365 Days of Taiwan: i have arrived!

nee-how! (hello in chinese)

i've officially been in the country of taiwan for 40 hours!

the first thing i noticed as i walked off the plane and into the taipei airport, was the INSANE humidity and heat. i read a bit about the climate before i came, so i was prepared for heat, but the humidity here is like NOTHING i've ever felt. being from minnesota, where there is a reasonable amount of humidity in the summer, i figured i'd probably be fine. also, last year in korea, i lived in a city that was notorious for being both the hottest and most humid in the country. it was hot and humid, don't get me wrong, even far more than minnesota, but in comparison to taiwan, it was NOTHING! i don't want to spend this whole post rambling on about the weather, but it would be neglectful of me not mention the rain. right now, we're in a "season" called the "plum rains". i'm not entirely sure where the rain is coming from, but what i do know is that i need to constantly be carrying an umbrella with me. it may be sunny and clear-ish skies one minute and the next minute (literally), it can start pouring an unimaginable amount of rain. pretty interesting to see, but i'm glad it will be ending in a few weeks.

ok, moving on from the weather. i feel pretty blessed to have gotten the job that i did. the school seems to really care about their teachers and want to help as best they can. i was picked up by the person who hired me (leon), right when i got into kaohsiung (pronounced http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=kaohsiung). i am currently staying at the apartment of a lovely lady named tami. she teaches at one of sister schools to the one i will be at. she kindly opened her home to me for the next week and i am very thankful for her hospitality.

as of today, i am pleased to announce, kris and i have officially signed a lease for a great apartment, which i will be moving into next weekend! i unfortunately didn't get any pictures of it today because my camera ran out batteries, but i'll be sure to take some photos and post them when i move in. i actually surprised myself with my negotiating skills. i was able to talk the landlord down a bit on the price and also get a few extra perks added in! without going into too much detail about the place (pictures will do a better job of explaining than i can), it's in a quieter part of the city, near a costco, ikea and within a five minute walk of the subway. the building/apartment are new and kept up nicely. there is a beautiful courtyard that has lots of flowers, palm trees and tropical sounding birds. the apartment is decently sized and fully furnished, which is a huge benefit! there is also a workout room that i'll be forced to walk by everyday. i hope seeing it so often will guilt me into a jog on the treadmill every now and again.

beyond that, there isn't too much new to report. i start a week long training session at my school this monday and will be full time teaching a week later.

pretty excited about my new life in taiwan, but certainly missing everyone back home.