香港: A Reflection

Okay, so I lied--I have one more post about our trip to Hong Kong. This really is the last one though, I promise!

I realized that while I have been relating everything we did in Hong Kong, I haven't really actually talked about my personal experience, about what it felt like to be in Hong Kong, and there's so much to say, hence this final post. Think of it as the epilogue to our adventures. Hehe.

Versus Taiwan

View of Taipei from Taipei 101: mountains, greenery, and city

Going from Taiwan to Hong Kong and back to Taiwan again is like a bit of a jolt because of the differences between the two. Now obviously it's a bit silly to compare a little region to a whole country and as I've mostly only been in Taipei and Taichung, those will be my points of reference for comparison. Taiwan and Hong Kong are not entirely different and there are some similarities between the two. For one, both Taiwan and Hong Kong use Traditional Chinese characters for writing as opposed to the simplified characters used in Mainland China (just one more reason to love Hong Kong!). Between Taipei and Taichung, Hong Kong would have to be more similar to Taipei, since both are more metropolitan, with more of a global influence. Like Taipei, Hong Kong has a fair mix of the rural and urban: despite the both of them being metropolitan areas, you can still find a lot of wildlife and greenery amidst the city life. Also the subway in both Taipei and Hong Kong (called MRT (for Mass Rapid Transit) in Taipei and MTR (for Mass Transit Railway) in Hong Kong--confusing isn't it?) are both efficient and convenient (and a lot smoother than New York City subways!). And despite its busy city life, Hong Kong still manages to be as clean and litter-free (both indoors and out mind you) as Taiwan.

View of Hong Kong from the Peak: harbour, mountains, and skyscrapers

In terms of the actual feel of the city however, I would have to say that the Hong Kong vibe is a lot closer to that of New York City's what with the bustling city that never sleeps sort of lifestyle and the busy streets and city set-up. There is even a large shopping center in Causeway Bay named Times Square after the one in New York City. As I mentioned in a previous post however, it's not quite the same (but can there be two cities that are exactly the same?). Plus while there were some areas of Hong Kong that sort of reminded me of some areas of New York City, I wouldn't say that being in Hong Kong is like being in New York. Hong Kong struck me as being quite technologically advanced, what with the moving walkways, computer internet access in the MTRs, the coordinated Symphony of Lights show. I guess in that way, it made it feel a lot faster than New York City.

Hong Kong: Asia's World City (香港 亞洲國際都會)

As I mentioned Hong Kong is deemed "Asia's World City," and, according to the official website, that entails:

• Non-stop intensity 
• Fascinating contrasts between East and West, urban and natural, modern and ancient
• Compact variety in the diversity of experiences offered to visitors and in the ease and speed with which visitors can get around
• Distinct trendiness by adopting and adapting global trends to create a uniquely Hong Kong style in both products and experiences

I think that these points pretty much encapsulate my experience in Hong Kong: intense, fascinating, efficient, and trendy. Perhaps it was the novelty of being in a new place, but I definitely found Hong Kong very intense and exciting, not in an overly stimulated way, but in a can't-wait-to-get-out-there-and-explore kind of way. The contrasts were something that both surprised and fascinated me. I guess I was expecting Hong Kong to be entirely city-like and more similar to New York City with its concrete jungle, but there was a lot more greenery and natural areas than I expected. And while I expected a certain mixture of East and West, I was slightly surprised by how much global influence there was in Hong Kong, either in the people or the businesses or even the street names. 

Going off of that last point, I was surprised by the amount of international visitors in Hong Kong, mostly Caucasians (remember the community of Caucasians comment?) and Southeast Asians. I don't know if it was because it was summer and so there were a lot of people there on vacation or if they actually lived there. It seems that there is large community of Indians living and working in Hong Kong, but I'm not so sure about others. While the Southeast Asians seemed more like they were in Hong Kong vacationing, visiting, and touring, the Caucasians seemed very much at home and at ease like they gathered in bars on a daily basis. A lot of them were in suits though so perhaps they were in Hong Kong on business. It was interesting to me because they were all in this kind of rich neighborhood, hanging out in bars and restaurants that I'm pretty sure were owned or run by Caucasians, mostly in the company of other white people. I hope I'm not coming off as judgmental because I understand being abroad and wanting to be in the company with people who speak the same language or share the same culture but it was almost like this bubble they had created for themselves. Furthering this contrast was the fact that we were mostly passing by this area on the moving walkway--along with a bunch of other Asians, all of us just passing by without entering the bubble.

I guess in part due to the large amount of Caucasian visitors and in part due to Hong Kong's history of being a British colony is why there is such a large English presence in Hong Kong (probably more so due to the latter than the former). A lot of places have names in both Chinese and English (and sometimes the Chinese name is just a transliteration of the English) and a lot of Hong Kongers speak Mandarin and English in addition to Cantonese (but maybe less English in some of the more traditional restaurants and establishments). The train announcements are also trilingual: in Cantonese, English (with a British accent), and Mandarin (with a Taiwanese accent I think). 

