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I am leaving tomorrow to return to the States.  So, I figured I’d make a list of the top 10 things I’ll miss about Taiwan.

1. Taiwanese breakfast – There’s a breakfast shop pretty much on every block, usually two.  They’re super fast, you can even order from sitting on your scooter and in a few minutes, you’ll have a dan bing (egg pancake) or a variety of sandwiches or, if you venture for the traditional type of breakfast, salty soybean milk, you tiao (long crispy oily dough things), or bao zi (steamed buns).  While here in Taiwan, I’d wake up early just to get breakfast before going to work.  And that’s saying a lot because I like my sleep.
2. Tea Shops – I’ve already written a post about this, but I love the way you can customize your tea here.  Tea is cheap, good quality, and delicious.  Plus, it’s super convenient because there are probably about the same number of tea shops as breakfast shops, if not more.
3. Driving Scooters – As dangerous and insane as they might seem, scooters can be extremely fun to ride in good weather in the middle of nowhere.  Driving in the city is heart-stopping and stressful, but driving in the country or in the mountains is gorgeous…wind running through your hair, weaving in and out around potholes, ahh…driving in a car seems so boring in comparison.
4. Taiwanese Versions of International Cuisines – I will miss the Taiwanese interpretations of different world foods.  For example, any Italian restaurant here has this amazing baked casseroles globbered with cheese on top. Also, it is inconceivable to eat steak without first eating a special puff pastry creamy corn soup.  Every single steak house I have been to offers you this. Also, whenever you go to a bar, instead of serving peanuts with your drink, you are served shrimp chips. When I asked my Taiwanese friend about this, he thought it was completely normal.
5. 7-11 – I know in America, 7-11’s are pretty sketchy, but they are everywhere here and you can do anything at them. And I mean anything. Like pay your electricity bill, buy tickets for a concert, add minutes to your phone, and grab food and drinks.
6. Efficiency – Everything is so quick here. For example, if I need an oil change, I just drive on up to my scooter shop, tell them I need an oil change, and they’ll immediately start working on my scooter. 10 minutes later, I’m done and on my way somewhere else. Also, in the metro stations (MRT), people line up in order to enter the cars.
7. Transportation – Public transportation in the cities here is ridiculously convenient.  Taipei has an extensive bus system and the metro system.  Further, there are buses that hit every other city on the island and it’s super easy to hop from one city to the next using these long-distance buses or the train.  If that doesn’t satisfy your appetite, you can even take the high-speed rail (HSR) to get to your destination quicker.
8. Night Markets – Lots of cheap food and shopping all within a few blocks. What more can I say? Cute clothes at ridiculously cheap prices and delicious food like shaved ice or beef noodle soup.  They open before twilight and stay open until late into the night (past 10 PM and some even to midnight).  When it comes to nightlife, Taiwan reigns.
9. Mandarin Chinese – I think the Mandarin language is beautiful and extremely fascinating. I know that I’ll miss speaking it when I get back. I’ve gotten so used to saying a few phrases that now it actually takes some thought to think of how to say the same thought in English.
10. People – I love the people here. They are so generous and sweet and helpful.  If you ever ask for directions, they will always stop to help you and sometimes even show you the way to go. People will go out of their way to help you in so many ways.  But, not only that, of course the biggest thing that I will miss from Taiwan are the friends that I have made here. It’s hard saying goodbye to them and I hope that one day I’ll be able to see them again.