During my entire time in Taiwan I only spent 2 nights away from the capital city of Taipei. It’s not the way I had planed it, but after being there for a few days you couldn’t drag me away. That’s because Taipei is more than just a city with city-style
Walking the Dead Home
During Spring Festival I went to my best friend Color’s house. His hometown is in a small town, located near Wenzhou, and most of the holiday was spent in his grandparents village, a teeny, tiny place that has one street running through the middle and where everyone is related. Surrounded
Making it Official: My New Goal
Okay, I have thought long and hard about this and after looking things up on the internet and talking to several people I have decided to make a major commitment: On July 21st, I am going to take the HSK 5. For those of you not learning Chinese, let me
Top Five Taiwan Street Foods
As promised here is a list of my top 5 favorite street food in Taiwan. I just want to mention that there was a cup of milk tea that was one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted. But as it was milk tea, and not exactly food
In Defense of Traveling Alone (Or–A Love Letter to Those I Met)
I woke up at 2am to go to the bathroom which was located down the hall. I stumble out of the dark room, go to the bathroom, and stumble back. At the door I notice something. A note. Addressed to me. Hi Becky, I can take you to the Taroko
Impromptu Chinese Lesson
You would think that living in China while learning Chinese means I get a lot of practice. In some ways I do (and I certainly could never learn the language if I didn’t live here) but in many ways, it doesn’t help at all. Technically every minute outside I could
The Most Convenience Stores = The Most Convenient Place?
Taiwan has a dubious honor: being the place with the highest density of 7-11’s in the world, and the probable winner of the place with the most convenience stores in the world. (I don’t want to get all controversial and say the “country” with the most convenience stores but you
Get Your Drool On–The Amazing Street Food of Taiwan
I have a lot to say about Taiwan but I have to get the most important thing out of the way first: food. Taiwan is known as one of the food capitals of Asia, second only to Singapore. It was the one thing almost everyone mentioned when I said I
Want a Picasso? Special Price Just for You!
Ever wanted an oil painting of your dog? Or one of Dumbledore? Or some traditional calligraphy written by a master? How about a hand painted Vermeer? You can get all of that, and much, much more at the Da Fen Oil Painting Village in Shenzhen, China. Covering several blocks in
The Closest I'll Ever Get to Going to the Star Wars Cantina
It’s been called the The Ghetto at the Center of the World, the Unofficial African Quarter of Hong Kong and has been compared to the Star Wars Cantina where rough characters from all corners of the globe converge in an uneasy alliance. I called it home sweet home for 3