On that note, I've never been spoken to in so many different languages before. I've mentioned that on Korean Air (and in Korea in general) I was spoken to in Korean, while on EVA Air (and here in Taiwan) I was spoken to in Mandarin. Being Asian means the locals don't really think twice about what language you might speak. But in Hong Kong, I have been spoken to in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. I think they usually start off in Cantonese but sometimes when they hear me speaking with my roommates in English they might use English too. But as my roommates also throw in a fair amount of Mandarin in their English, sometimes people will speak to us in Mandarin. But in Korea, sometimes people who start off speaking to me in English would continue to use English even if I've responded in Korean, whereas in Hong Kong they usually switch over to Cantonese if I do (or perhaps that is just a testament of how terrible my Korean is).

Cantonese versus Mandarin

I often have non-Chinese friends ask me if there is a difference between written Cantonese and written Mandarin. Both yes and no. No in that there is a Standard Chinese writing system that allows you to understand the writing despite what dialect of Chinese you speak, but yes in that if you were to transcribe spoken Mandarin and spoken Cantonese and compare the two, you would see a lot of differences. For one thing, sometimes the grammar and word order is a little different between the two and for another, there are certain words and phrases (sometimes even characters) that are specific to one dialect or the other. Here is a nice video from YouTubers, Off the Great Wall, which talks a little about the difference between Cantonese and Mandarin:

I think in the case of reading spoken Mandarin versus Cantonese, Cantonese speakers are at an advantage over Mandarin speakers, since Standard Chinese is based off of Mandarin and so spoken Mandarin would still make sense to a Cantonese speaker even if it's not colloquial. So would you actually see any written Cantonese? Well for more formal settings (newspapers, business), you would probably use Standard Chinese but for more informal settings (writing a letter, on advertisements, blogging), you would be more likely to see written Cantonese. It's also a personal preference as I have seen some Hong Kong celebrities on Instagram writing in Standard Chinese, while others write in written Cantonese (while the Hong Kong fans usually comment in written Cantonese). Also because I'm so nice (okay I'm interested too), I kept a lookout of examples of written Cantonese to show you all.

I actually didn't manage to get a picture so I had to find this on Google

望右/左 (mong6 jau6/zo2) - Look right/left
I don't actually know if the use of 望 to mean "look" is exclusively Cantonese, but I have never heard it being used that way in Mandarin (correct me if I'm wrong!), but it was interesting that it was written that way on the streets.


的士 (dik1 si6*2) - Taxi

Another picture that I had to find off Google

If you were expecting the yellow taxis of New York City (although some of them are green now) or even Taiwan, I'm letting you know right now that taxis in Hong Kong are red and white so if you are in need of a taxi, don't go looking for a yellow cab to hail down.
I know for sure that 的士 is an exclusively Cantonese word for "taxi" because the Cantonese pronunciation is in fact based off of the English and if you were to read it in Mandarin (dí shì), it sounds nothing like the English word, "taxi".

士多啤梨 (si6 do1 be1 lei4*2) - Strawberry
If you couldn't tell from the jyupting, this is another one that is based off of the English pronunciation. When I was younger, I used to think that this was just the English pronunciation but with a Chinese accent--I didn't realize that this was actually how "strawberry" was pronounced in Cantonese (likewise cherry, which is 車厘子 ce1 lei4 zi2 is also the actual Cantonese and not English with a Chinese accent--although I guess that's technically what it is).

食好啲 (sik6 hou2 di1) - Eat better
This isn't an actual idiomatic phrase or expression but I took a picture of it because it captured two differences between Cantonese and Mandarin. The first is a difference in character usage. 食, which can be used to mean "to eat" in Cantonese is more commonly used in Mandarin as part of food related words: 食堂 (shítáng) for example is a cafeteria or dining hall, while 食物 (shíwù) means food. 食 in Cantonese is similar to how 吃 in Mandarin might be used, so for example, 食飯 in Cantonese and 吃飯 in Mandarin to mean "to eat" or 好食 in Cantonese and 好吃 in Mandarin to mean delicious.
The second difference I wanted to point out was the last character, 啲, which is an exclusively Cantonese character, usually added after an adjective such as with 好 (good) above as a modifier (similar to how -er is added at the end of adjectives to create adverbs such as faster, louder, fewer). The interesting thing about this character (and some other Cantonese specific characters) is that they don't exist in some input systems (my jyupting input does not in fact have this character and I had to write it out on Google Translate) and so sometimes Latin letters/simple romanizations are used instead, such as D in place of 啲.

香港 or 台灣?

