Updates and I Hate Humidity

I'm so unaccustomed to the humidity here that it's giving me migraines on a regular basis. (That, and I'm dehydrated. Need to drink more water.) I've enjoyed everything else here so far, but the weather is killing me. In the future I need to live somewhere cold, no doubt about it. This tropical thing really isn't working out. And I'm sad that winter won't be snowy and cold like it was in Japan. I guess there's no point in making a birthday wish about snow this year, huh? Maybe I'll head somewhere cold for my birthday...perhaps Hokkaido for a 4th time? Too bad I won't have the money for it.

Here's a funny incident. One of the girls sharing the room (I'm staying in a dorm-like room for the time-being, with 3 other girls) asked me what I had done all day. I told her I watched some movies in a discount theater. Then I asked her what she had done. She said she had gotten botox. At first I thought I had heard her incorrectly but nope, she said botox all right. Apparently it's cheap to have it done in Taiwan, and the nurses hold your hand while they do the injections. Hm. I guess that's something not every tourist experiences. For those who are interested, it costs approximately $500 USD for one injection.

It's nice that I know I have at least 6 more months to enjoy Taiwan, so I don't have to rush around trying to make the most of my "vacation." At the same time, sometimes I feel guilty for staying inside and taking care of administrative stuff as opposed to going to night markets and stuffing my face. But I figure, there will be plenty of time for that later. (Especially when I have visitors. Yay!) And until my scholarship kicks in, I'm on a budget and I'm going to stick to it.

So I found one of the things I think I'll appreciate most about being here (besides the opportunity to study and be immersed in a new country, of course): discount theaters! Most blockbusters go straight to the regular, full-price theaters right after they're released (sometimes even before American theaters, woohoo!). Then, after a few weeks pass, they get a second showing at discount theaters for a greatly reduced price. Hence the discount part. Now the really awesome thing is that you pay for one ticket (I paid around $4.50 USD for mine) and you can watch as many movies as you want with that ticket. Legally. How great is that?!

When I went, the discount theater was showing 6 or 7  movies, alternating among 4 screens. So you can look at the schedule and time it so that you can see all the movies you want to see. Even better, they let you leave the theater and come back! (All you have to do is get a hand stamp before you exit.) So I watched 2 movies, went out to get an early dinner, and came back to watch another. I would have watched more, but they were showing The Hangover 3 and The Fast and the Furious 6 and I wasn't really in the mood to see those. I did watch Star Trek Into Darkness again, as well as two movies I haven't seen: Side Effects and The Place Beyond the Pines, which I absolutely loved. Side Effects was interesting; it was trashy but oddly poignant. I'm not a huge fan of Rooney Mara, but I thought she did crazy fairly well. Had no idea what Channing Tatum was doing in the movie though, he really didn't fit. The Place Beyond the Pines is done by the same guy who did Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance) and man, Ryan Gosling plays pretty much the same character in both movies (the kind of deadbeat heartthrob that makes girls swoon but who end up hating him later on). I really liked the story though, and Bradley Cooper is emerging in my mind as a capable actor. I highly recommend it! The funny thing is, I had no idea what this movie was about, who was in it, or who directed it before going in. But the moment it started, it instantly reminded me of Blue Valentine. I guess the director likes making similar types of movies.

Let's just say I'm definitely going to hit up this theater again in the future. 3 movies for the half the price of one in the States? I'm there! The sad thing is, the "new" Star Trek was released in Japan like late last week. Which means if I were still living there, I'd be paying close to $20 to see a movie that I saw in Taiwan for less than $5 (with similar release dates)...ridiculous. And you know what else? Taiwanese people actually react to movies vocally! What I mean is that the theater wasn't dead silent in any of the movies I watched. One particular scene in Side Effects even got audible gasps, and people were laughing quite loudly during parts of Star Trek. It was so great. I hope that discount theater shows The Conjuring in a couple weeks. I will definitely pay a small price to watch that movie a third time, especially with a foreign audience.

A nice bonus is that all the movies have Chinese subtitles, so once I get better at reading, they will be good practice. I'm so happy I found out about these discount theaters. Finding it without a smartphone was a bit of a headache, but I'm so glad I persevered and, after asking four separate people for directions (3 of whom told me it was too far away and that I should definitely take a bus) finally stumbled on that random street corner. 

What else...I should be fully moved into my new apartment in the next couple days. It's about a 7-minute bus ride from the school, which is great. Thanks to a new friend, I also finally found the international building after wandering around for like ten billion hours (an exaggeration, but when it's pouring rain and you're lost, it really feels that long). It's in a really scenic location (on top of a really big hill - so good exercise when I have to walk to class) and I can't wait to start my classes. Orientation is in 2 days...and there's a welcome party for all new students in early September. I can't wait to be a student again.