 Nighshot of Kaohsiung Streets When arriving at a new place, two of the first hurdles you must overcome are language barriers and jet lag, For the first few days it feels as if your body is thrown off track, what's night is day and what's day is night. And forget about everything you thought you'd learned about Mandarin before you got here, you don't understand a single thing that they're saying! I wake up in the middle of the night to the sounds of growling coming from the streets below. I rub my eyes, sit up in bed and look out the window, peering eleven floors down, to see a pack of wild dogs roaming the streets, looking for a fight. Oh, the joys of Kaohsiung, I think to myself. I contemplate the possibility of throwing something at the snarling pack, but I realize that eleven floors up is a long way down, and who knows where a random object might land, like on the upturned face of one unsuspecting local. The last thing I need is my own pack of angry Taiwanese ganging up on me, the silly waiguo-ren living all the way up on the top floor. But what am I thinking? The people here in South Taiwan are actually pretty hospitable and laid back. Not to mention the fact that I don't really have anything in my possession I can afford to throw out of a window at 4 am. In any case, I realize that it is way too early for me to try and process such random thoughts of superficial in-consequence, so I shake my head, lie down, and I fall back asleep to the humming sounds of early-morning mopeds and growling street dogs.  Street Signs Sometimes it feels like I am in an alternate universe, where the buildings and streets vaguely remind me of Hawaii and the people look like the people back home. But the words that I hear are foreign to my ears and the words that I see are indecipherable in my mind. All too often I find myself feeling both mute and illiterate. But through my inability to communicate in ways that I am familiar with, I find myself having to get creative, speaking with my hands and face, or listening intently with my eyes. I know now that if I can't find it, I can sheepishly motion to the clerk, asking, “Where can I find a toilet bowl plunger? Yes, a toilet plunger.” Or if I don't feel like eating pig knuckle again, a flap of the arms and a loud 'Bok-BOK!' gets me shredded chicken on a scoop of rice. Of course, the lady over the counter tells me, “Ji.” I stare at her blankly, “Umm, Ji?” And then slowly I get it, “Oh, okay...” I nod enthusiastically, “Yeah... ji!” Here in Taiwan it's really true that a smile and a laugh goes a long way. It can even get you an extra piece of sausage on your lunch plate, along with your ji.  Ya and Ju on Rice There's also those times when I realize I shouldn't presuppose. Like when I passed by a street window filled with roast ducklings and crispy Chinese roast pork. As I walked on, I kept that street corner in mind, and when I went home, I pulled out my Mandarin phrasebook and conquered the words for duck and pork, “Ya” and “Ju”. I smiled to myself, I was finally ready to speak to the natives. When I went back a few days later, I stepped up to the window and waited for the duck-man to acknowledge me. But when he nodded in my direction, fear took over, so I just reached around the glass, pointing at my items of choice, and said, “Duck and pork.” My mouth was watering hungrily and I was too embarrassed to try and make myself understood. But in clearly pronounced English, the man asked me, “You just want duck and pork?" I blinked. "How about rice?” he said. And of course, there is that one time when I ordered a bowl of steaming hot shabu-shabu, and just as I dig my chopsticks in to try and find the chunky good stuff at the bottom, I pull out an auspicious looking gelatinous cube, thick and black, like a piece of chocolate jello. My heart sinks, and I go back up to the counter with my handy Mandarin phrasebook, and point at that character that I knew I should have learned how to pronounce before I came here, xue...blood, said in the 4th tone. I smile widely and keep that polite question mark on my face. The lady nods back in confirmation.  Shabu-Shabu But it's moments like this that helps me to go back later with relative confidence. Again I order another bowl of soup, but this time I tell the lady, “Wo bu yao you ju-xue.” She nods, but than points at the piece of fried pork in the picture of the dish I just ordered, “Ni bu yao you ju ma?” It takes me a moment to realize what she's asking me. Than I make a guess, “Okay, well... wo yao you ju,” I say, smiling. “But,” I continue, “Wo bu yao you ju-xue, ji-xue, ya-xue...wo bu yao you xue. ” She nods again and says, “Bu yao xue.” And what about my sleeping habits now? Well, thankfully the dogs were no longer outside tearing each other to shreds this morning. But I was still shocked awake by the sound of 'Eye of the Tiger' blasting through loudspeakers. I lay there in a deep sleep, only to hear through the thick darkness...”DUNH, pause, Dunh dunh DUNH, pause, Dunh dunh DUNH, pause, Dunh dunh DUUUUUUNH!” I sit up in bed, this time wondering if I'm in a movie running up stairs, or if my mind just decided to start playing a soundtrack to my life. I rub my eyes and look out the window, peering eleven floors down to the streets below. I get up just in time to see a big covered truck barreling down the street, loud speakers blaring. But fortunately for itself, the truck plows off into the distance, moving too fast to be hit by any random objects thrown from a top floor apartment window. And now we ask: What are some of the first hurdles that you need to overcome when first arriving in a country? How do you deal with these? Comment below and let us know! CommentsJared 05/09/2010 5:57:17 am WOW! Jared 05/09/2010 6:00:32 am AW!!! That was supposed to be posted on: Life in Kaohsiung - Episode 2. MY MISTAKE! Oh well, hope that you get the connection! :P 谢谢! 05/12/2010 5:20:19 pm Hey Jared! So are u back in Canada now? I had no idea you went to the Mainland last year, it's good to hear it all went well. So you have any plans to go back? 05/19/2010 2:30:03 am It's the disorientation for sure. BsAs isn't all that different from any other big city on the planet, but I think when you're tired even the little differences seem huge. 05/19/2010 6:38:05 pm @Leigh hopefully one day i'll look around and realize that everything feels normal here. just getting back after a weekend away and it felt good to step in to our own apartment, so it looks like things are headed that way. Margie H. 05/31/2010 11:58:08 pm Hi JR! 06/01/2010 1:05:15 am Great tips from an experienced traveler, Margie! For your Dave's assignments, were there any hard countries for you? And thanks for following. Leave a Reply | Lead Blogger: J.R. Riel
 J.R. has lived in various places, from Bridgehampton, New York to Lanai City, Hawaii. He currently resides in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where he is studying Mandarin and experiencing the joy of Chou Doufu.
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