Day 1: Jet leg at its finest

We landed in Taipei around 5 am. We were all so excited because the airport had free wifi so we got to facebook, instagram, snapchat, iMessage, and everything else we could get our iPhones to do. We definitely all looked like Americans. The hospital staff from Cheng Hsin General greeted us off the plane and were snapping photos of us frantically (I hate to think of what we looked like after a 14 hour flight). As I was walking through the airport I still couldn't believe I was in Taiwan and was anxiously waiting to go outside because I had no idea what to expect!

We of course brought the Seattle weather with us...The weather had been so nice the past couple weeks (low to high 70's). Although it was 6am and most of us did not sleep well on the flight, we were all wide eyed staring out the window and chatting all the way to the hospital.

 

We were greeted by nurse supervisors and staff at Cheng Hsin General Hospital. The Taiwanese people are some of the most hospitable people I have ever met. We are staying in dorm rooms on the hospital grounds. It is an extension of one of the main hospitals and some single nurses live in the building. The above photos are of my lovely classmate and roommate Kristin in our room and one of the many gifts the Taiwanese people greeted us with. Our hosts continue to bless us and make us feel so welcome. The bedroom is spacious and wonderful. Kristin and I share a bathroom and both get our own big closets with lots of storage space and a desk each! The beds are very hard so we are stacking all the extra bedding on our mattresses to soften them up a bit...we will see how our backs feel in the morning!

 

Our professors didn't let us take a nap today because they want us to get over jet leg. So of course we all needed our coffee! Yum! (Sarah, Me, Marlaina, and Halani). 

In between orientations we took advantage of the down time and explored the area nearby! We found a fun park with workout gear and a big open space. It is definitely my favorite place so far and we plan to go on many runs to there and workout. 

Lastly, we ended the night with our formal orientation dinner with the hospital staff and superintendents. We were once again overwhelmingly welcomed and the hospital superintendent presented us with gifts. After a delicious (massive) meal we were all slowly crashing and wanting to go to bed at 6pm. I'm trying to stay awake and remember the overwhelmingly long tiresome day. Out my window there are fireworks in the distance preparing for Chinese New Year. I can't believe I'm here.