Three Days in Taipei

I have been in Taiwan since early Wednesday morning (my flight landed right on time at 5:10am), and it is now Saturday afternoon. Most of my time so far has been spent preparing for my classes, wandering around, or fighting jet lag. (The jet lag is so real, friends.) Here's a brief-ish description of my first three days in Taipei:

Day One 

After arriving by taxi to my first hotel, I went to a coffee shop suggested by the hotel staff to get breakfast. The only thing I could remember how to say in Chinese at that point (due to a combination of panic and 3 years since my last Chinese class) was "bīng kāfēi" - iced coffee. They had given me a menu so I could point to my first meal in Taiwan. As they set it on the counter, a woman sitting at a table for two moved her bag and gestured for me to sit there since she was almost finished.

I went to my school to do my registration. The biggest portion of this was the placement test they use to determine which class you will be in. I also found out from the scholarship coordinator that MTC (Mandarin Training Center) has over 600 students! My international student ID is definitely the best ID card that's ever happened to me. You can load money onto this and then use it at a myriad of places - the public transportation, participating shops and restaurants, in cabs...apparently it also gives a number of discounts. So far, I have mostly used it while taking the metro.

After leaving my school, I went to the immigration office to apply for my ARC (Alien Resident Card), which I'm required to do within 15 days of arriving. It was like being at the Secretary of State or the DMV; take a number and wait for a long time. I made the mistake of coming during lunch, so it took even longer than I think it would normally. They were on number 653 or so; I was 722. I waited 2 hours to get called up. I noticed a lot of people had to make copies of certain documents, resulting in a line at the copy machine they had there. I didn't have to make copies, but I did have to take a different picture, because the one I provided didn't have the white background they were looking for. In the basement they had two photo booths that could be used to take passport photos and then print immediately. Once I figured out how it worked, it was convenient; I had a terrible time trying to find something quick and affordable in the US when applying for my visa.

Day Two 
I spent a lot of time on the metro, and I went to look at two different apartments, both of which would be about a 30 minute commute to my school. Apartment hunting is difficult; I can't read Chinese well enough to use the Chinese websites. My school provides a helpful document on their website on what to ask about and what to do before signing a lease, but it is still a bit overwhelming since I don't know what's abnormal here.

Jet lag also defeated me for a bit, as I took a nap in the middle of the day. As I was hanging out in my hotel room, I enjoyed having the TV on in the background. I had it on the news in English for a while, but then switched it to Disney Channel, which was in Chinese.

Day Three 
In the morning, I moved to a hostel, which is far less expensive than the hotel. The hotel staff were so helpful; they called the taxi for me and made sure the driver had the correct address.

After dropping off my luggage (since it was too early to check in) I went to NTNU (National Taiwan Normal University) to try and open a post office savings account, which I need for my scholarship. It turns out that I need a different type of ID to do this, but I can't get it until my ARC comes, which will be in two weeks. Between this and my time at the immigration office, I can say that trying to do anything that requires paperwork is very stressful when it is in another language. Even though I can try and look up requirements in English before I get there, this doesn't account for individual circumstances or exceptions.

After I recovered from that incident (which my school said was fine, by the way) I went to MTC to wait for orientation to start. Because of the number of students, there were multiple orientations. The opening portion covered visa requirements and various requirements for class. Following that, we had a short tour, picked up our schedules, and bought our books.

For me, the highlight of orientation was getting to meet some of the other students. I love how diverse the population is here, and I'm looking forward to meeting my classmates on Monday. My class will have 8 students total.

Following orientation, I went back to my hostel so I could check in. This took a very long time.
My backpack was heavy with the valuables I didn't leave in the luggage room, since I didn't have a locker yet. In addition, I was now carrying my three new Chinese books (textbook, workbook, character book.)

I made it to Taipei Main Station and proceeded to wander around, trying to find my exit, for at least an hour. I also spent some time sitting so I could rest my back. With two metro lines, buses, the high speed rail, trains, and multiple underground malls, that place is no joke. By the time I finally found the exit I wanted, it was pouring down rain. I spent a little time trying to wait it out, but ultimately decided I just wanted to get back.

After I crossed a busy street, a sweet little lady noticed I had no umbrella. Distressed by this, she pulled me under hers and linked arms with me. It was very kind. After we went separate ways (almost immediately) nearly all of the walk was covered, so it wasn't bad at all.

I think that's enough for now, but stay tuned for my upcoming list of culture shock items!