Trying new things and making new friends

So today I went to the post office to check on paying a bill and sending a bunch of stuff, then to a tea shop, and to get lunch - all by myself. While it may sound really lonely, it's actually an improvement for me. lol I'm usually too cautious to go and do those things on my own. I've gone to the post office before, but the things I did were more simple. This time I had to try and communicate more, which was a struggle. Especially when the man helping me kept using English. :)

Theeeeen, I'm used to getting tea and other drinks on my own. That's easy! But when it comes to eating, I tend to grab food and return to my "hole" to eat. However, today I braved the storm and sat in the little shop to eat. I was able to ease drop a little and just unwind ... get comfortable in such settings. And the best part about it was that I found a place with pretty good fried rice really close!!! :)



I've tried a new tea that I like quite a lot! It's called, "文山清茶." I'm not sure what the English equivalent is ... sorry. :)



Last night, I went out to eat with the only other girl from the States and the Philippine girl that I met in the airport on my first day here. The girl from the States, B., can speak some Chinese, but this is her first time in Taiwan and she's not very used to ordering food and drink yet. The other girl, S., can't really speak Chinese at all so she depends on English menus or friends when it comes to meal time. Soo, long story short, I ending up helping both of them order drinks and food last night. :) It was really weird to be on the other end of the helping; being the help-er instead of the help-ee. I'm starting to get a little more comfortable in my "Chinese" skin when it comes to things of that nature. I even asked for a discount in a little stationary store! And got it! haha

On my way home, I broke down and stopped by 7. ^-^ Annnnd I bought an ice cream bar.



Last night made me put things in perspective in light of last year - things are so different now. I've changed. I've grown. I've gained a confidence I didn't believe was there. Praise God! I still have a very long way to go with my Chinese levels and with my confidence, but as the Chinese say, "慢慢來."

I had a horrid dream last night that my passport, my identification, my money and some other things were stolen. With my passport gone, I had no way to return home. I was picked up by some agency and accused of trying to illegally enter the US. As I continue to travel around, please continue to pray for my safety. I don't put much weight in dreams at all, but that dream was just real enough for me to ask for your continual prayer support!

Tonight, I met up with my student volunteer, some other Taiwanese students and two German students for dinner. We went to a little place that serves a Taiwan version of Italian food. I was pretty sure I ordered spaghetti with beef, but it tasted like pork. Also, they put corn in their sauce, which isn't marinara. I'm not sure what kind of sauce it was. It wasn't too bad though.



As you might have noticed, the plate has French on it ... not typically a good sign at an Italian restaurant. ;)

I already have meal plans for tomorrow as I'm going to meet up with a bunch of them again tomorrow for lunch. And then, I'm going to grab dinner with a couple of Korean girls from my floor. We'll probably have other people join our party. The more, the merrier! :)

Okay, well I should be studying, which means reading lots and lots of Chinese!!! Ahh!! And I also need to experience taking out the trash, which turns out to be a pretty complicated process here that includes a great amount of sorting. lol

Until later~
k