"So do you like Hong Kong better or Taiwan?" I was asked by both my mother and one of my roommates. While I was not actively comparing the two, I have to admit, there were several points during my trip where I thought, "xyz is so much better in Hong Kong/Taiwan." For one thing having grown up in New York City Chinatown which is majority Cantonese people, I'm more accustomed to Cantonese dishes and really missed it while I was in Taiwan (and no I'm not just talking about 點心). I enjoy Taiwanese dishes, but admittedly it's a little hard to get authentic and cheap Cantonese food in Taiwan (I once ordered a 港式蝦較 at a night market in Taipei thinking it was the translucent shrimp dumplings, but it turns out that they were just normal dumplings with a shrimp-meat filling. Such disappointment). For another thing, having grown up hearing a lot more Cantonese than Mandarin (my Cantonese was a lot better than my Mandarin before I started formally learning Mandarin), I feel more familiar hearing Cantonese. Also and you can laugh at me for this statement, but Cantonese has to be my favorite language--there's just something about the way it sounds that I find really nice. I've heard people say that Cantonese sounds harsher than Mandarin, which really surprises me because I've always thought Mandarin sounded harsher. Another thing is that, like I mentioned above and in a previous post, Hong Kong has a very similar atmosphere to New York City, to the point that while I didn't think I was back home, I certainly didn't feel like I was in an unfamiliar place.

Thus far it looks like I prefer Hong Kong a lot more right? I guess for me, being in Hong Kong was a lot like being home without actually being at home and though I profess to love nature (I wanted to live in the mountains, then the forest when I was younger), I think that at heart I'm a city girl--or maybe what I need is that right mix of urban and natural. Yet at the same time, it's hard to compare when the time span I've been in Hong Kong was so short and going somewhere for fun and with friends is different than going somewhere to study or intern by yourself. I wondered to myself if I would have enjoyed Hong Kong so much had I gone by myself or had I been there to study (I did want to study there actually, but it was more logical for me to go to Taiwan to study because of CISLA and my language studies) or if it was the novelty of being in a new place that I enjoyed so much. Honestly I don't know, but I will say that being able to go to Hong Kong with my roommates and friends has been a fantastic experience. I really enjoyed everything that Hong Kong had to offer from the food to the sights to the culture and the people. Hopefully I get the chance to go back to Hong Kong (for longer than just a weekend please!) and explore further (although maybe not in the summer)!

Intern Life and Student Life: Taipei vs. Taichung

So as I mentioned in the previous post, I have moved down from Taipei to Taichung for a summer internship. People are always impressed when I tell them about my internship, but actually the real credit goes to my home university of Connecticut College. You see Conn has what we call "Academic Centers" which are basically, according to the website, "centers for interdisciplinary scholarship, each with a different focus: international studies, the environment, arts and technology, public policy and community action, and the study of race and ethnicity." Basically, being a scholar of one of these centers consists of a senior integrative project (SIP) and a funded summer internship. The senior integrative project is basically an idea you come up with that ties together your major and your center and the summer internship is supposed to be related to your project idea. You apply to be part of a center first semester of your sophomore year and, if you get in, take center-specific classes second semester of your sophomore year. Senior year (after everybody has come back from their internship) is when you either do a senior thesis or complete an independent study.

For the internship, of course you have to find it yourself, but what the centers do is helps you with writing a resumé, personal statement, and cover letter if necessary after which they help you send it to your internship contacts.

As you can probably guess, I am a scholar of the center for international studies, aptly named the Toor Cummings Center for International Studies and the Liberal Arts, or CISLA.

As it is a center for international studies, CISLA requires that its scholars study a foreign language and complete their funded internship abroad in a country that speaks their studied language.  Since my major is ethnobotany and my language Mandarin, my project has to do with Traditional Chinese medicine and its usage and evolution under different East Asian cultures (namely that of Taiwan's and South Korea's) and alongside western medicine and new technology. As such, my internship is at 立夫中醫藥展示館 (the Lifu Museum of Chinese Medicine) at 中國醫藥大學 (China Medical University) in Taichung City, Taichung 台中 (not to be confused with the China Medical University in Mainland China), where I hope to learn more about Chinese medicine, its history, usage, and evolution.

Because the museum is part of a university, I actually get to live in a student dorm, which is pretty nice in terms of commute and cost. Of course I still have to pay for the room, but it is significantly cheaper than living in a hotel. Thus far, most of my duties consist of administrative duties: welcoming in visitors to the museum, picking up the phone, opening and closing the museum; I also have some translation duties when there are documents or events and I just recently finished helping with a multilingual audio guide for the museum. Also, the museum is trying to undergo a renewal process to be more visitor-friendly, more interactive with audiences, and more multi-lingual, which I have a rather big part in, in terms of brainstorming. Actually this past Thursday and Friday I was part of a bilingual museum tour to four museums in Taipei to help get ideas for how to better Lifu.

