Taiwan!!!

I arrived in Taipei at 6pmish on Tuesday night. It was so weird because of a few things. One, the flight from San Francisco to Taipei was 12 hours and during the entire flight there was daylight. Two, I really did "lose" an entire day of life because I left at 1:45pm on Monday and arrived at 6pm on Tuesday - that was mind boggling. I sat next to a Tiawenese guy who is studying for his PhD in Maryland for electrical engineering and was returning home for a few weeks to see his family. We talked about culture and he was very friendly. I did not sleep at all on the plane (I usually don't) and so I am still trying to recover from jetlag.

As of right now I have been here for 2 full days and I am already discovering some unique things about Taiwan. For example where else in the world do they sell green asparagus juice. See picture below.

Also, the way the trash is picked up is interesting. The garbage truck drives around playing music similar to the icecream truck in the US and people wait on the side of the street for it to come by and then they toss their trash into the back of the truck. It is quite a site! There are lots and lots of motor scooters and many people go to work on them. So women are wearing helmets and driving scooters wearing really nice work clothes and high heels - I find it a bit humorous.

I sent an email out asking for prayer about getting my Resident permit. Good news. The process was simple and I even received my passport back! God is good. Another prayer request is that the school is going through an accredidation process with the Taiwan government and it is a difficult and strenuous process on the faculty and staff. Also the staff is concerned that this will affect the way the school teaches and proclaims the Gospel in the future. Please pray that the process will go smoothly and that the school will be able to uphold its faith-based teachings.

I have had a busy few days here. I have been out to eat twice and am learning how to use chopsticks. My hand hurts! The food is quite good. Lots of rice and different meats. Tofu, chicken and cury, sweet and sour chicken and fish. Very good and I can eat a good bit of it. I am helping the English staff prepare for the upcoming semester. So I have been cleaning and organizing. The writing center is going to be setup in the English department and I am starting to get that room ready for students.

Right now I feel overwhelmed but in a good way. The culture is very different and there are so many new things to take in. So many new people to meet and things to do. Tonight I am going to the night market for the first time in Taipei city. I hope to take some pictures and will post them soon.

Until next time...