Back as an Expatriate

So I left the US again, after living a year of ordinary college life in the (I assure you) incredibly exciting town of River Falls, Wisconsin. I definitely missed being abroad and the many things that come with it. This time, despite the fact that I really, really miss Japan in a way that I never thought I would, I chose to go to Taiwan. There were definitely times when I wasn't sure I was making the right choice, when the option of returning to Japan was so tantalizingly close. But, I'm definitely glad I ended up going to Taiwan. I've been here for less than a week and already I'm enamored.

My first few days were exhausting. We went to see some of the most famous places in Taipei, like the Beitou River (imagine an asian Coney Island, fish heads not included) and the Taipei 101. Taipei 101 was gorgeous inside- all high-end designer shops and glass and marble architecture. Oh, and an amazing bookstore with a huge selection of foreign language books, priced closely to what they would be in America.


But, with all this running around, it's made me exhausted. Classes began today, and the one class I had is going to be the easiest class I've ever taken. Our final? 400 words on what we learned in class. I could do that in fifteen minutes. Don't let it get out though, I'm getting legitimate credit for this class at UWRF (for free). I think this entry may even be getting close to 200 words, and it's only taken me five minutes.

The dorms are eh, but that's pretty much what I expected. There's four people to a room in what normally would be smaller than a single person's bedroom. My River Falls apartment is seeming a lot less small now. My roommates are nice, one of them speaks pretty good English, so we're able to communicate. Even though they're really nice, I have the feeling I may get a bit tired of dorm life very quickly. I hate having to wear shoes when I shower. This is a fact I pretty much already knew about myself. It does not surprise me to have it come true. I'll live. And if I stay for a second semester, it's completely doable to move out into an apartment. There's an exchange student who is doing that exact same thing and he's paying roughly $260 a month in rent. If Mark and I split that...that is very cheap.

That's another thing. Taiwan is very inexpensive. The food is amazing and is made even more amazing by how inexpensive it is. A meal is roughly $3 USD - and it is so delicious! Even the "expensive" places are still cheap.

There's a lot more to say, but I am exhausted. It's only 11 PM here, but after going out to KTV (Taiwan's version of karaoke) tonight, I need to go to sleep.