1. I'm in Taipei to learn Chinese; was supposed to go home in February, but I really couldn't learn enough in 3 months, so I've extended my classes up till the end of May. It's been so much fun and although I'll soon be down to my last dollar, I would do it all again if I had the chance!
2. I learned that although 95% of Taiwanese are Han Chinese (which I am too), there are several cultural and social differences with Malaysian/Singaporean Chinese that I'm familiar with. There's no lousang nor yumseng here, and it's so intriguing to know that the number 8 is not always a favoured number in Taiwan.
3. I'm not a foodie, but being away from home makes me miss Malaysian food sooooo much! I want my nasi lemak bungkus, roti bawang double-telur banjir, banana leaf rice with extra peria goreng, and my morning hargow dimsum.. Mmm~
4. I really miss working out, and I miss my gym. I didn't bother to join a gym here, so the last time I actually had a proper sweat-out was in... November 2018. Seriously. I'm getting fat!
5. I can't wait to have my car-aoke sessions once I'm home. The block of apartments that I live in Taipei are built quite close together and not sound-proof. Sometimes, I can hear the odd neighbour in the shower, jamming to some off-key beat he probably heard at a rave, and I think to myself "I don't want to be that guy".. Car-aoke is one of the little pleasures in life that I didn't appreciate enough... until I don't have a car to sing in!
6. Winter & Spring would be a wonderful time to visit Taipei, unless it rains... which it does... most of the time... Taipei's winter isn't painfully cold, the coldest it gets is slightly above 10°C, which is a nice treat from the heat back in KL. But be warned, the skies are gloomy most of the time. Last December, we didn't see the sun for 12 days straight. Yes, I counted. I thought it was the end of the world. It's a bet for travelers; it could rain for a week without stopping, but it could also be sunny and cool for a whole week. So, feeling lucky?
7. I experienced my first earthquake in Taiwan! ...and my second.. and my third.. and my fourth.... Earthquakes are a common occurrence here. An earthquake that's strong enough to wake you up in the middle of the night, or make you stop and think "oh, earthquake" would happen about once a month. The first earthquake I felt was in December, while I was asleep. My bed started to shake and I freaked out coz I thought I has being haunted by a poltergeist. Then I could hear my closet shaking and creaking, and I realised that it was a shake. The strongest earthquake I felt was the one that happened in April. I was in the middle of my midterms when it happened and we could hear students from the other classes shouting. I felt a bit nervous, thinking to myself "at what point do I drop my pen and start to run?". It was also the time when 2 Malaysians got injured at the national park, which led to my phone buzzing from concerned friends & family. Unfortunately, one of the injured Malaysians succumbed to their injuries.
8. I felt like an alcoholic during my first few months here. I think I missed home, aka the boyfie, too much. I helped myself to a whole bottle of wine every night. Luckily, wines from the supermarket are quite cheap. =)
9. It's my first time spending so many holidays away from home: Christmas, New Year's Eve, Chinese New Year, Valentine's, Easter, Mother's Day... No wonder it's beginning to feel so long!
10. As much as I miss home, I'm going to miss Taipei a whole lot once I leave. It's such a liveable city. People are nice, it's super safe (It might take a while, but I can drunk-stumble home alone at 2AM , no problem), the public transport network is vast, good food is easy to find, bubble tea is everywhere (and so cheap!), and I have amazingggg friends! ...and also, gay marriage will be legalized on May 24, which is also the last day of classes for me～It's gonna be such a fun weekend! Yaaaaaaaa!!
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