I was so exhausted from the plane ride I got 12 hours of sleep! The bed was rather hard but I folded 3 comforters together to sleep on. The building we are staying in does not have heating, just air conditioning. We couldn't figure out how to turn the air conditioning off the first couple days but finally have it figured out and our room is some what warm now. A bunch of us went on a walk to explore the near by neighborhoods and markets for a couple hours. The sidewalks are narrow and mopeds line the streets and park where they please. Pedestrians do not have the right of way and cars/mopeds/bikes drive as they please! If someone doesn't get hit by a car or moped this trip it will be a miracle! We walked to a massive indoor market where there was an overwhelming mix of seafood, raw meat, sewer, and flowers. If I never see some of the meat I saw in the market ever again....I would be okay with that (skinned chicken heads, cow heart, liver, stomach, intestines, ect).
Kalie and I were invited by one of the surgical nurses (Grace) homes to celebrate Chinese New Years. Grace's husband is a cook at the hospital and cooked Kalie and I a gluten free/dairy free dinner. Grace has a 16 year old daughter Ariel who spoke very good English and translated most of the night for her parents. We learned about the history of New Years and how families come together and celebrate the holiday together. A lot of the food he prepared for us would bring us "good luck" and a "long life". All of the shrimp had eyes left on them and the fish were presented whole. I don't know how I feel about my food staring at me. Our host family were the most kind and caring family! They laughed at us trying to use our chopsticks and trying to eat the food. I was thankful for a fun and silly host family. After dinner they drove us to downtown Taipei and took us to Taipei 101 and various other buildings. The night was definitely a night to remember, full of laughs and wonderful memories.
Cow heart anyone?
Our wonderful host family!
Taipei 101
What a great time to arrive in Taipai. I'm sure things are starting to get busy at the hospital now that you've settled in. Thanks for the great update sweetie.
ReplyDeleteMiss you bunches.
D