On Sunday, our host family took us to 西门町 (Ximending). The first two characters originate from the neighborhood’s location near the West gate of the old
The architecture reflects Ximending’s importance as a center of Taipei’s LGBTQ+ community. As you walk out of the MRT station, a bright rainbow with Taipei covers the pavement. On the opposite side of the street, 红楼 (The Red House) stands with orange bricks, adjacent to several gay bars. Inside is a small exhibition telling the story of the building, constructed during the Japanese occupation as a film house.
Next, we went to a multi-story Japanese store. It is not just a place to buy snacks, gifts, and groceries, it is a full experience that transports you to Japan. Every corner of every floor has a different product. Abundance is an understatement. I ended up buying matcha in different shapes and forms. We ended the day by riding a bike to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial. That afternoon, various 原住民 groups, the indigenous people of Taiwan, were performing. We observed the changing of the guards, and after much walking, eating, and exploring, I returned back to the dorm.
Spending time with our host families was far more special than the places we went. Words cannot describe the hospitality and care they showed us. On our last gathering, they presented us each with several gifts: a ceramic cup engraved with our Chinese names, 福 signs, and a custom-made name stamp.
I generally tend not to procrastinate, but Sunday was a little bit different. Arriving back at the dorm around 7 PM, I still hadn’t started my weekly paper due at midnight. Fortunately, as the program progressed, my writing speed increased, and I was able to produce 600 characters in under 1.5 hours.