Jonny and I made it to the tiny jewel of an island, Taiwan!
We will be in Taiwan for a total of 5 weeks. This first week we will be traveling around the island, and then we are teaching English to middle schoolers and high schoolers at English-learning summer camps. Teaching English in Taiwan is something I’ve always wanted to do, but with pandemic regulations and life events, it never really worked out… until now! Being here really is a dream come true.
These past few days in Taiwan have been pretty tiring between the heat, the time difference, and the moving around from place to place. Yesterday I wore my big backpack and dragged my big suitcase in the heat and humidity over a mile to our hotel, cursing myself for not packing less. We have finally settled in Jiayi for two nights and I am looking forward to taking it a bit easier here. We originally planned to hike one of Taiwan’s most famous mountains today, Alishan, but this morning we woke up and looked at each other and said, “That sounds like a lot of walking.” Maybe I’ll get a pedicure instead.
Yesterday was a holiday in Taiwan - the Dragon Boat Festival! We watched groups of people race dragon boats down the Love River in Kaohsiung and ate at a big buffet to celebrate. We’re right by the sea, and the buffet had unlimited fresh sushi - Jonny was in heaven.
The buffet also had so much fruit: dragon fruit, bananas, watermelon, mangoes, pineapple… you name it.
Before I tried my first mango slice, Jonny looked at me very seriously: “Your life is about to change. Fruit is about to be ruined for you for the rest of your life.”
I took the leap anyway. He was right. It was hands down the best mango I've ever tried, the best dragon fruit I’ve ever tried, and the best pineapple I’ve ever tried.
But aside from just fruit, that seems to be a theme for Taiwan: Taiwan has life-changing versions of so many things. The high-speed rail, the subway system, the night markets, the convenience stores, the people.
On our way to Jiayi, a middle-aged lady sat next to me on the train and we began chatting. She explained to me that she was on her way to visit her mom in another city, and I told her about our travel plans throughout Taiwan. We started talking about food, which the people here are very proud of, and I told her about my experience trying the fruit here for the first time. Her face lit up: “You like mangoes?? This is perfect!”
She got out of her seat and reached into the overhead bin to grab a large bag. I knew what was happening and tried to stop her - but it was too late. This lady was Taiwanese, after all.
She then reached into the bag and pulled out not one, not two, but FOUR beautiful, large, fresh mangoes. “For you to share with your husband!” She said earnestly.
Turns out the people here are pretty amazing, too.
Taiwan is everything I thought it would be and in some ways more. I’ve found I quite like roasted squid, love learning about the history, and am trying to pace myself with all the delicous fried food in the night markets.
Please enjoy these doodled-on pictures documenting our first few days here. :)
Thanks for reading,
Kimber
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You are making me miss that beautiful island 🥹