TAIWAN thus far..

Alright! Back to the blog and it's feeling good. I've put this off for awhile because the UWP lifestyle gets really busy- constantly on the road and only in a city for a week... Plus, I've been in the U.S. thus far and the lifestyles and culture are definitely similar to those back home. So far, I've been to five cities in Florida- Miami, St. Augustine, Orlando, Dade City, and Pensacola, Bay St. Louis, MS, DeRidder, LA, and Tyler, TX... all the cities were great, host families were awesome, went to some pretty sweet locations with the free host famliy days, etc. etc. I think the pictures on Facebook kind of explain the U.S. experience.

Before we get into Taiwan, I can at least tell you some stuff about typical UWP weeks since I'm well over the halfway mark in my semester. Usually, we travel on Monday to a city by bus in our #2 dress code (our dress code is numbered 1-5 with 1's being the nicest and 5's being the community service clothes) once we get off the bus to impress our host families. That night we meet our new families to go have dinner with them and get to know them a little better. Also, each week we have different roommates: always a surprise for us and a great chance to get to know the cast a little better. So far, I've had roommates, both boys and girls, from Nepal, Slovakia, Germany, Mexico (lots of Mexicans actually ha), the Netherlands, US (although not many- they tend to separate us so we can learn more about other cultures), Denmark, and more. During the week, we work on stuff for the show (vocals and dance workshops to tighten what our normal US show consists of and also work on our medleys for other countries- we have a Taiwanese, Mexican, and now Bermuda medley which is always an interesting end to our show to show off songs from the respective cultures)... We do community service projects variously throughout our weeks- I've worked on some pretty cool sites like "Buddy Ball" where we cleaned up a baseball field that a mentally/physically handicapped team plays on AND we got to play a game with them. That experience for me was very rewarding actually because I had the oppportunity to work with prisoners and one was originally from Tennessee! We broke the barriers that normal people with inmates wouldn't do and I felt a real connection with him- it really put me down afterwards though because I asked the sheriff if they'd have the chance to come see our show... he said there's a 0% chance... after all the connections we built, I felt like those guys needed it the most. But, the experience was there and I learned a lot about myself and others through it. Of course, we have our show. I'm sure you've seen some pictures on facebook and I've definitely been blessed with the opportunity to perform quite a bit in the front line of UWP Cast A '09. Just to give you an idea of my show contribution:

1. Mic groups for an African song called "Ayiko"
2. Now I'm doing an international rap/MC with another guy where I teach the audience some other languages and actually speak in Chinese for our Taiwanese audiences (literally have done this twice now in the big shows
3. Hip-hop dance called "Power With" front line
4. "Keep the Beat" front line- a jazz number that pretty physically demanding and tiring
5. Love Boy in the "Love Medley" with a girl from Denmark named Katja
6. International Medley- a Gypsy (kind of Russian style dancing) dance, Swing ("Go Daddy Oh") with lots of flips and kicking, and a Salsa number ("Oye El Boom") where I get to front line dance as well.
7. Now I'm the lead for a Chinese pop song called "Zz Ji"... or something like that. The guy who sings it- Wan Lee Hom- is REALLY popular in Taiwan and China, so every person in the audience knows it and loves it. I honestly have only a little idea of what I'm actually singing of if I make sense ha.

I might try to post a video soon for you to see and get an idea of what the show is. We have one show left in the US (a Texas city in about 6 weeks), so if you get the opportunity, you should definitely come see it. We also do things called "BTS", which is a mini-show for schools and different organizations, which about 30 members of the cast or so get to do.

Alright, TAIWAN. Wow, it's totally different over here. I mean, it's a whole new world (no pun intended). I feel like I have no idea what's going on- things in the US were very similar in each city: arrival, meet family, BTS or Community Impact throughout the week, workshops, show, sometimes 2 shows, say goodbye and cry, and leave... AND I can actually communicate with my families and other people in the community. Yeah, everyone here speaks Mandarin Chinese- I've ran into very few people who speak English very well. I'm lucky that my first host sister spoke perfect English, Chinese, and Spanish on top of that, so adjusting to the culture was easier for me and my roommates there. I'm going to list some differences between Taiwan and the US that are pretty funny and sometimes annoying...

