Got a 3 month stay (with a view to extending by flying in and out)
It’s my first time ever in Asia. First impression, I love it!
Had to ask a few people about this easy travel pass thing, and a sim card, but I’m off and running.
So I arrived at the hotel at 6pm, (lost track of time, but been up about 48 hours)
I’ve cleaned up a bit, and set up wifis etc. Then I went to the 711 to buy some not allowed essential plane stuff… and to get some food…
and the whole street is full of restaurants, open front. FULL of people.
How can I go to one on my own? I feel like a total outsider as it is, as my Chinese is very limited, and sat on my own, is like ‘billy no mates on speed’!
On the menu: most things ending with 飯 (“dancing dude under a roof”) are going to be some kind of rice dish. If it ends in 麵 (“TV on the right side”), it’s noodles. Order one of those and you’ve probably got yourself a meal. If not, oh well, it’s a learning experience.
Hey, it worked for my first couple of weeks. To be honest I still fall back on it once in a while.
Another technique I still occasionally use: the more inept you appear to be, the more likely it is someone will try to help you. Depending on where you are, this can also be an excellent way to start a fun sociable evening, although a couple of hours later you may or may not choose to give accurate contact information to your companions.
If they want another mnemonic, the ones ending with a symmetrical tree are either a drink or a vegetable dish (茶, 菜). My first month or so it was always a crap shoot which one I’d actually ordered.
Oh, for some of us, this skill just comes naturally. (In other contexts that’d sound smug, but I guess not here.)
EDIT:
Yeah, it’s making me miss that intoxication (and nervousness!) of the new and unknown. It’s still achievable, but harder than it used to be.
Something like met other foreigners who were looking for a Z-Pak because they just arrived from Thailand and then stood in line for some basement club at 1:00 a.m. and then it gets quite dark and blurry and green laser like after that but woke up alone at noon in a capsule hotel then attempting to make my way to my own hotel.
This was episode 1 haha!!
I’ve been playing with my camera and editing.
I did a few episodes last week. I will continue (the first one is crap, I’m getting better with each one)
A good number of the restaurants in Taipei have English menus. So I wouldn’t worry. Nor about eating alone, plenty of people do it here. I often do and nobody cares.
Your stopping near the miniatures museum, which is definitely worth a visit. It’s pretty good. It’s a museum with model houses and stuff.
just had an hour without speaking any english (other than to the camera!)
shame though, i recorded the whole thing, but left the camera in the restaurant when i went for a ciggy and missed the best part. a 15 minute convo with the laoban outside. i totally understood almost everything. and he said he understood me (what i was trying to say of course I’m under no illusions, I know my ability)
I’ll make this my next video, ive started editing now.
i can already see a difference in my listening, as I am hearing it all the time now. this is what is needed, I had no chance in UK just learning from youtubes
…meaning, when you hear what you said, you can hear mistakes, and think how to word it better, then next time use it again, using the corrected version
I’m under no illusions, I know my ability)