awesomeness

So we'd heard about this abandoned amusement park in our neighborhood, but hadn't made any effort to go find it. Yesterday's wanderings, however, brought us right to it. There is very little left, and it seems as if the land is just being used by the locals as a garden space. It also offered some amazing views of the surrounding areas. It was pretty sweet.... Click here for more.

Nice New Photos

We live in a pretty awesome area. Here are some neat things we've seen or that we see every day:

A nice door somewhere

Our pool. Yessss!

Paddleboat graveyard down by the river.

The temple on the way to our grocery store.

Jobland

Devin and I found jobs yesterday. At the same company. We didn't anticipate doing that, but we will be doing entirely different things, so it will be ok. We will be working at a place that does business English on-site for companies all over Taipei. There is a headquarters, but teachers are dispatched throughout the city. We had to do a demo class yesterday, and it was my first time doing something like that. Of course I need some practice and training, but they were still willing to employ me, even though I have little experience as a teacher. I guess I showed potential. Also my corporate experience didn't hurt.... Also! They may have me write an 'English through yoga' class, which would be so amazing.
We will be moving into an apartment and out of the crappy hostel tomorrow, once our Ikea order arrives. Yipee! I cannot express how beautiful the building and its surroundings are. The hotel style pool over looks the hills and the town below. I'll post photos once we get some good daytime shots.

so here we are...

It's Sunday morning, 'bout 6 am. The jet lag is still bugging me a bit, but it's getting better. We literally lost an entire day in transit and time zone shifts, which is kind of strange and disorienting. I keep waking up at 4 am ready to start my day, but realize I have to wait 4 or 5 hours before any shops or restaurants open.
To start out, Devin and I got a room at a youth hostel in the center of Taipei. It's loud. All the time. We're right on the corner of 2 really busy streets, one of which also has a freeway up above it. But we're close to the central station, lots of shops and restaurants, and it's as cheap as can be. Cheap=dingy and dirty, but family run.
The travel/moving gods have been looking after us though. We may have already found an awesome apartment (conditions being that we are provided with essential appliances for the place) that is very reasonably priced, roomy enough for 2, and in a beautiful complex complete with a gym, dance studio, small movie theater and an outdoor pool that overlooks the hills south of Taipei City.
Taipei as a whole is a pretty awesome city. There is a lot to do and see. It's super modern and cosmopolitan, but has a touch of the traditional as well. There are tons of shopping areas and outdoor food markets. It's actually overwhelming how much one can shop here. There are districts that have concentrated shopping areas, which we have already realized must be avoided on the weekends at all costs. The people are laid back and really kind. It seems like the Taiwanese aren't really phased by foreigners. We don't get stares, there isn't a constant feeling that people are trying to exploit us (something I'm used to from India). I need to learn how to let my guard down a little, but at the same time I'm glad that I'm not a naive pushover when it comes to people who may be trying to rip me off.
The food we've had has been awesome, of course. There has only been one misreading of the menu so far that provided us with a bowl of pig gut soup, which was something I was sooo not ready for. Otherwise it's been great.
If you want to check out my photos, click here. I'll keep adding to it as we experience more awesomeness.