Warm in New York is Cold in Taipei

So I hear it's been pretty warm in New York City this past week. Or warmer rather. And by that I mean temperature in the 50s and even 60s (we're talking Fahrenheit here by the way--I have yet to become adept at converting between Celsius and Fahrenheit). Coincidentally enough, the temperature here in Taipei has been in the 50s and 60s this past week as well (although we're back in the 70s now).

Now in New York, this 50-60 degree weather must feel nice and warm, especially coming from 20, 30 degree weather (and snow, lots of snow). In Taipei however, this 50-60 degree weather is cold. It amused me that while my friends and I in Taiwan considered this 60 degree weather "so cold," my dear New Yorkers back home considered their 60 degree weather, "so nice." Hence, warm in New York is cold in Taipei.

The temperature seems to be warming back up however as the forecast for next week is all in the high 70s and sunny (in fact, it was pretty warm today as well). Actually, when my Chinese class came to Taiwan around this time (March 8th to March 18th) last year, the weather was on the chillier and rainier end initially as well. It was only about a day or two before we were to leave that the weather started to warm up and the sun started to shine relentlessly. Frankly I'm a little disappointed as I have always preferred cooler weather to warmer weather--granted it was a little chilly, but I definitely wasn't expecting such a significant weather shift.

On a different weather-related note, anyone who has ever experienced the harsh New England winter (or any harsh winter) has probably experienced harsh winter symptoms as well: chapped lips, dry face, cracked hands. Of course, if you're diligent about putting lotion on your face and hands you were probably fine, but I was pretty lazy (or forgetful) sometimes so you could see (and feel) the dryness on my hands and cheeks. The humidity in Taiwan, as I was telling my sister the other day, did wonders for that. About a week after I arrived in Taiwan, I realized that my skin was no longer sporting patches of dryness; in fact (and I was feeling just now), my hands and face are completely smooth--and it hasn't even felt that humid for the past week!

Seeing that Taiwan is a tropical island, I'm not looking forward to when the temperature shoots way up and the humidity gets unbearable, but if you're looking to get away from some harsh winter winds and cold then Taiwan n February/March is the place to go, especially if you need some treatment for that dry skin of yours. Nothing like some tropical humid air to take care of that!

Everyday Chinese

• 天氣 (Tiānqì) - Weather
• 度 (Dù) - Degrees
  As in 40 degrees
• 冬天 (Dōngtiān) - Winter
• 下雪 (Xià xuě) - To snow
• 颳風 (Guā fēng) - Windy
• 有寒流 (Yǒu hánliú) - Cold current
  According to one of my Chinese professors, the cold in Taiwan was due to a cold current from mainland China
• 晴朗 (Qínglǎng) - Sunny
• 濕氣 (Shī qì) - Humidity