Kooky Stuff

So I've been making a list of all the weird/funny stuff you see here on a day to day basis. Here are a few:

1. The Trash Trucks.

They play really loud ice cream truck-type music and come almost every night. They don't come to you, you run to them, with all the other people on the block scrambling with their trash bags to the street corner. It's a pretty funny sight; sometimes I can't help but laugh as I'm running down the street with a bunch of trash. You can also get fined 6000NT if you are caught throwing away recyclables.

2. Receipts.
All the receipts here are part of some kind of lottery. Each has a number on the back and apparently you can win up to 1000000NT. Most people donate their receipts to charity, though. There are clear bins on just about every street corner to take them off your hands.

3. Collectible Toys.
Every 7-11 and Family Mart (of which there are thousands) has some kind of toy you can collect. If you buy a certain amount of stuff from their store, they give you stickers. Once you have 8 or 10 stickers, you get a little toy. Most of the time it's Hello Kitty. I have to admit, it keeps me coming back.

4. Bathrooms.
There are no shower curtains here. The entire bathroom is a shower. The shower head just kind of sticks out from the wall and when you take a shower, you're really cleaning your entire bathroom.
The toilet paper is not on a roll, either. It's just squares of tissue stacked up, and you put it in a waterproof container attached to the wall.
Oh, and there are also no closets here, either. At least none that I've seen. You buy wardrobes instead. I'm waiting for ours to be delivered right now, actually.

5. Advertisement Trucks.
Every once in a while, you'll see a truck go by with speakers on the top blaring Chinese. Su told us they were just advertisements, though they sound rather militaristic.

6. Lack of Road Rage.
Everyone drives like crazy here, with traffic lights and signs acting as suggestions of what you should do. You would think people would always be upset with one another, but I haven't once seen anyone get angry or yell. Losing face here is really a big deal, and if you become upset in public, it makes you look really bad and you're pretty much shunning yourself. It's a nice change to live in a place where getting along with people is the number one priority, not doing whatever it takes to be right and get what you want. (Though figuring out what someone wants can take quite a while.)

7. Respect of Property.
In such a huge, bustling city, you would think people wouldn't ever leave anything unlocked or just sitting outside. That's not the case, though. I've only ever seen a few scooters and bikes locked up. People mostly just leave them outside on the sidewalk. Also, things like fire extinguishers and plants are everywhere, and you could take them if you wanted, but nobody does. Things aren't chained down or put inside at night.
One night we walked by a construction site with a chain link fence surrounding it. It was near a walkway, and someone had put hanging plants along the fence in about six-foot intervals to make it nicer. They all looked healthy, too. None had been stolen or destroyed! I've also only seen graffiti a couple of times.
I'm sure stuff gets stolen or vandalized every once in a while, but the general feeling here is one of respect for people and the surroundings.

So there are a few things I've noticed. John and I are both really loving it here. We get homesick sometimes, of course, but also feel like we've already found our niche in many ways.
Our apartment is beautiful, though it's a bit empty right now. You can see pictures on our Flickr link. We're having a blast living with Simon and Su. We've seen many hilarious and bizarre British comedies.
We're also excited to be starting our jobs soon. I've sat in on a couple of the classes I'm going to teach, and the kids are very enthusiastic and boisterous! Not what I thought at first. John and I also have Saturdays and Sundays off together, which is really lucky. We're all thinking of going to the mountains or the ocean this weekend to do some exploring.
Well, hope you're all doing good back home and we miss you all!