Some Differences

I have been asked to tell everyone about some of the differences between Taiwan and New Mexico. These things seem relatively normal to me now, but were initially rather shocking.

• Driving
• There are about as many motorcycles here as there are cars, and the motorcycles don't always stay on the road. When there is a sidewalk, the motorcyclists often don't hesitate to use it.
• The cars ignore the rules of the road as well. Lines on the road don't mean much. Red lights are routinely run if it is safe to go through. Taiwanese drivers DO NOT like to stop. This includes stopping for pedestrians, so said pedestrians must be very careful when crossing the street, regardless of what the signals say.
• Houses
• Because Taiwan is a small island with a high population, structures are built up instead of out. Almost everyone here has multiple stories to their houses. A good indication of wealth is the presence of a yard, because it's not a necessity.
• Shoes are not worn inside houses.
• Animals
• Pets (the most common pets here are dogs) are not spayed/neutered.
• Dogs lay in the middle of the street in the day, sunbathing, but don't get hit by vehicles.
• Meals (minus the things I said previously)
• People eat more food, more often, and are thinner. I don't understand it. Anyway, they eat the 3 normal meals, plus snacks throughout the day. However, they also eat shortly before bed. This snack generally consists of fruit (at least in my family).
• At regular meals (as in, not fancy ones), drinks (such as black tea, green tea, and milk tea) are drank (drunk?) out of bowls, not cups.

That's all I can think of right now. If I remember something I've forgotten, I'll either edit this post or write it in a comment. If you want to know about something, comment! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside that you care!! Alright, thanks!

The Food!

Hey all! I've decided to dedicate this post to the wacky wonders of Taiwanese meals!
First off, I'll describe the table manners. Each person gets their own bowl of rice, and their chopsticks (generally). Each meal consists of at least 3 dishes, which are put in the middle of the table for everyone. People then use either their own chopsticks or the serving utensils (which are sometimes also chopsticks, and sometimes spoons) to put food into their bowls. It is considered most polite for you to sit up relatively straight and hold your bowl in your left hand, with your thumb on the rim and your fingers on the bottom. Soup is put into the same bowl and you either drink it (which is common and polite) or use a spoon (which is less common but also polite). Burping is permissible, as is chewing with your mouth open; these are not polite, but I have seen them happen relatively often. Talking a lot during the meal is not polite.
Secondly, the food. Tofu and rice are, as you might imagine, staples. Meat is not as emphasized. Vegetables are almost always cooked into a mushy state (which I don't particularly enjoy). I have tried snails (which I found to be rather rubbery), pig stomach, pig kidney, pig blood, chicken butt, chicken heart, chicken feet, fish tail (a German student, Felix, ate the head), octopus, and goat. I enjoyed all of these (although the snails are at the bottom of the list)!
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please let me know! Thanks!

The Moon Festival

For those of you not familiar with the legends regarding the Moon Festival, here is an informative link: http://chinesefood.about.com/od/mooncake/a/moonfestival.htm. I found it very helpful.
So. Tomorrow is the Moon Festival. This means several things.

• There is neither school nor work for many people.
• People should spend time together, especially lovers.
• Everyone (except me) will be enjoying mooncakes. 
• Dogs and small children will be wearing hats made from pomelo peel (the Chinese name sounds like yo-tsi) while everyone (especially me!) will be eating the fruit
• Regarding the eating of this fruit, it is important to note that it is similar in appearance to a large, green navel orange. However, unlike in an orange, the tissue separating the sections of meat is NOT edible.

Sorry, but that's all I have to say at the moment. If there's something you want to hear about, please please please comment! I'll try to write a more informative post next week!

A few differences

I have now started school, and it is very different from school in America, so I figured I'd tell you all about it.
First off there are the uniforms. The exercise uniforms are pink/maroon for girls and blue for boys, and consist of sweatpants and an absorbent shirt (since everyone sweats so much). The non-exercise uniforms for girls are a white collared shirt, blue knee-length skirt, high white socks, and black dress shoes. Boys wear slacks and regular socks with their collared shirts and black shoes. So far we've had 2 uniform inspections... in 4 days!
Secondly, there is the cleaning. Taiwanese students clean their own schools, often multiple times each day. Some classes get twig brooms and sweep the exercise area; others sweep and mop the entrance area or their own classroom. My class cleans our room before lunch.
Another difference is the lunch arrangement. Some students eat in the dormitory cafeteria. Others have to buy their food from the on-campus restaurant (which is similar to the CNM cafeteria). I eat lunch and sometimes dinner in the dorm cafe. Of course, how food is eaten is also different here. Each person gets a bowl and a pair of chopsticks. We generally fill our bowls with rice, then top the rice with other foods from the other communal dishes. I'm getting much better with chopsticks! Another difference - lunch is an hour and fifteen minutes long because everyone naps on their desks after eating. The teachers *encourage* you to sleep in school!
Thanks for reading!