Hello guys!
The first word that I would use to describe Taiwan is hot. If I could use two words, I would say super hot. Thankfully, the packing I had done in the past couple of weeks has adequately prepared me for this situation. I’m wearing a lot of flowy shirts and skirts. But let me start to describe my experience!
The first day I landed, I took a taxi from here straight to my residential building. It was pretty fast and I got to take a good look at all of the mountains, buildings, and I could even spot Taipei 101 in the distance! Once I got all settled in, I went downstairs to the nearest 7-11 and loaded up my Easy Card, got some instant noodles, and settled in by 6 pm. Woo! Jet lag is tough, isn’t it? The next day I met my housemate, who is from Sydney, Australia and is also doing ICLP with me! She is super cool and also really nice! Over the next couple of days, I explored Taipei with friends, and also alone.
I specifically remember being super jetlag and waking up at 5 am, taking a shower, then taking a walk around Taipei’s Da’an District. By the time I was walking, (around 7am) all of the kids were going to school. Some were walking on the road, some were on bikes and some on their parents motorbikes.
ICLP has just started – we have 4 classes everyday, and it’s primarily focused on speaking. I feel like my reading and listening comprehension is so much better than my speaking, so I still have a lot of work to do! My classes have a variety of people coming from different places and different backgrounds. I think that I’m doing alright here! I can’t wait to see what I will explore later! For now, 加油！
~ Heidi Forbes