Nov24
So, I’ve realized that despite the odds, the weather forecast always turns to rain and never the other way around. The happy pretty “sunny” icons that smiled at me on Monday, predicting beautiful weather for the next week have so easily been replaced with this grimacing “chance of rain” icon in an effort to ruin my weekend.
But, I have realized that it’s never the other way around. There’s never a week when I go to Weather Underground and the forecast says rain all week but then the next day it’s turned for the better and everything has cleared up. No, Yilan is in a perpetual state of a chance of rain. You might think that the sky is clear and it’s bright and sunny outside. But, you would be mistaken. Within a few short hours, the entire sky will have changed to clouds and rain and all your hopes and dreams of a happy scooter ride would be immediately squashed.
Nov20
So I have to admit that being a Fulbrighter does come with its perks. Like being invited to the fanciest Thanksgiving dinner I’ve ever eaten in my life, hosted by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and its director William A. Stanton. We had everything from brie & crackers to smoked salmon to gourmet mashed potatoes, soup, crispy sourdough bread rolls (which are like impossible to find here in Taiwan), pumpkin pie, and a real Caesar salad.
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So, someone finally won the prize at my elementary school. One of the kids was taken out of school because he had H1N1 so all of the kids in that fifth grade class now wear masks. They insisted that we also do the same:
Nov12
It’s official. It’s impossible to find a good cup of coffee here in Taiwan. I miss Crema. I find myself often at cafes since I get tired of my apartment and I’m a lot more ?? (hard-working) when I’m away from the Internet. But, I’m always disappointed in the espresso drinks here. Sure, they sweeten them like crazy and it tastes like a great creamy dessert, but it’s nothing like the latte’s of Nashville.
If anyone knows where I can get a solid cup of coffee or a masterfully-poured latte, please let me know.
I’m a palindrome again…the big 22. After spending a fun weekend in Hualien to celebrate, I was so surprised by all the efforts my friends took to make my birthday feel so special. At literally every single meal I had that day, I had cake.
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