Landing in Taoyuan

Today I start a new chapter in my life called "Living and Studying in Taiwan." The studying part hasn't really kicked in yet (nor has the living, really), but I thought it'd be best to write from the beginning.

The day began on an ominous note with a delayed flight from Narita. I had previously arranged to have someone pick me up from the airport and take me to the hostel, so I was worried when I saw the new departure time and realized that whoever would be waiting for me wouldn't see me until much later. Luckily, I figured out how to call the driver's number (thank goodness for cheap Skype calls) and told him the situation. Even more luckily, he spoke really good English and had no trouble understanding me.

The plane ride was smooth except for the very end, when it started rocking like...well, like a plane caught in a storm, which I'm pretty sure was the case outside. It was the first flight I've been on where people actually screamed - luckily, not in that "oh shit, I'm going to die" kind of way, but more like "this is pretty crazy, but let's laugh about it nervously" kind of way. The girls sitting next to me were clutching onto the seats in front of them; whether from fear or excitement, I'm not sure. I must admit that the thought of the plane flying into an unseen cliff did cross my mind at one point, though I did not join in the screaming.

I'm so glad I opted for a driver rather than trying to find my way by train since it was pouring rain by the time we landed and I had two suitcases to lug around. That, along with my travel fatigue, probably wouldn't have made me a very savvy navigator, particularly since I have the worst sense of direction when I'm exhausted (to be honest, when I'm not exhausted as well). I was so happy to see that the driver, whose name was William, was friendly and helpful from the get-go. He actually asked me questions about where I was going and what I was doing in Taiwan, which struck me as novel coming from Japan. People in Japan are ultra-polite, but they don't go out of their way to talk to strangers. William had no qualms about trying to have a conversation in a language in which he was not fluent, which I found really refreshing. I'm not sure I have the courage to do that just yet, but hopefully sometime soon.

Anyway, that's all I've got for now. I'm going to try to head up to the school tomorrow, but William was kind enough to tip me off to the fact that there's a typhoon coming and work might be called off. It feels weird to see rain during summer, but oddly enough, I don't really mind it.

I think that's a good sign.