The View from our Appartment on the 15th Floor
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Well Here We Are!
We arrived in Taipei at 5 am and stood outside the airport, waiting for Anting's mom to come pick us up. I don't think I ever thought about how hot and muggy it could be at 5 in the morning, but there it was, the heat and the humidity. Of course Anting had warned me it would be hot in Taiwan. She further added: "It will only get hotter in the summer!". After living many years where it was very cold for many months of the year, I just thought it would be nice to be hot.
'Bring it on', I also thought, not fully appreciating the extent of my nearsightedness.
I wondered to myself (since wondering outloud in the first minutes of our arrival could be hazzardous to my health and our marriage) if we made the right decision. If it was this hot at 5 am, what the hell was it going to be like at noon? After carting the luggage (with a cart) to the curb where we were going to be picked up, I was already half drenched in sweat.
"So is it hot enough for you?" Anting asked?
"It's great. I don't feel the heat at all" I said, "Why, are you hot?", I asked. I had hoped she would fall for it and not think I was being a smart-ass, but I believe the sweat dripping off my forehead and down my arms gave it away.
Looking around at the buildings by the airport and at the smoggy sky I again started wondering if everything was going to be OK. I had given up my job at a good law firm in a beautiful city to come to Taiwan. I had already stunk up my shirt and it was before 6 in the morning, the buldings looked dirty and the sky was polluted. Neither of us had jobs or any way to support ourselves. All of these thoughts started rushing into my brain and swirling around. What I needed was breathe in some fresh cool air. Fat chance of that here, I thought and became more anxious.
"There she is," Anting said, interrupting my near panic attack. Her mom pulled up in a beigeToyota Wish (which is kind of like a big Matrix). I loaded our luggage into the car, taking my mind of our impending doom, and was told to sit in the front seat. Once there, I discovered the response to all my concerns, the answer to all my questions, my saviour--Air Conditioning.
Now that I was in a beautifully climatized environment, I could turn my mind to more pressing matters, like what's for breakfast? As we pulled out of the airport, I caught a glimpse of blue sky poking through the smog. Sunlight hit our car and cast a shadow. As we drove towards our new home, I felt much better about things and decided to just see how things turn out. This is, after all, an adventure.
I hope you enjoy.
'Bring it on', I also thought, not fully appreciating the extent of my nearsightedness.
I wondered to myself (since wondering outloud in the first minutes of our arrival could be hazzardous to my health and our marriage) if we made the right decision. If it was this hot at 5 am, what the hell was it going to be like at noon? After carting the luggage (with a cart) to the curb where we were going to be picked up, I was already half drenched in sweat.
"So is it hot enough for you?" Anting asked?
"It's great. I don't feel the heat at all" I said, "Why, are you hot?", I asked. I had hoped she would fall for it and not think I was being a smart-ass, but I believe the sweat dripping off my forehead and down my arms gave it away.
Looking around at the buildings by the airport and at the smoggy sky I again started wondering if everything was going to be OK. I had given up my job at a good law firm in a beautiful city to come to Taiwan. I had already stunk up my shirt and it was before 6 in the morning, the buldings looked dirty and the sky was polluted. Neither of us had jobs or any way to support ourselves. All of these thoughts started rushing into my brain and swirling around. What I needed was breathe in some fresh cool air. Fat chance of that here, I thought and became more anxious.
"There she is," Anting said, interrupting my near panic attack. Her mom pulled up in a beigeToyota Wish (which is kind of like a big Matrix). I loaded our luggage into the car, taking my mind of our impending doom, and was told to sit in the front seat. Once there, I discovered the response to all my concerns, the answer to all my questions, my saviour--Air Conditioning.
Now that I was in a beautifully climatized environment, I could turn my mind to more pressing matters, like what's for breakfast? As we pulled out of the airport, I caught a glimpse of blue sky poking through the smog. Sunlight hit our car and cast a shadow. As we drove towards our new home, I felt much better about things and decided to just see how things turn out. This is, after all, an adventure.
I hope you enjoy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
