Taiwan: Part I

Finally. Internet. How many days can an Engineer go without internet without twitching like a person bludgeoned into convulsions?  Regardless of that, I paid for 3 hours of access, for 120nt (roughly $5 Cdn)... comes with unlimited drinks.

I'm here.  My new home.  What's odd about this whole "move" is that there really wasn't an emotional moment.  Sure, I'm sad to leave my friends and my Canadian life behind, but I didn't feel like I would miss anything.  Perhaps the back and forth from Asia in the last few years have prepared me mentally. So I'm looking forward to what lies ahead, while cherishing what was left behind.

I looked for housing, and I'm not so excited about my living conditions.  After visiting 7 places, I decided on a place, but it's not fully settled.  I found a building being built (not ready until mid-August) that's around 10 minutes walk from work.  Perfect location.  Last night, I decided I liked one room, but didn't want to rush into anything.  The rooms aren't big, but the washrooms in these types of rentals are generally pathetic.  A typical washroom would be the size of a washroom equipped with a toilet and a sink.  Now put a shower head (with the hose) and a faucet on the wall somewhere and add a drain.  There is absolutely no separation between the shower and the rest of the washroom.  NOW, while the one room I liked was a little smaller than I would have liked, it had a long washroom where the shower was at one end (still, no shower door or anything), slightly separated from the toilet and sink.  THAT, I liked.  But when I called the owner at 10am this morning, she told me it was already rented out.  This means I'm going to have to settle on a sh.ttier room with a sh.ttier bathroom.  ARGH.

Aside from being very close to work, this apartment building is also about 3 minutes away from a little lake (where I got 12 mosquito bites yesterday) and some outdoor basketball courts, a swimming pool, and lots of restaurants.  Location is key, right?  I can always shower at work.

At work, there's a small universal gym (new), stairclimbers and stationary bikes (who does cardio anyway?), two ping pong tables, and a half-court for basketball which doubles as a badminton court.  So, I won't be far from physical activity here... which is something I was worried about.  I've been ghetto the last three days, using a bucket of water as weights for doing bicep curls.  I feel like Jackie Chan.  The one thing I want to complain about: NO FOOSBALL TABLE!

Overall, things are okay here.  I feel comfortable in my new surroundings.  I'm going to meet up with some university and highschool friends today, Sunday, and Monday.  I didn't have a chance to meet up with anyone on my last trip, so it will be good to see some old faces.

And that's that.

Leave a comment for me to read!