Sleeping Patterns

Remember when you were like 19 and could pull all nighters and just live like a zombie on coffee and red bull for a week or so? Turns out that sort of behavior is not necessarily just for students. Teachers may be doing the same thing. For example, a ridiculously over-ambitious science teacher who is determined to teach a subject for which there are no books in Taiwan. I've learned that sometimes involves staying at work until almost 11 pm trying to write your own book, because there is just nothing suitable there.

On the bright side, this gives me plenty of opportunities to see out my window in all sorts of light. Here is 4 am creeping up outside my window and spoiling my sleep schedule for the rest of the week, I am sure. 

Look familiar? Maybe you recognize the view from my bedroom window from this post. 

Frozen in Time

Chenghuang Temple in Hsinchu

Chenghuang, or City of God, Temple is my favorite place in Hsinchu so far. Part of it may be influenced by the fact that I found it completely on my own, making it a little more intimate. It is also a beautiful temple, of course, and it has an interesting story, being the highest ranking City of God temple in all of Taiwan (link), but it is more than that. The temple is surrounded by these markets, which I am completely infatuated with. There are areas for produce, fabric, clothing, Buddhist goods, food vendors, and even little restaurants set up. In some ways it is very familiar to the markets I've seen in Korea and elsewhere in Asia, but it is distinctly its own. I could be wrong, but it feels like in Chenghuang's markets, people come here just to be at the market, rather than it being a tedious chore to go shopping that forces them to it. People come and grab lunch, leave gifts in the temple itself, let their kids play in the temple entrance (as seen in the picture above), and pick up some things. Its even vibrant at night on the weekend, filled with people getting dinner. 

The front entrance to the fabric section, closed and shuttered at night, but bustling in the daylight. 

I like the atmosphere and the crowded stalls. I love the convenience of the set up. And more than that, being a brisk 7 minute walk from my house, it is my market - the one I go to for my weekly groceries and occasional wandering. I feel more grounded having found it, and it makes Hsinchu a little more of my home.

Finding my way

The first temple I stumbled upon in Taiwan

I've been in Taiwan a full week now, and I am feeling more settled. This is relative, as I still use a photocopied map with lots of scribbling on it to find my way around, hah. I've been lucky, having coworkers willing to walk me across the city to find a plant for my cavernous apartment, to loan me a cell phone, to take me to their favorite restaurants, and score me a free week-long trial at an awesome gym. These are huge in learning my way around this new city.

Now that I'm spending more time wandering by myself, I do a lot of walking, so street names and spatial understanding are vital. If you know me well, you should realize that this means I spend a lot of time mildly lost. Things look familiar and places stand out to me, but I am not sure which way is right or what street I am on exactly. But, every day I feel a little more confident and come home with the spoils of my success - a baguette, a pasta strainer, stationary, or paper towel... these may be simple, but every success is worth appreciating.