I have new appreciation for the word “overwhelmed.” Without a background in spoken Mandarin or written Chinese, Devin and I are stumbling about the crowded downtown streets of Hsinchu (pronounced "Shinzu," population approximately 400,000) feeling at times both ignorant and rude. Hopefully our Pimsleur language lessons and Chinese character workbooks will remedy that. The jet lag is another issue. At 4 pm each day I start to feel like I’m going through the first-stages of heroin withdrawal (I would know, my hometown of
In the meantime we’re exploring our new home. Food is one of Hsinchu’s highpoints. It is diverse, plentiful, inexpensive, and delicious. The beef noodle shop is just a block away, and an excellent fruit market is even closer. The produce selection is incredible. Gineps, foot-ball sized mangoes, and fresh pineapples are all available. We’ve also been introduced to new items, such as dragon fruit and Buddha-head fruit. We’re hoping to try the sushi restaurant near school sometime soon.
2 comments:
Mom feels bad that nobody commented on your blog so I guess this is my duty. About the heroin outbreak... Peter has succumbed to the pressure and is now living under the bridge by the Cannon River. We think he's keeping Kourtney in a cardboard box for company but we haven't had much contact. We'll keep you updated.
Sounds like the two of you are off to a good start. My advice to you about not knowing the language, is to just smile.
Happy times!!!
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