R.O.C.

Bonjour! Or Ni hao!

It seemed like it was only yesterday that I was leaving Victoria for Quebec. All of a sudden, I am half way across the world, away from my friends from Vancouver and my new friends from Trois-Rivieres. My flights from Montreal to Toronto to Vancouver went by really fast. My flights from Vancouver to Beijing to Taipei seemed even faster!

Beijing was gloomy. It was my first time in China (in my opinion, HK is still on its own..) People were a little intimidating, but maybe it was because I was holding a Taiwanese passport. Who knows. I was glad to leave when I did.

Despite the gray sunlight, Terminal 3 was massive and impressive. The columns, the scale-like skylights, and the spacious layout are all very artistic I thought. Norman Foster designed it for Beijing Olympics 2008. I believe it contained one of the fastest baggage transfer systems in the world. I would've loved to see the city of Beijing, but it was quite a long way away. It would've been interesting to see / compare the lifestyle, architecture and food to the Taiwanese.

Upon arrival in Taipei, we were greeted (by surprise!) by my brother! He hadn't planned on coming to pick us up at the airport nor was he planning on heading back to Kaohsiung on the same day! We managed to fit 4 suitcases, 3 backpacks, a computer monitor, some bags full of Mike's stuff and 2 (haha) straw hats into the car and drove ~300km southbound to my lovely home city Kaohsiung.

I missed this humid, hot weather. It sounds gross but I actually missed the feeling of sweat dripping down my spine. The burning sun beams, the noisy traffic, the dirty squatter toilets, the huge selection of drinks at any convenient store, the chewing tabacco stains on asphalt, the creepy men standing around random places and the green banana/palm trees are just some of the familiar things I remember from my childhood.

It feels awkwardly strange and normal to be back home!

This trip is different from past summers. This trip is to last for a year. This trip is for me to rediscover my roots, culture, language and of course, to EAT LOTS OF TROPICAL FRUITS! I have a little friend with me this time. Ryan is here again in Taiwan 3 years later. He is remembering places he's been and food he's tried. There is a lot more to be discovered and learned for the both of us. Huan ying Ryan =)