hsin city

finally! i'm finally in taiwan, and specifically, the lovely city of hsinchu. my first impressions, though somewhat askew as a result of my 13 hour flight from san francisco (piece of cake, by the by; tylenol pm is my savior), are relatively positive. it's sunny outside, and the climate is superb. i am told this will not last, but i must say it was quite a welcome.

my apartment and living situation are quite acceptable as well. my current roommate, david, seems nice, picking me up at 6:00am in taipei, and showing me about our immediate surroundings. i like fried radish at breakfast, apparently. it's well spiced and has the consistency of tofu. yum. also had some egg sandwich for lunch...not so much. i ate it because i was starving (i dont know why that is either, by the way), but it was a bit bland. the bread is white and square, like thick wonderbread. there are also tons of fruit vendors around here. i am going to begin venturing into this world of exotic delicacies for dinner i think, because i dont think i can take another fried item.

the job seems like it's going to be quite challenging. i start teaching classes really soon - like in a week - and i think we all know about my misgivings concerning children. none of them seem to have horns or whatnot yet, but i have been told they can get quite out of hand. im a bit worried about reprimanding them into silence when necessary, as i dont often yell and am not very good at punishment. i think i'll approach the situation like a person entering prison: the first kid to misbehave gets taken to Teacher Sharon (the director's wife), who apparently punishes like a pro. hopefully the fear of teacher sharon will be associated with me, and i wont have to learn how to discipline.

anywho, i've been here in taiwan for about 6 hours. i really like it so far, and im hoping that it stays that way. of course, i hear we might be having a typhoon this weekend, so we'll see.