台中 Taichung versus 台北 Taipei

So after having lived in 台中市 Taichung City for about three weeks now, of course I'm bound to have noticed some differences compared to 台北市 Taipei City. First off, I would like to say that the life of an intern is a little different from that of a student's. For one thing, I work Mondays to Fridays from 9 am to 5 pm with a two-hour lunch break from 12 pm to 2 pm, meaning that I actually eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner as opposed to just breakfast/brunch and dinner, which I did back at NTU. Also as I don't really have assignments, projects, and studies to keep up on (although I really should continue to study Chinese), I now have free time in the evenings and on weekends. It's almost kind of a strange feeling, to still have to go to work but not have any assignments to do afterwards. Of course, there are some internship-related things that I still have to take care of sometimes after work (either for CISLA or for Lifu) but it's hardly the same as having to complete homework assignments or having to study for tests.

Now in terms of life in the two cities:

• Weather
  Maybe because I am indoors for most of the day but I feel that the weather down here in Taichung is definitely not as hot and humid as it was in Taipei. Yes it is still bright, sunny, hot, and humid, but I don't think to the extent that Taipei was. Moreover, even at night Taipei still feels humid, while in Taichung it actually feels cooler at night. Also it doesn't feel as hot in the dorms here in Taichung--I don't even have to turn on the air conditioning sometimes whereas back in my NTU dorm I would turn on the A/C every day (in the summer).
• Food
  I had friends who told me that food in Taichung is cheaper than in Taipei, which I found a little hard to believe because food is already pretty cheap in Taipei (I pay NT$60 to NT$90 per meal--that is about US$2 to US$3), but it's actually true. I find that I spend about NT$30 to NT$70 per meal--that's about US$1 to US$2.33 per meal. Of course there are some expensive places too, especially for Western, Japanese, Korean food, some of which are comparable to the prices back in Taipei, but for the most part, meals are cheaper.
• Public Transportation
  I have yet to post about the joy that is the Taipei Mass Rail Transit (MRT), but trust me, the subway system is a wonderful, convenient, comfortable mode of transportation in Taipei--on time, clean, smooth, and efficient. Of course there are buses too, but I only took that once or twice when it was absolutely necessary. Here in Taichung, I find myself taking the bus often because well the bus system is a lot more extensive than the metro system. Actually taking the bus isn't too bad (although I still prefer subway any day) and you can still use the EasyCard that is used in Taipei, but best of all, if you travel a distance of less than eight kilometers, the ride is free! In fact I don't think I have had to pay for a single bus ride since I have been in Taichung.
• Mopeds
  I have never seen as much mopeds in my life as I have seen in Taiwan. Everywhere you go, you are bound to encounter a bunch of bikes and motorbikes alongside the cars on the streets. However, I have noticed a lot more mopeds here in Taichung than in Taipei. Furthermore many people just park their motorbikes on the (sometimes) already-narrow sidewalks, meaning that there is no walking room leaving people to walk out on the streets. Hence it is also not uncommon to see people riding their motorbikes on the sidewalks as well.
• Dormitory
  I guess I can't really judge the dorms on the basis of only two dorms, but I will say that the CMU dorm here is quite different from that of Shui Yuan's back at NTU. For one, the rooms here are a quad--in other words, four people to a room--and second, are very compact at that: the beds are high up, with the desk area beneath. Apparently, from what I have heard, this seems to be the norm for college dorms in Taiwan.
  
  Another difference between the dorms (and this one kind of bothers me) is that here, I have to take the trash out to the trash area on the first floor, whereas back at Shui Yuan there were trash rooms on every floor. Now this wouldn't bother me so much were it not for the mosquitoes and giant rats that I have seen down there--I even went back to my room with my trash once because I saw the rats on the stairwell. I also can't look out the windows because the windows are frosted, so not much natural light coming in, not that it will reach my desk under the bed, but still. Other than that, the dorm here isn't too bad. 

L: Shui Yuan Dormitory R: CMU dormitory

• Culture
  The last thing I want to talk about is the culture. Taichung in a way, still retains a bit of that more traditional culture, I guess from not having as much Western influence as Taipei. For one thing, there is a lot more people speaking Taiwanese here than there were in Taipei, especially a lot more kids speaking Taiwanese too and you can also hear a bit of that in the way they speak Mandarin. Also a lot of store owners and people in the street will just speak to students in Taiwanese as well and they will understand (even if they answer in Mandarin). Another thing is that there is much less English speaking here. Don't get me wrong, there are still people who speak fantastic English, but a lot of students and shop owners of smaller places might not be so fluent in English as you would find in Taipei. Also as Taichung is a little more steeped in tradition, you'll also find a lot more squatter toilets (even in department stores) in most places.

