Hsinchu

This weekend was fun, I spent the day in Hsinchu with Linda, Mandy, Peggy, and Irene.  Actually, Irene joined us later.  I'm getting really good at the train system, now I mostly use the machine.  Sometimes there's no English/Pinyin, but I can recognize the characters for Tongxiao, Zhunan, and now Hsinchu. We had lunch at Din Tai Fung, I think that's becoming my favorite place :)  We stopped at the Godiva place at the way out, spent a little bit of my paycheck.  Linda wasn't feeling well, so her and Peggy went to the Dr., and Mandy and I walked to Sogo and hung out for awhile.  I apparently have an appointment for a pedicure next week, courtesy of Mandy.  We met up with Peggy and Linda (who was feeling much better) at Coldstone.  I only ate at Coldstone once in the US, it's too expensive.  But it was soooo good!

  Irene met us later, and we went to dinner at a noodle place, and then Costco.  By the time we got there, it was 9:00, and we were starting to get tired.  And goofy.  So I apologize for any odd Facebook statuses and texts that may have gone out between then and 10:30.  Costco was interesting, lots of food I recognized, some I didn't.  The FET's always look funny, trying to figure out the packaging, or even what it's supposed to be.  I made it home safely, around 11:15.

Yesterday marked two months that I've been here.  It doesn't seem that long.  I've taught 7 weeks, including that first one-day week.  I've mastered grocery shopping, and found a couple of new stores in Tongxiao.  Like I said before, I'm much better about taking the train.  It helps that I have internet access, and I can write everything down before I get there.  I cook for myself a lot, and I can use the gas stove without blowing anything up.  I've been to a few new places, Neiwan and Beipu.  I also found a cross-stitch store in Utah that ships to Taiwan, it's like Christmas in the office when something arrives with a Salt Lake City postmark.

By November 12, I'll have taught more, recorded a radio broadcast (more about that later) and hopefully traveled a little more.