Always an Adventure...

Inevitable comparisons arise for me, between these two lands that are often confused by others (on the bright side, I can now answer the question "how's Thailand?"). But what is Thailand like compared to Taiwan? As they like to say here, is it same-same? Or is it different? Money - the exchange rate is almost 1:1 here making it really nice for me. BUT in general, things are a little cheaper here than in Taiwan. For example, a plate of noodles is 25 or 30 (a dollar) where it might be 50 or 60 in Taiwan. Stuff in the markets is pretty cheap too, like silk scarves 2 for 100 (about 3 dollars). Taking orders now... Food - I love Thai food! I've had pad thai 4 times in 6 days. Their food is often spicy, but with a little sweet and sour mixed in. One of the tastiest things here is the mango sticky rice, which has coconut milk poured over it. BUT I do have to say that Taiwan mangoes are better. Transportation - People drive on the "wrong" (left) side of the road he...

Here I am in Chiang Mai, which is in northern Thailand. Before coming here, everyone said to me, "Oh, you'll LOVE Chiang Mai!" and it's a nice place, full of delicious food, friendly people, and places such as "Golden Finger Massage" and "Washy Mashy Laundry" It's quite touristy here, and very international, but it's always nice to see greater diversity. It's also been fun to see my cohort again (by the way, I love that word) after a semester in our respective countries. We are all enjoying a break from winter, though those from more northern countries even more so. I've been finding some time for fun among my studies, and managed to get a pedicure and two massages so far (all good textbook reading activities). I'm thinking of taking a Thai cooking class on my last weekend here. There are inevitable comparisons between here and Taiwan, one big one is that shops close MUCH earlier here. Taiwan is really the country that never sle...

What a year it was...it kind of seems like a blur now. Jan: It all started with getting accepted into an MA program and scrambling to register for the first course (which I managed to do, only a few weeks late). Feb: Jeanine visited me from Korea during Chinese New Year! March: Watching the final Olympic hockey game at an insane hour of the day April: brought a delegation to Yilan for my birthday May: did a 3km swim in the ocean. 10 years since high school graduation. June: yea I have no idea what I did in June, must have been stunned by the aftermath of the final season of LOST, but I do remember saying goodbye to Hope after a fun year of her being in Taipei. July: first Canada Day in Canada in 6 years, began my master's classes in LA, discovered Target...July was an exciting month! August: Kenting trip and said goodbye to a wonderful roommate, Ashley Sept: Started the crazy schedule of work and school, plus found out I'd be teaching in Hualian this semester too Oct: big typho...