1. Toilets. They have these toilets that are actually little bowls or something of the sort on the ground. We call them "squatters"... really awkward and annoying to use. It's a great feeling when you find a normal one (host families usually have normal ones).
2. Toilets don't have toilet paper usually. You're advised to bring your own.
3. Napkins, toilet paper, paper towels? Are actually the same thing... and I'd call them tissues ha.
4. There are very few trash cans... literally I can't find a trash can in Taipei or Taichung.
5. Driving is absolutely nuts. I think my bus almost killed scooters or pedestrians or other cars on a daily basis. Also, the rules of the road don't apply here. Drive in the middle of the road? SURE. Whatever you want.
6. The metro, or the MRT, is VERY convenient, reliable, clean and nobody speaks on it. It's very crowded but nobody talks! You also get fined if you eat, drink (water included) on the subway or bus AND if you are standing on the left side of the escalater (not fined for that yet, but you're not supposed to do it... it's for the ones who are walking).
7. Taiwanese people are VERY nice. Everyone wants to help. Cab drivers are always trying to find you the right directions... if people do speak English, they go out of their way to help you communicate and find your way... my host families go above and beyond to make sure I'm comfortable.
8. Taiwanese people are also very family oriented. Everything is run through the parents no matter what age you are. A thing like Up With People, traveling for a semester at this cost is VERY strange to this culture. The parents are very controlling over what the kids do and I've had some great conversations with students about it... some really just put all their trust in what their parents tell them/advise them to do and some just hide their feelings.
9. They're also very shy. You'd just have to see them to feel it. They will ask for hugs... haha. The girls here are absolutely crazy for foreigners. They love us- I have felt like a huge rock star since I got off the bus.
10. I have learned a few Chinese words, but the language is very hard. I honsestly don't understand, and it's going to be a challenge in Taichung because my host parents speak no English at all.
11. They use the NT currency... $100 here is about $3.33 back home and it's really confusing. It feels like Monopoly money to me. But, they include their tax, so what you see if what you pay- AWESOME.
12. You don't give clocks or umbrellas as gifts.. it's a bad omen.
13. You don't have to really tip at places... only for luggage. Cabs? Nah.
14. Take off your shoes before you enter any house... and it's at every house, which can get tiresome, but keeps the house clean.
15. Dryers? Inexistent. Nobody really uses them! They just hang them up on a hanger- no matter how wealthy the family is.
16. We don't really discuss politics... there are issues between China and Taiwan, and the country is kind of split between the good and bad feelings for Mainland.
17. 18 is drinking age and no open container law! Bring it anywhere.
18. Night Markets are very special to Taiwan- crazy places full of people, good (and bad ha) food, and cheap shopping. Really a cool experience.

Now let's talk food... the food here is strange, but very natual and good for you. I've definitely tried some interesting things since I've entered Asia.
1. The worst and most infamous- STINKY TOFU ("Todafu").. smells and tastes like wet, dead dog. The smell is really nauseating.
2. Rice is everywhere. You eat it with everything.
3. Avocado milkshakes. Had it for breakfast one morning with a Chinese hamburger... crazy.
4. Chicken, beef, and pork
5. BAMBOO, which is really good. The word in Chinese actually means "Beautiful Legs" because they look like Chinese white skinny legs... NOTE: the Asian girls want to be more white... not tan. They use and pride themselves in sunscreen and protecting their skin.
6. Pearl Milk Tea, a milky tea with little bobo balls, kinda like tapioca... I got really sick off of it one night though...
7. FRUIT IS HUGE. The fruit is delicious and always served as a dessert. After every meal, we have pineapple, these "wax apples" that are special to Taiwan and delicious, and watermelon (they also have yellow watermelon... sweet deal).
8. Drinking cold drinks at meals? Nah. Not really a big thing here, which is an adjustment. Usually, we don't have a drink at dinner- depends on the host family too.
8. They like to "gelatize" things here... I thought I was biting into a delicious chocolate piece of cake? No. It was a petroleum jelly type substance with chocolate powder...
And so many more delicious and not so delicious foods that make this culture definitely one of a kind.

I have wrapped up Taipei, the capital in the norther part of the island, and it was a great experience. I saw so many interesting Asian/Taiwanese events and I got to be a part of some great things... We had SEVEN BTS's the first week... so tiring. At Longshaun Temple, we had three mini-shows right in a row... I sweat like a pig after each show. I went to the top of Taipei 101 (tallest building in the world) and had the fanciest dinner of my life there... Saw some temples, and now I'm in Taichung, which is more south-west than Taipei and the third largest city. It's even more different than Taipei. I feel like there's no foreigners here- it's almost like a game to spot out the "white guy" in the subway or on the street. Everyone here is Asian, but escpecially in Taichung. I went to a festival celebrating a Taiwanese Goddess's birthday and it was basically a huge parade with TONS of Taiwanese and me haha. Lots of fireworks and candy and Chinese speaking...

I have so much more stories and pictures to show. This is actually the first time I've felt homesick on the trip... I really appreciate my growing up in America now. I would never take this experience back for anything and I'm gungho for the next two weeks here in Asia... but I'm ready for some Mexican experiences and I can't wait to share the stories when I go back home. I just don't fit into the culture here. Not to say that the Taiwanese are crazy for a tall American who sings and dances BUT... outspokenness and shyness and not making a voice for yourself? Just not my thing. There's up's and down's to Taiwan and I'm glad to have traveled here. Cereal for breakfast would be nice too haha. Miss everyone and I'll be back in North America two weeks from today (Monday)!