Hello guys! Week 2 has gone by in a flash, hasn’t it?
After one week of ICLP, I can confidently say that the classes are very, very challenging. However, I feel that my Chinese has already started to improve! Within restaurants and other places, the majority of people cannot speak English, so speaking Chinese has been very crucial to getting around. Let’s move on to the week’s highlights!
Last Friday, (6/21) I went with a bunch of friends to Shilin Night Market (士林夜市). We took the MRT (the red line) to Shilin stop, and then we started to explore. It was hot, packed, and big. But it was so. so. FUN!! In the market, we altogether bought fish balls, peanut rolls, oyster vermicelli, dumplings, quail eggs, and others. One of my friends bought avocado milk – which I tried – and it actually was pretty good! As the night fell, the market only became more packed. I could smell the fragrant smells of different food mixing with one another, and the steam (mind you, we’re in 90 degree Fahrenheit weather) rising from each stall. If I were to pick my favorite, it has to be the oyster vermicelli. It was so flavorful, with cilantro and the oyster. I’ll try to attach a picture below. My lessons at ICLP already proved to be useful, as most of the people who ran the stalls spoke Mandarin with a Taiwanese accent and I understood everything!
The second highlight was this Wednesday (6/26), which was my birthday!!! Wooo!!!! Originally, I had felt a little sad because thiswould be the first time that I would celebrate without my family. However, I got together with some other Williams friends who are doing HTA (what a crazy crossover). We had hot pot fordinner, and it was 1. so delicious and 2. so nice to see people that I know. It was really nice that Williams allowed me to cultivate friendships that I can reach to in times of need, even if I’m in a different country. I will also try to attach a photo. Now, I am going to end this blog! Thanks for reading!!!
~ Heidi F