I really recommend coming to Taichung if you ever get the chance, just to experience a different side of Taiwan. I like being in Taichung and am glad for the different experience although I have to admit, sometimes I miss being in Taipei. Taichung feels smaller sometimes and to be honest, sometimes I'm not sure what there is to do around here (nor do locals of Taichung, it seems) and although I'm one for taking spontaneous trips on the bus to random stops (which I used to do with the metro back in Taipei) it's not as convenient or easy to find my way back as if I were taking the metro. Still it's nice to see this side of Taiwan. And being in Taichung means shorter commutes to other regions down south, which hopefully I have the chance to visit!

Reflections

I couldn't resist putting in a video for this song

Surprise! So I'm in Taichung--台中!

Taichung--which I kindly circled in red for you--is just about a two-hour bus ride away from Taipei 

Actually, I have been in Taichung for about a two weeks now, on account of an internship (more on that another time), and meant to do this post a lot earlier (ie. when I was still in Taipei or at least on the bus to Taichung), but did not exactly have free time (I still had a paper to finish!) or internet access for that matter.

Anyways, with my semester at NTU over, I thought I would do a little post reflecting (again, I meant to write this a lot earlier) on my time in Taipei, at NTU, and just abroad in general.

So back when I was still a wee sophomore attending all these study abroad fairs to prepare myself for a semester (or two) abroad, one thing that I heard often, from both students and teachers alike, is that your study abroad experience will change you. After my semester in South Korea, I have to admit, I didn't feel any different, nor did I think I really changed that much. I did realize however, that I am terribly lacking in social skills and that I am a lot more introverted than I realized. Although these realizations came a bit too late, it helped me prepare better for my time here in Taiwan. Now I admit, at the end of it all, I'm still the shy, quiet, introvert that I was before coming here, but I will say that I at least made a lot more of an effort to try to get out of my comfort zone, to work on my social skills, and to get out there and meet people. Did I always succeed? No, but for each of my failures I'd like to think that I learned a little something, either about myself, or about how to interact with others.

So have I changed? Like I said, I'm still shy and introverted, but I would say that I've gotten a little better at not shying away from any and all social situations all the time. Moreover, and this may have to do with being in Asia for a whole year or the fact that I follow a lot of Asian Americans on YouTube, but I've become more aware of the issues surrounding media representation/portrayal of different ethnicities in the U.S. I am in no way an expert on these issues, but I think I just now am starting to realize how big the disparity is between the way media portrays different groups of people or even who you see on TV. Anyways, on to less heavy material.


Things I Have Learned

1. Sometimes You Just Have to Be Bold
   That is not to say of course that you should be someone you're not, but if you want to make friends, you can't always expect others to come up to you. Sometimes you have to make the first move. And/or the second. Maybe even the third. Friendship cannot be maintained by one side alone after all. That means striking up conversation, inviting others to eat with you, planning a hang out and following through with it, etc... And of course, being open to trying new things, foods, experiences. Don't write something off just because you're afraid (unless it's life-threatening or against your morals) or because you find it strange; go out there and try new things, broaden your horizons, your viewpoints!
2. Things Aren't Always Going to Go the Way You Want and That's Okay
   Sometimes people make plans and don't follow through with it. Sometimes you hit it off with someone but then you don't really hear from them again. Sometimes you find you have absolutely nothing in common with someone and so have nothing to converse about. And sometimes you're just absolutely confused and frustrated maybe because of a cultural difference or language barrier. The most important thing is to not let it get to you. Coming to a new country by yourself for the very first time (or maybe not even for the first time) can be scary and lonely and I admit, I got quite homesick the first month or so that I was in Taiwan. I missed my home, family, and friends terribly and wanted to wallow away in my room. But of course, if I had really done that, I would not have made so many good friends, gone on so many adventures, and seen so many sights. Things are not always going to go smoothly, but you should be patient, persevere, and stay positive. After all, you're in a new country, a new environment--you should make the best of your time abroad because it really can be a truly wonderful and unique experience if you let it.
3. Sometimes Being Alone is Okay Too
   Sometimes it's nice to go out with others, either in a small group or a larger group of people. But sometimes it's nice to just go out and have a meal by yourself, to explore on your own, or just take some time to yourself. Some people will get too lonely being by themselves. Some people get worn out from being around so many people; regardless you just have to find a nice balance that suits you.

