 7-11 before meeting with my teachers about my end-of-term project. and then finally, i was free for the rest of the night. i had seen a riverside park about a 30 min walk away on the map and decided to head over in search of a good study spot.

i followed the map all the way to a wall where the river was supposed to be. turns out, you climb up one side of the wall and down the other to the river and a walking/running path. this was not ideal for studying, so i went back across the street to 美崙公園 (meilun park). i spent several hours there studying and listening to the sounds of nature and occasionally children screaming from the children's amusement park across the way. the astronomical museum is right there too, but unfortunately, i can't go inside anywhere yet. eventually, the bugs got to me and i headed back which was great timing because i caught the sunset and stalls were opening for dinner. this time, i got 炸醬麵 (black bean noodles). and yes, i know that ever since i can choose my meals, i've been getting noodles. don't at me.

thursday

the bug situation is worse than expected. i know they love me but the bite count is already in the double digits, so after class, i went to watsons, a drug store, in search of anti-itch cream. the store front is really tiny, but there was a downstairs. i suspect that's pretty common here. after an overload of traditional chinese characters, not only did i find anti-itch cream but also bug spray! which was really good because i had the great idea of going back to 美崙公園. in my defense, yesterday, i went alone. today, some classmates wanted to check it out.

food: hawaiian fried rice (hawaiian pizza toppings in fried rice), curry pan-fried dumplings

friday

after a full day of class and two meetings, i just wandered around the alleys and multiple parks in the area. i love how you hear birds chirping all throughout the city and how the balconies and alleys are lined with plants. the parks themselves have huge trees just smack dab in the middle of the city. they are full of people, young and old, out for a stroll, playing, chatting or even working out. the provided workouts include a stationary walker, core/waist twisters, and some contraption like a weight machine for your arms but the weight is your body. i'll have to get a picture next time :)

food: pork/veggie pan-fired dumplings, ramen

tune in next week for update on moving to school and our trip to 台南 (tainan) and 嘉義(chaiyi) in the south!

♡蘇晨