A market...AT NIGHT!!!

Whew! I am staaaaanky! I've had a full night and have been rewarded with some lovely, smelly sweat. Delicious huh? :P

What was delicious was a Japanese snack my classmate sitting to the right let me try today. She described it as a "soda candy" that she got when she went to Japan. At first it fizzled when popped into my mouth but later stopped as it become a hard candy to chew. If you ever had 'ramune' drink before, that's what it tasted like. Very tasty!

High school began with a Chinese lessons which I understood nothing of. XD Instead I just studied more characters and flipped through the dictionary with some friendship bracelet weaving on top. The next class I don't know quite what to call. I've heard "Information Section"and "Information Technology." This class I ESPECIALLY didn't know what the teacher was talking about because it seemed to be of complicated machine history/workings. I have to laugh as this class had the most sleeping students of them all. My friend sitting next to me (our desks our coupled) was telling me how boring this class was.

The next class, if you can call it that, was quite lively as I had lunch with a bunch of new friends. I brought the same salad I had last night to school for a nutritious meal except for the part where I got bubble tea. I was craving it and my friends were encouraging me to get it, so I couldn't even try to resist. :P The climax of the lunch period was when I asked a girl who the guy was that was set as her phone background. She said "it's shiny." I paused...then mentally change the spelling to "it's Shinee." Recognizing the amazing k-pop group I told them "Oh yeah! I know about them!" Twas then the girls around me EXCLAIMED IN EXCITEMENT THAT COULD BE HEARD IN THE ENTIRE CAFETERIA!!! Holy crud it was loud but definitely showed their happiness. Yes! I have found some K-pop buddies in Taiwan! At the same time I found a K-pop disliker but he's still a cool dude that's more into American music.

According to my classmates, my Chinese name means "quiet" or even "gentle and quiet." I'll take the gentle part happily. The quiet part...Iiiiiii don't know about that one. In class, yes, because I'm a good girl and respect the teacher. Outside of class, not so much on the quiet side. :P Not sure I would be on this exchange if I was a silent-type person XD

Civics class was after food/nap time and the teacher is really nice. She was asking if Eric and I could do a project over our countries to present to the class. She's been to New Jersey before and was really interested in how American schools have research projects in groups. In Taiwan there isn't enough time for doing something like that in school so she would like to introduce the class to such work. Though we're not sure what exactly it'll be over (like landmarks, welfare programs, etc) of our respective countries. Wow, two presentation requests in one week! I don't mind at all, it actually is super exciting!

Speaking of the presentations, allow me to elaborate on my previous post mentioning teacher's day. I really appreciate all your suggestions (really, I do ^_^) but it's not a classroom setting where I could make food for everyone or do a small do-dad of simple dancing. This will be on a full blown stage in an auditorium the same size (maybe even bigger) as Klein Collin's. It'll be multiple teachers with hundreds upon hundreds of students. I want to do something that would impress them with American/Texan culture. I don't think a little line dancing will work because it requires multiple people (which I don't have) and not too exciting for foreigners. I'm willing to work hard on this since it'll give a huge impression about America and I to people who don't know me. Also I have to stand out from the other 5 countries with only about one minute of stage time ;P Maybe I could find a good country song and choreograph a dance to correspond with it. I don't think I should do a skit because not everyone knows English and my Chinese is not that good yet :P (P.S. I'm not confident with my singing at all and definitely isn't fit for a stage XD)

Back to school, history class was last. I was surprised because I met the teacher on my first day of school when I got lost. She helped me find my homeroom teacher and was very friendly. It was only today that I found out she was my history teacher. Being very thoughtful, she printed Erik and I several reading materials varying from Taiwan history to Taiwan landmarks to a timeline of general history. I believe she's teaching over the Enlightenment Period. Crap, come on Andrea, remember what we learned in World History AP class. XD

Though the exchange students get out early at 4:00 I stayed an extra hour (which was another hour of history class) in order to wait for school to be dismissed. Two classmates, Eric and I were going to go to the famous night market of Taiwan, a popular one called "Shilin night market." What was funny was that we had to stay an extra 20-30 minutes because I think the class was in a Taiwanese detention. XD Apparently (this happened when I wasn't there) the class performed an earthquake drill but had bad behavior. As a result, the military instructor required the class to stay after school as punishment. There were random snip-its of stuff like crouch down behind your desk with your school bag over your head and evacuating outside with the same bag-over-head position and sit-stand-sit-stand something. I think the class got a scolding but I didn't understand what he was saying. I just knew he wasn't praising anyone. XD

