The Taiwan Strait

The first time I watched The West Wing in its entirety, I was struck by how many of the issues addressed and dramatized were still relevant today. See their apropos take on gun control, the pay gap, government shutdowns, and the best response I've ever heard for religious homophobia. But I digress, because I love that …

Election from Afar

It's been a long run. It was a year and a half ago in Taipei that a friend and I were first disparaging Donald Trump's campaign, at that time still in its laughable infancy. Since then I've spent time at home, worked for a local granola company, moved to Ireland, studied the fiddle, learned some sean …

So Where Am I Now?

Not that it's any surprise, since it's taken me the almost four months since I moved to actually get all of these posts out, and I already changed the backdrop of the site, but I'm back in Taiwan! It's strange being back here, because my experiences last year and this time have already started to meld …

So Long, Taiwan

I've started to write this post several times, first while sitting in my room in Taipei, during one of my last few days there. The next time I tried was in the Tokyo airport on my layover during my long trip back to the US. And here I am, back in my first home, ready …

Hello Kitty Cafe

Taipei is home to numerous themed establishments, including Hello Kitty and (until recently) Barbie cafes, and Modern Toilet, a restaurant where your meals are served in toilets and urinals. Fun, right? I'd always heard that the Hello Kitty and Barbie cafes are overpriced and have bad food, and frankly, I have no desire to eat out of a …

Claim to Fame

Last weekend I went to meet Taiwan's newest celebrities, Xiao Hong (Little Red) and Xiao Lu (Little Green). A quaint fallout from Typhoon Soudelor, Little Red and Little Green are two mailboxes that were hit with a falling sign, leaving them at a parallel, whimsical angle. Thanks to social media, their fame has quickly spread, and because an …

SteriPEN

After Super Typhoon Soudelor pummeled Taiwan this weekend, Taipei has had major issues with clean water. The city's water filters are overwhelmed by the flooding, and some people have had visibly dirty water come out of their taps, resulting in a city-wide boil-water advisory. What's easier than boiling water? A SteriPEN. I'd like to say upfront …

Soudelor

There were two natural elements I was very nervous about when thinking about moving to Taiwan: earthquakes and typhoons. I've never lived in a region prone to natural disasters, and despite my strong desire to teach here, I didn't want to live with that fear hanging over my head. Eventually, I was convinced by friends and family …

To Compare and Contrast: Taiwanese Hospital Experience

I'm fine. It was just a check-up. I had intended all along to get a check-up before I leave Taiwan because it costs about $5 USD here, but, as my friend who had graciously agreed to act as my translator for the experience and I discovered, basic check-ups are only done on the weekdays, and …

Trip #6: Shifen and Pingxi

Most of what I'd heard about Pingxi while living in Taiwan centered on the lantern festival. The small town of Pingxi annually hosts an incredible lantern festival where people travel en masse every year to release their own sky lanterns. I've actually heard that it's pretty awful because of how many people attend. A quick google image …