Things I Wish I Knew

1. Food Vocabulary
   This is really important. Especially when you don't have a meal plan and have to go out and buy all your meals. Two years of language study will certainly leave you with a considerable wealth of vocabulary; however, one thing that I wish I knew more of were food words. A lot of times, I was just staring at a menu frustrated because I couldn't understand the menu or could only read bits and pieces of it. My solution for that I guess would be to pick up some Chinese menus (from actual Chinese restaurants--none of that Panda Buffet business--with both English and Chinese) and familiarize yourself with different types of food so that you can go prepared to eat at any restaurant.
2. Language Study
   I don't know about other languages, but I feel that for Chinese, two years of Chinese class alone is not enough to get you around. I was lucky in that, being a heritage learner, I already had a foundation from which to build upon when I started formally learning Chinese, but if you're serious about going abroad to improve your language skills, you have to do some learning and practicing outside of class too. Watch a lot of dramas, variety programs, television programs, and practice often with your native Chinese speaking friends. And when you're abroad, make the most of your time abroad. Being in Taiwan will force you to continue practicing your reading, listening, and talking skills beyond the classroom, but it doesn't count as immersion if you're only going to speak English all the time or going to places where you know they'll speak English. Of course, if you're a complete beginner, you obviously can't expect to be able to make a lot of conversation, but I've met some people who didn't start studying Chinese until they came to Taiwan and because they were always practicing their Chinese with natives, their language skill improved greatly.

Other Important Notes

1. Toilets
   A lot of the buildings and facilities in Taiwan are quite old and, as such, rather traditional, which means that in many public places, especially outside of Taipei, the bathrooms are going to have squatter toilets. Of course in fancier restaurants, or department stores, there will be seated toilets, but in many places you will find that the toilets are mostly (or all) squatter toilets with only one or two seated (usually there will be a sign on each stall indicating what kind of toilet it has).
   
   Actually quite a few places in Korea had squatters too and the first time I used one was actually in Korea, because I figured I should try it before writing it off. I admit, the first time was a little strange as I wasn't used to it, but after coming to Taiwan (especially here in Taichung), I kind of had to get used to it. While a little strange initially I don't find that it's anything to get freaked out by--I mean sure sometimes the stalls are a little dirty, but hey the same can be said for any toilet stall, sitting or squatting. And from the point of view of the Taiwanese it's cleaner than a seated toilet because you are not placing your bare bum on a seat that a bunch of other bare bums have been on and so who knows how many germs are on that toilet seat?
2. Paper
   Always have tissues/napkin paper on hand. Always. When you go out to eat. When you go to the bathroom. When you go out at all. Just have paper on hand. I actually learned this from one of my friends the first time we met (which happened to be at the Lantern Festival outing), and I thought, that's no problem, I usually have a pack of tissues with me anyways. But I soon learned what she meant. In New York, when you go out to eat, whether it's at a fancy restaurant, casual restaurant, or take-out, you will usually be  supplied with napkins, either at the table or atop your take-out container. In Taiwan you do not get tissues with your take-out and when you go out to eat, sometimes there will be a package of tissues on every table, every other table, or in tissue dispensers at the back/front of the restaurant or by the counter. Sometimes they run out of tissues. Therefore, always have tissues on hand when you go out to eat.
   
   Also when you go to the bathroom. Sometimes there will be paper in the bathroom, but not in the stalls so you have to get it before you go into the stall. Sometimes there's just no toilet paper in the bathrooms at all. Or again, they're outside the stall, but they've run out. Bathrooms in outdoor locations, such as parks, tend to be of the paperless variety so bring paper with you to the bathroom. Always, always.

Asian-American Experience

Cantonese version sung by the lovely 陳慧琳 (Kelly Chen), which is one of the three different versions featuring more traditional Chinese instrumentals--I actually really like the Cantonese versions, and no it's not due to a Canto-bias (okay maybe just a little)

This is the ABC Guide after all, and what would this reflection be without a word on the experiences of an Asian-American in Taiwan? As I have mentioned, the experiences of an Asian-American (or Asian-Canadian, or English or what have you) in Asia can be quite different from the experiences of someone who is not of Asian heritage. The biggest thing is that many people will not think twice about where you're from--they will automatically just assume you are Taiwanese. Thus, as with in Korea, when you go out, you will get treated just like any other Taiwanese (or Korean) and if they realize that you're not actually a local, they will be totally surprised. I don't know how many times people have said to me, "誒，你不是台灣人嗎?" Of course when I mention that I am in fact from the U.S. that surprises them even more. And just as in Korea, when you go out with your non-Asian friends, expect to be viewed as the interpreter. Of course other foreign students will also assume that you're a local too and will probably speak to you in Chinese. Just the other day, I ran into a pair of international students at my dorm and they greeted me in Chinese, which I admit kind of amused me and when I held the elevator for this other international student, he thanked me in Chinese.

