It goes without saying that life literally on the other side of the world is completely different. Last week me and my family were living in Waterloo, WI (population 3,100). This week we are living on the 4th floor of a skyrise building in the middle of downtown Taichung (population 1,000,000+). There are so many things that I realize now that as an American I took for granted. Grocery shopping and being able to read street signs are among those things. The cool climate of WI is yet another one.
We stepped off the plane to 92 (F) degree weather with 78 percent humidity. You know that feeling you get in the winter when you step outside in 0 degree weather and it takes your breath away, literally? Well, in extreme heat you get the same sensation. In the summer months the clothes I have lived in are light-weight shorts and light-weight tank tops. If you end up having to purchase clothes here you will pay much more (about $30-40 for the equivilent of a Wal-Mart brand T-shirt). We visited the area last March for a week and found that the weather was a bit cooler (around 60 degrees F) but with 84 percent humidity.
During the winter months, although the weather is still about 60 degrees F, the weather tends to feel cooler. The humidity keeps the chill in your bones and most buildings are not equipped with heat. Also, as the buildings are typically built with concrete or some type of rock they stay very cool. We typically wear warm socks and sweats around the apartment to stay warm in the winter months.
Grocery Shopping: Not speaking Mandarine Chinese or Taiwanese has been difficult. I have found that patience and a big smile are the best ingredients for getting help from the locals. Prior to moving out here I had been told that it was difficult to find certain items like milk, cheese, and basically anything resembling good old fashioned WI food. So far, I have been able to find basic cheddar cheese and milk. However, these items are a bit more pricey than we were used to in the States. Feeding the kids has been a huge task! As much as I hate to admit this, currently, my 2 year old is living off of french fries and yogurt. (She is such a picky eater). We have slowly been introducing various veggies and fruits into her diet. And boy, are the vegetables and fruits here delicious!!! And inexpensive!!
Stopping at the grocery store is actually a lengthy task. The majority of grocery stores are also connected to department stores. As most buildings are taller than they are wide you enter the store on the department store level and then take a long escalator (that can carry your cart with you) to the next level. Generally, the grocery store is on the third or fourth floor. This makes 10 minute stops for a loaf of bread virtually impossible. The best and fastest way to shop is by going to the local markets. You can find all sorts of vegetables and fruits, fish, pre-cooked meals like pot-stickers and sushi rolls, and fresh meats (chicken, beef, pork, etc.). The markets are typically less expensive than the grocery stores and open at about 4pm every night.
While you can get most of the items you need at a grocery store or the market, some people also prefer to purchase products like bread and pastries at specialty shops. We found a great little shop that sells delicious bread called Fingas (a restaurant and store). The store is owned by a woman who's sister lives in Texas so she has quite a few selections of products you could find in the US (spagetti noodles and sauce, brownie and cake mix, gold fish crackers, etc.).
Going out to eat: Eating out seems to be the preferred choice of dining for most expatriates in Taiwan. You can get a pretty good meal and spend very little. For example, we spent $20 at a popular tea house and fed the four of us with an entree each, drinks, and cookies for dessert. Not bad! Of course, you can also find restaurants that are more expensive. The nice thing about Taiwan is that you can find just about every type of restaurant from traditional Taiwanese to Italian. We have also found a few American-style restuarants that we like if we feel like we need a taste of home. And, of course, we have also seen KFC, McDonalds, Chili's, TGIF, and our favorite Starbucks.
Nancy (Chris' co-worker) showed us around some of the restaurants and introduced us to Pearl Milk Tea (the black pearls are large tapioca that you suck up through the straw - quite chewy like gummy worms).
The kids at a local tea house near our home in Taichung.
Navigating: This one I am still trying to figure out and will keep you looped in as I learn the various laws of the road. First of all, you drive on the right side of the road. At first glance, it appears as if laws do not exist for drivers and the cars sort of flow in and out of lanes like a dance. Upon second glance, you will notice that the rules are fairly similar to those in the US. There are a few differences. One difference is that it is illegal to make a right hand turn on a red light. The main difference is how crowded the streets are. Picture New York City except all of the cabs are scooters. Rule of thumb: the larger vehicle gets the right of way and with every vehicle traveling at a fairly low speed, the streets are rather safe.
(The large square in the picture behind goofy Andrew is for the scooters driving towards us in the picture who want/need to make a left turn. To avoid accidents they drive to the square and stop there to wait for the light to change so they can drive across the street and towards their desired direction.)
**If you know more about Taiwan, I would love to hear it. Also, please correct me if I am mistaken! Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
"Green Space" in Taiwan is referred to as any area that has grass. While we take grass for granted in the US, the Taiwanese consider it a privilege to live near these areas and pay a high price to do so. Most green spaces consist of a large space (anywhere from 1 to 3 city blocks) of grass and trees. (The picture to the right is Andrew holding up a large leaf from, what I believe is a Bodhtree - part of the fig family). 
