Wow the second week of classes is already complete! I’m definitely getting used to the rhythms of work and assignments, although I’ll certainly feel a little less stressed after completing the Midterm Speech on 7/21. The most exciting thing for me is always learning a new word or sentence structure in class and then having it come up in conversation, in the TV show I’m watching, or when I’m ordering food. Progress in real-time!
The past couple of weekends have consisted of some more adventuring around the greater Taipei area. Last weekend (6月25-26日）I met a friend from ICLP in Ximending (西門町）where we shopped a bit, ate 滷肉飯 (braised pork over rice 😋) and saw a Taiwanese influencer/girl group Interdream film a Kpop dance for Youtube. My friend had seen one of the members on an idol competition show and got to take a picture with her which was pretty exciting! (Here’s the video they put up afterwards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MJv7szFl_A)
I also visited the National Palace Museum with a few ICLP 朋友們! Highlights included Bronzes from 1100 BC and earlier (!!!), embroidered calligraphy, and of course the famous 翠玉白菜 (Jade Bok Choy) and 肉形石 (Meat Shaped Stone) that look uncannily edible.
[Embroidered calligraphy!]
This weekend I joined other ICLP students on a trip to 淡水 (Tamsui), a district just north of Taipei where the Tamsui River meets the ocean. We visited a few historic buildings related to a British tea export company, as well as Fort San Domingo, an impressive red building originally built by the Spanish Habsburgs and later was alternately occupied by the Dutch, Zhou Tribe, Qing Dynasty, and British and US consulates. After a hot day of walking, the Golden Riverfront with its many kinds of frozen treats was a perfect way to end the day! Another great part of the excursion was meeting and getting to know some Taida student volunteers who joined us on the trip.
All in all things are going quite well! With any luck I’ll have the time and energy to plan a trip outside of Taipei soon!
PS I’ve also been getting a little too into looking for cool birds around here! After attending a lecture “Biodiversity of Taiwan” by Prof. Yuan Hsiao-Wei, I have been on the lookout more than ever. I even spotted a Taiwan Green Pigeon outside my dorm after Professor Yuan told us about it! I definitely haven’t seen many green birds before irl so that was quite exciting.
[see if you can spot him!]