Pitstop

Mmm...finally I get the time to put something online! =) Heh, and there's a heck lot of stuff to say...but I've also been writing in my sketchbook, during some of the more...unnecessary lessons. I'll type them up and add em here when we get back. But anyway, it's been quite an exciting four days. And to think that it's already been four days, and that today is already Thursday...on the one hand, I'm very happy with all that's happened so far. But on the other hand is the awareness that time is running out.

The last few days, we've visited the Shilin Night Market (wholly different from our Food Street or Pasar Malams), Taipei 101, the brand new Miramar Centre (a brilliant shopping mall with the most modern designs and a huge ferris wheel built in, and it only opened last week!) and Taipei City Hall. It's most intriguing to see the mix and combination of clearly Asian city sprawl and the more stylish American influences.

But besides being nice things to look at, these places aren't much (except for Shilin). Taipei 101 and the Miramar Centre are all Taka-class shopping malls, only better because they have a lot more space to play with and these buildings are younger. And Taipei City Hall, the Astronomical Museum and their Childrens' Culture Centre are basically organs of a big Discovery Centre type propaganda machine. And the school lessons, those that are not class sit-ins or hands-on stuff, are just like SS, and really, they don't tell us anything that we don't already know or could find out easily for ourselves.

There's been a bit of a feeling lately that I'm wasting my time, cos going to school is only to pass away the morning and afternoon in order to get to the outings at night. What I would really like to do is to eliminate all the lessons they organised for us that they think will improve our understanding of Taiwan, and just immerse in their classes totally, or at least have a tour of the back streets and secret corners. Or even better - some time to wander around by ourselves. Hosting and hospitality is all well and good, but there comes a point when the well-meaning safety precautions become quite annoying.

And we have so little time here. It would be such a pity to leave CKS Airport on the 8th without understanding the real side of Taipei. The key to appreciating the city is not only to see the good side, but to see all sides.

But yet, that's not to say that it's been a complete loss. Far from it...actually, this trip is turning out to be the most enjoyable ever! Hehheh, firstly I have my Digicam, which gives considerable freedom when it comes to photos. I've taken tons of great shots of night scenes and candid scenes. Heh, of course, lots of shots also got deleted =P

But mostly I think it's because I did make friends before coming over. That was the biggest lesson learnt from Frexprog. And I guess that's also why Thong was a bit apprehensive about coming over without knowing any Taiwanese, but it seems like things are going very well for him. And the people, Taiwanese and Singaporean included, go a long way in contributing to the enjoyability of this trip.

Hehheh...some interesting stories...Moh was taking a piss when suddenly this Taiwanese girl walks into the toilet. It seems that it's normal for girls to go into the guys' toilet because it's too inconvenient to get to a girls' toilet =P And today, we spent an hour traveling, another half hour training, and half an hour cleaning up, all to play three minutes' worth of paintball guns =S And the biggest thing is that because of our status as exchange students, we get away with breaking a ton of school rules. Of course, we don't purposely go find rules to break (at least I would like to think not), but sometimes it does get iffy when it becomes clear that they're tolerating our demands out of only the obligations of courtesy...

We met up again today, some of the RJ people, at the Miramar Centre. Heh, it was good to see them again, and to swap stories and experiences in the different schools, like to what extent the teachers are lax, and how they see Singaporeans. Hehheh, I've never been in a place where there are people who look up with so much admiration at my inferior Chinese abilites =P They think that our ability to speak any Chinese at all is great, and they are endlessly amused by our fast-paced English. Oh, and as a side note, I think their English obsession with grammar and rules have made their English so perfect that it's unnatural...and their English teaching and examining methods are distinctly odd from the Singaporean point of view. But more on that another time.

Right now it's time to go eat some rice burger. Hehheh, the adventure continues, and I'm still looking forward to what will happen tomorrow. Here, history is made every day! =)

pondered by phoenican @ 25.11.04