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Heat index for today. High of 49 C. Translation 120 F. I am currently preparing to die.

(I have the dates from the past two weeks all mixed up in my mind so I'm just gonna call this whole mess) 6/20/2010

The Taiwanese seem to think their Shanghai pavilion looks like a toilet. What does that make the US pavilion?

I've been working on housing plans for the wealthy. The maid quarters are kept seperate from the family quarters so that their paths do not cross. The maids even have their own entrance and bathroom. In one sense it seems luxurious. In another, it's like segregation. Are there homes in the US like this?

I love that the culture here is still a farming culture. People are always bringing in produce from their family's farms to share with everyone at the office. Lychee, peanuts, mangoes... mangoes!

Watched cloudy with a chance of meatballs on DVD with my aunt and cousin. Wonder how the nerd stereotype works for people in Taiwan where seemingly scrunchies are still in style. [Insert photo of entire stores devoted to scrunchies filled with fashionable youngsters].

I walked through the National Taiwan University campus. It's a pretty nice place to walk, lots of trees, green spaces, and ponds. With all the joggers, walkers, and families hitting around baseballs, it reminded me more of a park than a University.

Their palm tree boulevard reminded me a lot of the one tree conservatory in Ghana, except paved and with cars.

Drunken Moon Lake

At the Gonguan subway station outside of the university. The building is covered in a piece of work by some artist. It changes colors depending what side of the building you're on.

I asked my aunt if red cars had higher insurance in Taiwan. Apparently it's the white cars that are the reckless drivers here. white? really?

Jingmei nightmarket takes over the streets of the daytime produce market.

6/23/2010

Sushi out with the coworkers. I was deemed the second biggest eater. Also, my first time drinking Taiwan beer. Pretty terrible. It's also strange being in a country where pretty much everyone has lower alcohol tolerances. I feel like they would freak out if they saw the way Americans drank. A lot of people were feeling sick the next day at work. All the people who hadn't been drinking, that is. Beer isn't enough alcohol to kill of germs is it?

6/25/2010

Is it a bad sign for stinky tofu when I walk through a night market and can't tell if I'm smelling food or sewer?

6/26/2010

Went back to Baisun for a visit. The cousins' family came along. They stayed at a hotel so they could bask in the a/c. How Taiwanese homes survive without a/c on all the time in this heat is beyond me.

Cat house at the hotel

Garden area surrounding the hotel. Also, look I took a people picture! Those are my cousins.

I liked the way the ground was 'paved'

I stayed in the guest room at my grandmother's house. Bamboo mats are rather excellent for keeping cool at night. I kinda want one.

My uncle looking inspired on the cable car at Sun Moon Lake (possibly Taiwan's biggest tourist attraction) close to where my grandmother lives.

Owl trying to blend in with the buses.

Sun Moon Lake is a park displaying the cultures of the Taiwanese aboriginals. It's also an amusement park but the rides weren't worth taking pictures of... lame.

Also, the last thing i expected to be taking a picture of, but rest stop ftw? American rest stops are like stinky bathroom plus gas station plus mcdonalds and maybe some vending machines. This was more like let's sell really high quality, fancy, and expensive foods in a really decked out building. Oh, and why not hold some concerts upstairs too.