Maybe it is from Hollywood influence, but I feel like a lot of people (in both Taiwan and Korea) think of your typical blonde-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian (or maybe just the Caucasian part) when they hear 美國人 and so there is this sort of surprised "But you don't look like an American" response when I tell them that I am from the United States. Almost always afterwards I then get asked whether I am a 華人/華僑 (of Chinese descent/overseas Chinese), whether I have lived in the U.S. my whole life, or where my parents are from. I am always a little unsure about how to answer that very last question as my family is from Vietnam but we are of Chinese descent, so do I say my parents are from Vietnam or do I say that they are 中國人? I admit I'm not always consistent with the answer I give--sometimes I give the whole from-Vietnam-but-we're-Chinese answer and sometimes I simply say 潮州人.

One of the most conflicting experiences I've had being an Asian-American in Asia is a bit of an identity crisis. As I mentioned once before in a previous post, in the U.S. I would identify as being Chinese or Asian, but in Asia I would identify as being American. At the same time though, I feel as though I don't completely fit either: I don't really keep up with American culture and so don't get American references that others make, but at the same time, despite being interested in Asian dramas, music, and culture, I can't completely 100% relate to Asians either, especially since I'm not even fluent in Chinese (or Korean). Sometimes I feel a bit like a broken Asian, made up of a bunch of different aspects and knowledge of various Asian and Chinese cultures but never quite complete, full knowledge.

One thing that I have learned from constantly being confused for Taiwanese is when to just go with it and when I should fess up. Now when I say to go with it, I don't mean to pretend that you are Taiwanese, but when they automatically assume you're Taiwanese it would be kind of silly to tell them each and every time that you aren't especially when it doesn't really matter. For example if you get asked for directions or you're out ordering food and you get asked a question about how you would like your dish. I admit that sometimes I don't understand the different options, but I just nod or go for the option that I did understand (or apologize and say I don't know in the case of the directions). Maybe winging it isn't quite the best way for learning Chinese but when you are at a busy breakfast place or restaurant it seems like it will just cause too much trouble to ask for a translation for each and every thing (like I said--my food-related vocabulary is a little lacking). When it's something important however--creating a bank account, inquiring about your A.R.C., working on a group project--you should never ever just try to wing it. I don't know about others, but I have always been self-conscious about using English when I was in Korea and Taiwan, but when it comes to important matters, such as the aforementioned ones, you should not try to pretend you understand if you don't and you should not be afraid to ask for someone who can speak English.

This doesn't quite fit in the Asian-American Experience, but I thought I would put it here anyways. One thing that I noticed, both after my semester in South Korea and in Taipei is that my English has gotten a little worse in terms of speaking and typing too. I find that I have a hard time just thinking up simple words or phrases and I think part of that has to do with the fact that while I was abroad, obviously I wasn't surrounded by English speakers nor was I reading any books or watching TV in English, whereas back in the U.S. I would be doing a lot more reading, either for class or for leisure, and of course getting a lot more exposure to English, but obviously in Taiwan and Korea there is much much less of that exposure. Even though I mix a fair amount of English into my Chinese, it's still a lot less than I'm used to. Thus I guess it's true what they say, that if you don't use it you lose it. I'm not saying that you're going to forget how to speak or write or understand English, but you might find that you have a slightly difficult time trying to think up the right word sometimes.

Final Thoughts
My semester in Taiwan has definitely been a lot more fruitful and fulfilling than my semester in Korea, for the reasons that I've been pushing myself more and coming here alone has forced me to be a little more independent, to be a little mature (I would like to think). That's not to say that I didn't enjoy my time in Korea of course--I would not trade that experience for the world--it's just that I didn't make as good use of my time there as I could have.

Being able to study in Taiwan, and in Taipei especially was a truly wonderful experience. If you ever get the chance to study in Taiwan, I really recommend studying at National Taiwan University, for its convenient location, lovely campus, diverse selection of classes (I especially recommend the Exploring Taiwan courses), and plethora of activities and festivities. I think the Gongguan area is a great place to be and just being in Taipei in general is very convenient in terms of food, shopping, entertainment, and transportation. Also the Taiwanese are so friendly and helpful and a lot of things here are actually pretty cheap (compared to New York anyways). Of course if you're ever in Taiwan, I hope you also get the chance to experience some festivals and holidays because they sure know how to celebrate (the Sky Lantern Festival in Pingxi is a must), and though my time in Taiwan is almost over (about a month and a half before I head home), I hope to be able to go out and explore more.

To close, this has been a fun semester and I am super thankful that I was able to have this opportunity to study in Taipei at NTU. I have met a lot of wonderful people here and made a fair share of friends both international and local and am so so thankful to all the people who have made this semester abroad so fun and memorable. I truly feel blessed to have met all of you. Thank you all so much! ^-^ <3 謝謝你們，我們這一輩子再遇到吧！

You didn't think I would have not included the Mandarin version of the song (sung by Coco Lee) did you?? (Although I have to admit, I don't think her voice really matches Mulan's character..)

