Stop, Move, and Wiggle With It

So overall, what rocks my socks? What makes me say “that’s…um… different”? Here is the short list of the biggest adjustment, that I’m sure will grow over time:
1. Food- I should preface this with the fact that I eat Chinese food circa two times a year, if that. Those two times the food is great. I love it! However, after the third lunch box I had reached my limit. There is this one unnamed spice that is the bane of my existence. It has the power to enact my gag reflect and seemed to wiggle itself into every dish in Taipei. Luckily, Taichung hasn’t provided any bad experiences with it yet, but my cat like reflects are still waiting for the day it strikes.
2. Chopsticks. I’m trying, and I love them. But sometime a girl needs a fork, especially with a salad. But this is minor.
3. Lack of freshness. The food here is actually incredibly fresh. For example, if you order meat at the market the vendor will most likely kill it for you and then give it to you. Rather, due to the pesticides used in the dirt salads are a rare commodity here, and usually pretty expensive. If you know me, you know I love my veggies. I need my veggies
4. Toilets. Western toilets are common, but squatters are the norm. If you don’t know what I’m talking about…. Google it. It is supposed to be healthier for you, but I feel unusually venerable.
5. Toilet paper. I’m not a “Charmin only snob”, but the toilet paper here is like a thin table napkin. So you only get one at a time and they are thin. Not fun, but the icing on the cake is the fact that they don’t flush it. Yep, the used TP goes in a trash bin next to the porcelain throne. It’s hard to remember and kind gross if you go to a place that doesn’t take it out every day.
6. Communication styles. The culture here is very much “through the grape vine” which means you often can’t tell if you have messed up or ticked someone off until a day or two later. For example, if you wear something a little too revealing, a coworker might say to you, “Aren’t you cold?” a day later. It is completely opposite from how I like to communicate with people, and has thrown my social interaction balance off. Its getting better, but the fact that I don’t get immediate results slows down the pace of relationships.
7. 6 dias in a week. The typical Taiwanese work week is 6 days. Kids go to school 6 days a week and some people even work 7 days a week. It’s actually not as horrible as it sounds, but it does make you cherish your one day off a week. My days feel like I am still in college since I go to bed at all hours and am still spending a lot of time in the classroom.
8. Language. Last but not least! I literally have no clue what these people are saying to me. Many people just talk to me and I stand there and smile. Really, no clue. I try- but nothing is even remotely close to English or Spanish. Often I slip into Spanish and answer them with “No queiro ahora.” Really? That’s not going to get me anywhere.