1st Quiz in Taiwan!

I realized I haven't been talking about breakfast or dinner lately. Shaaaaaall we?

Breakfast is kinda rushed. I'm used to savoring every bite of a meal to make it last longer. For breakfast before leaving for school it's like 'QUICK! EAT IT NOW!' I think it's because people normally eat outside of the house, so like at school. I prefer just eating at home because I couldn't last the trip to school since my stomach would be roaring hungry. FYI, it takes about 30-40 minutes to get to my school and for the past several days I've been waking up pretty darn hungry. But breakfast this morning sure was different from the norm. There was vanilla yogurt, milk, 2 mini drumsticks, a thin slightly sugary rice cake and a small drink that I have no idea what the name is in English. This drink is SUPER tasty and apparently very healthy. I really wonder what it is because it tastes very sweet, almost sugary, but is good for one's health. Not many products that are that sweet are good for one's health...so...? I'm not sure. I still have a year left to find out. ;P

As it is Thursday, I had Mandarin class today at university. My class had a quiz today over the fundamental sounds of Chinese. So the teacher would say 36 sounds and we had to write down the corresponding letter(s). Guess what I got? 10/10! BOOMSHAKALAKA! I really don't understand the grading system but I know you can't get any better than that! So HAHA! Today we learned about what we call "final compounds," numbers and time. All very useful, especially the time. (I already learned numbers but not time)

On the way back to high school (remember on university days, I go back to high school for half a day) I was worried I wouldn't arrive on campus in time to get lunch. I get out of university at 11:10 and lunch begins at 12:00, which is the time I roughly arrived today. See, as an exchange student, I'm required to be on campus by 1:00, not 12:00. What I don't like about arriving at 1:00 is that I can't spend lunch with my classmates (the prime time to talk and bond) and also I would miss nap time. Eat out at McDonalds...or be with friends and sleepy time. I don't know about you but I prefer choice #2! So in my state of worry that I wouldn't arrive on time, I go to the store called "7-Eleven" to pick up some food. For those who don't know, 7-Elevens are a small convenient store with food, drinks, magazines and a bunch of other necessary stuff. They are found everywhere in Taiwan as they multiply down every other block and sometimes even across the street from one another or on every block. They are VERY common. I picked up something quite interesting. It wasn't an onigiri but something similar. It's a folded sheet of seaweed and rice with eggs, veggies and meat in the middle. Only costing a buck, I got a hot meal that I carried to school. Sitting down at my desk with a friend, my mouth got the flavors of a lifetime. Good lord that thin gee-ma-what's-it was FANTASTIC! I don't know what it's called but if I get the chance, I am SO getting it again. I wish I had pictures *grumble grumble*

I only had 2 classes today, Math and Chinese in order, as something special happened at the end of the day. It's apparently a class/club meeting of I-wasn't-told-what-it-really-is. Instead the exchange students had to write a weekly report. The report could be about anything like what you expect to see in Taiwan to what your life is like, etc. Having a minimum requirement of being one page, large font, about 1.3 spacing it was super easy since I've been writing on this blog in length daily. I settled on talking about why I wanted to come to Taiwan, how I got accepted and my first night in Taiwan. It surpassed one page with no problems. I had to grin because the other 5 exchange students had trouble getting a full page when I shot straight through in detail. I believe this blog is improving my writing ;)

After school I went to a school supply store to find a folder to store my loose papers in. I was so surprised as there was a grand total of 5 folders. That's not types of folders, that's the number of folders. There were binders, portfolios and other stuff but only 5 folders. Wow. I don't know if that's just the store I went to or if Taiwan doesn't use folders much. I haven't seen them around my classroom. I've seen what I believe is a folder looking thing that has the clear pockets binded in to place papers in. Not quite what I needed so I just got a blank yellow folder. I thought I would be able to get a folder with a cute or cool design to it, but I settled for a solid color.

Dinner was a lovely chicken salad with cherry raisins and almonds sprinkled on top with guava and bread on the side. As a kid I always marveled at how a person could enjoy a salad because it was so tasteless to me. Now the irony kicks in as I enjoyed the salad immensely. Yay for healthy food! I love noodles and dumplings but a nice serving of healthy stuff now and then is very gratifying.

FUN FACT TIME! Taiwanese teachers use microphones while giving their lesson. Yes, microphones! They bring their own personal microphones and connect it with the classroom's speakers. It's not like the room is bigger than a normal classroom in Texas but it still helps a bit when they use it. Though it can be a little difficult as the microphone warps what the teacher is saying or makes that loud rumble when blown on. I wouldn't say it makes the lesson better or worse, it's just different. (I've had both microphone and non-microphone lessons) I'm waiting for the moment when a teacher will break out into karaoke with their mics. XD

OOOH! Question! We have a day coming up called "Teachers' Day" where the students get together in multiple groups and perform something for the teachers. The 6 exchange students are no exception. As a group we have to sing, dance, play guitar, or whatever else kind of performance we can do on stage for about 5-6 minutes. I had the idea of giving student a short time to perform something from their country. I didn't get a response from the other students with this idea but if I was to do something perform something American/Texas y'all have any suggestions? Since I'm from Texas I was thinking of doing a little jig to a country song. Cotton Eye'd Joe is pretty easy if I copy the Wii Dance game choreography but I don't have to limit myself to just that. Since I don't have a cello, I figured go with dancing accompanied if possible with a powerpoint of some western cowboy culture pictures/videos. Thoughts?