Afterwards, we headed off to Shilin night market. I like the other 2 night markets I've been to before but wasn't wild about them. This night market...I LOVE! THIS PLACE IS SO COOL! The atmosphere is so exciting and lively, the food is scrumptious beyond belief and it's a fantastic place to have bonding time. ^_^ I LOVE IT!! Shall we begin with the food experience?
-First was a beverage under the label of "frog eggs." Don't worry it had nothing to do with that title. I don't know what it is called in English but it's a jelly-like drink with lemon and other stuff I don't know of. It tasted similar to Sprite but had a amazing Asian spin on it. I can best describe it's name as "ai-uu."
-I did it. I tried the infamous food called stinky tofu. From far away it smelled like pig to me. From up close, not as bad but still as an odor. From a tastebud perspective, twas nummy. I honestly can't recall exactly what its flavor was like but when I have it again, I'll try my best to remember so I can describe it. :)
-DUMPLING OF VEGGIE-NESS!! Yummmmmmy! It was the round kind of dumpling with the vegetables in the middle. Next time I shall try a meat round dumpling!
-Last was dessert of "tang hu lu." This treat is strawberries and tomatoes dipped in a sugary sauce and allowed to dry to become a hard candy coating. Somewhat messy, twas tasty for sure! A small tomato (a cherry tomato maybe) coated in candy was interesting but I think I prefer strawberries as they pair well with sugar. I think of how strawberries are used in cakes so now I'm imaging a tomato cake. There's carrot cake and zucchini cake but tomato cake? Anyone heard of that?

Thanks to my exchange in Spain, I've developed an intense love of hand fans as they were my life-force over in the hot hot Spanish summer. I grew to love the different designs, materials, colors, etc. So of course I planned on buying some Asian fans. I finally found some tonight! We looked at 3 different stores but all the fans were $200NT ($6.80US). They were a bit small for me to feel comfortable paying that price. Remember, Rotary exchange students are poor (that's a joke throughout the program) so I want to be very careful with my purchases/luggage volume. The third store we looked with the same price managed to break me. The fans were unwrapped and able for me to spread them out and look at the designs (the other 2 stores had their fans inconveniently wrapped). I viewed a couple fans which were nice but nothing special. It was then that I opened a extremely lovely purple fan with a beautiful painting of a flower. Andrea fell in love. These fans in design are a bit difficult to open (can't flick them smoothly open like I can with Spanish fans) and have a little chain that the end to attach almost like a keychain. They are pretty good quality and are so rejuvenating against the summer heat. (That's another reason I wanted to get an Asian fan, to battle the heat!) Set on buying its purple gloriousness, for some reason I continued looking at the small selection of fans. Guess what? Andrea fell in love a second time within 2 minutes. This exquisite art was the same type of fan but instead a dark blue color with heart-capturing bamboo painting. I was torn so badly. I really wanted both but only had $300NT and not the necessary $400NT for both. Even now I can't believe they did this, but the two friends from school that took me to the night market bought one fan as a gift to remember them by. *cries* WHY ARE PEOPLE SO NICE HERE?!!! I really want to bake them an entire cake and shower them with gifts to show my appreciation for all they've done. Apart from the fan, they've helped me so much at school with Chinese, characters, translations, on-goings at school and whatever else. They look over me so well that I want to do the same for them. It's only been five days at school but I shall find a way to repay them! ...but yes. In the end I was able to get both fans and they now happily sit on my desk, waiting to save a damsel in distress from Taiwan's heat. :P

So that was my experience of truly visiting a night market. I can't wait to do it again...that "again" would be tomorrow at the same night market. Pfft, haha! XD Friends from a different class (many are K-pop buddies ;D) want take me there on an outing. This should be very interesting because tonight I heard 2 K-pop songs playing (BEAST's "Breath" & SuJu's "Bonamana"). I sense future spaz outs. :P But hey I even heard Bon Jovi so I'll have some American spaz outs as well ;)

Wrapping things up, I am currently chewing a gum called "Airwaves." Oh crud it doesn't lie. Being minty as heck, I feel it through my nose. It's like a chewable Vicks. Smells like Vicks too.  I have extremely good breath now. You might be able to smell it's uber strong scent all the way from Texas ;D