First Impressions All Over Again

Our first day in Taipei is a bit of a blur. I recall that the traffic from the airport into town was pretty heavy, but it's the driving that struck me. In Calgary, drivers are pretty cautious and leave plenty of room compared to Taipei. Drivers, especially taxis and buses, are continually forcing their way in front of other cars or driving between lanes when someone won't let them in. I have a theory that it's everyone's responsibility not to get hit, as much as not hitting someone else. As we drove through the city, we mostly took the freeways and I saw very little that I remember from four years ago. Except Taipei 101. It had been completed while we lived here the first time, but I think it's no longer the tallest building in the world. I know North Korea was working on a taller tower, Dubai has a gigantic one under construction and Joseph, who was driving us, thought somewhere in mainland China another is being constructed. I would believe it.

If anyone tells you time travel is impossible, I would disagree. It is and it isn't. Coming to Taiwan is like travelling to the past. Trina's aunt pointed that out when she came from Hong Kong to visit us in 2003. She said Taipei is like Hong Kong was 40 years ago. As I saw all the old buildings, masses of concrete, bars on windows, I recalled what she said. And all day long I was reminded of things I'd forgotten. Three doors to get into the apartment, each with a heavy lock and a different high-tech key. Terribly uneven sidewalks. Don't drink the water, without boiling it. Don't flush the toilet paper, or it'll clog the toilet. The showerhead at shoulder height.

We got back to the apartment and I was impressed at the size... for Taiwan. Last time, we lived in a bedroom with a bathroom. That's all. Because Michael was sick, he and Trina stayed home from school. It was nice for a couple reasons. I got to spend some time with them. Michael and Jeremy were SO happy to see each other. Trina put Jeremy and Michael to sleep and I got to have a nap. I took a video of Michael (in just underpants) and Jeremy first playing together on their bed:

After lunch, Trina suggested we go out. We hopped on the bus and rode it down to DunHua Rd, right by our first apartment. I was a little surprised by all the noise, mostly traffic, especially when trying to talk. We put both boys in the stroller and walked up DunHua Rd. to Trina's and Michael's school. I had walked up that street many, many, many times four years ago, and I was interested to see it again. I think Trina got tired of hearing me say: "That's still there... that's new... that's the same... that's changed..." But she let me go on. The Far East Plaza Hotel. The apartment where I used to teach grade 2 in the kitchen. The bank we wired money home from. The people selling t-shirts and hair clips and fruit on the side of the road.

Like I said before, many things are the same, and today was about reliving it a little. I'll find a lot of differences over the next few weeks, which is why you can never really travel back in time. Happy Kids is a good example. I came almost every day to meet Trina for lunch. We would eat in the kitchen behind her downstairs classroom, just the two of us. Now the downstairs is a coffee shop... and we have two kids. We took the two boys up to the third floor and let them play in the recess room.



Theresa thanked me, in person this time, for letting Trina come to the school. I had to thank her for taking such good care of Trina and Michael while they've been here. Theresa asked if there was anything particular I planned to do, while back in Taipei. I told her about a restaurant I wanted to try, and she said she would research it to find out if it's still good (she hasn't eaten there for awhile, although it was quite famous some years ago), and which location is the best. When we went upstairs to see Miss Jane and show her the boys, Theresa mentioned the restaurant to her and I got a funny feeling that we may be invited out and not allowed to pay the bill. These people are just too nice.

We decided to leave, even though the boys would have continued playing much longer. They are so happy to be together! But Michael and I were getting hungry and we were planning to eat at DinTaiFeng, so far my favourite restaurant. They specialise in steamed dumplings and, while it's a bit expensive by Taiwan standards, it's worth it. We stopped at a 7-Eleven along the way, which reminded me of stepping inside on a really hot day, just for the air conditioning, and we bought the boys a drink. Then we navigated the uneven sidewalks the rest of the way and got to the restaurant well before the dinner crowd. They were so polite, they made a cook come carry our stroller upstairs for us and seated us at a large table with high chairs for the boys. It's a good thing, because they were contained while we enjoyed the food. It was delicious.



After dinner, the boys played at a small park. No grass, only concrete and rubber tiles under the slides and ride-on toys. Then we went to Ice Monster for dessert. That's where they invented Mango Ice, probably the greatest dessert ever. The girl looked a little concerned when I came to order, but I ordered in Chinese and she was relieved. I don't think I'll ever forget how to order Mango Ice in Chinese.

Then we played at DaAn Park for a while before returning home. I walked through that park many times, but never stopped at the play structure. Michael and Jeremy had a lot of fun and I spoke with one of the other "foreign" parents. He's been in Taipei for a couple years with no plans to leave. It seems to me that there are more white people here now than I remember, and May agrees. At home, we sometimes talk (or worry) about immigrants. It's a little strange to think of people emigrating from Canada, the States, Australia and other developed countries to settle down in Taiwan.

And once again, we turned in early, thanks to jetlag.