Day 16 -- June 9

Well today was really a calm day. I woke up around 11 and then sat around for a bit just relaxing.  I managed to get showered and dressed enough to sneak out and get some food. I took Johnny’s advice to go find the lady with the dumpling stand. 10 dumplings for 50NT, hers were much bigger than the ones in the other shop. She cooked them right in front of me. I tried to use what little Mandarin I knew. While she was cooking, she helped me with tones and words.It was fun, I also picked up some coffee. Then I started studying.

    Three hours later I got a message from Sean with instructions to go to a small little cafe. I was stopped on my way out by some students who wanted to find the MTC building. They were looking to advertise for language exchange. After that I did get a little lost, I missed the cafe by one store, but I was able to find it. I met with Sean and Huáng Xi (黃希). We stayed there for a bit then went to dinner. We ended up at a little shop with noodle and wonton soup. Every shop has different flavors even if it is sort of the same food. This place was very good, a lot of food for cheap. Sean and I made fun of the Taiwanese drama that was on.

    Afterwords we went to wander Shida night market. We ended up getting winter melon tea, which is meant to cool you down, and mahjong shaped pastry. The tea had a strange flavor, it wasn’t bad just a funky mix of sweet and bitter. The pastry was hot and quite delicious. We sat in the lobby and chatted for a bit. Huáng Xi and I discussed possibly going on a shopping trip together. I really like her, she is very nice!! I hope to get to know her better. I love meeting new people.

    After a while we got too hot and so we parted ways. I walked back to my dorm and reviewed for a bit. I also tried finding information on the dragon boat festival which is Wednesday. We have that day off from school so I hope to go and experience the festival in its fullest. It was nice to have a calm and early night. I need a recharge so I can get ready for tomorrow. Time for some crazy learning!