Atop 象山 (photo courtesy of my wonderful roommate)

After calling this place home for a semester, it looks so forlorn with all my stuff packed away

Farewell, it's been a wonderful semester!

端午節快樂！

Happy Summer Solstice everybody!

So as you may know, this weekend is the Dragon Boat Festival--端午節 (Duānwǔ jié) also referred to in English as the Duanwu (from the Mandarin reading of the name) Festival or the Tuen Ng (from the Cantonese reading) Festival--and that means lots dragon boat racing, festivities, and of course, good food!

In honor of the Dragon Boat Festival, Google put up this lovely Doodle

So what exactly is the Dragon Boat Festival and what kind of festivities entail? Well the Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, hence it is also sometimes referred to as the Double Fifth Festival. This year, the actual day of the festival fell on June 20, although the festivities last for three days (as it is a national holiday and the 19th was a Friday, we got Friday off and today is the last day of festivities). The Dragon Boat Festival entails dragon boat racing, eating 粽子 (zòngzi), drinking 雄黃酒 (xióng​huáng​jiǔ), balancing eggs at 12:00 noon, and wearing fragrant satchels.

The most famous story of the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival dates back to the Zhou Dynasty and tells of poet and government official 屈原--Qu Yuan--who served as a member of the Royal Chu House in the ancient state of 楚--Chu--during the Warring States period (戰國時代). When the king decided to ally with the powerful 秦--Qin--state however, 屈原 opposed the alliance and for that, he was accused of treason and thrown into exile. Years later, the state of Qin captured 郢--Ying--the capital of the Chu state, and upon hearing the news, 屈原 in a fit of despair committed suicide by throwing himself in the 汨羅江--the Miluo River. The local people who admired him immediately rushed out onto the river in an effort to save him or at least recover his body. When his body could not be found however, they dropped balls of sticky rice into the river so that the fish would eat that instead of 屈原's body, which is said to be the origin of 粽子. Hence the dragon boat races symbolize the efforts of the people to save 屈原 while the festival commemorates his death.

The awesome part about studying in Asia--professors bring 粽子 for the students! Haha

Triangular or cone-like in shape, 粽子 can be sweet or savory

The ones we got were savory with pork filling

Self-made 粽子 from an event hosted by the International Student Information Services at NTU

Every year in Taipei, the 端午節 festivities are held at 大佳河濱公園--Dajia Riverside Park--by the Keelung River over in Zhonshan District. This year the events were from June 19 to June 21 and would include dragon boat racing, performances, and food. As this was an opportunity that I could not miss, on Friday, I went with one of my friends. Getting there however, was a bit of a challenge as we had to take a bus instead of the subway and do a bit of walking and it didn't help that the both of us are directionally-challenged (thank goodness for the navigation function on Google Maps). When we finally got there however, we were dismayed to find that the races seemed to be over; we didn't even see any boats in the river, but we saw the different teams (we later learned that the race didn't quite happen as one boat just ended up veering off-course or made a u-turn or something). There was however stands of foods, drinks, snacks, and little gift items to be sold. As we had just come from lunch and dessert, we were too full to get anything else, although I did get a Chia seed drink to quench my thirst. It was quite hot and humid that day.

One of the teams marching off in the distance

A dessert/drink car--that mango ice looked really good but unfortunately I was too full

 We decided to head further into the park to check out the stage. It was pretty cool actually; they were speaking in Chinese as well as English and there was a pretty good turnout of teams from other countries including the Philippines, Israel, Australia, and Mainland China. Each team went on stage to perform and dance which was pretty cool, but I have to say, the team from the Philippines killed it with Filipino street dancing.

Dragon boat decoration

Stone dragon head 

The team from the Philippines doing their dance

There was even a play area for kids

After watching for a little while longer, we decided to head back--we were feeling grimy and weary, and we had another event to head to but it was definitely a worthwhile event to check out and, as I was telling my friend, if the park weren't so difficult to get to, I would go back more often.

Well that is all, I hope that you all get the chance to experience a dragon boat race and eat lots of delicious 粽子. Happy 端午節 weekend everybody!

For more information on the Dragon Boat Festival, check out this website: http://go2taiwan.net/monthly_selection.php?sqno=13

Baby, It's Hot Outside

So this is the weather forecast in Taipei for the upcoming days:

As you can see, we're hitting the low to mid-90s in Fahrenheit here (around mid-30s in Celsius), which is standard mid-summer (think July, August) temperature for New York City. Meanwhile the temperature here in Taipei has already been in the high 80s, low 90s since at least mid-May. However, we're only in early June and from what I understand, the worst is yet to come. Moreover, it is not only hot, but humid as well. If you're from the Northeastern United States like me, you can understand hot and humid summers, but as Taiwan is a located in a subtropical area, the humidity here is a lot higher, so much so that you can practically feel the air smothering you at times or feel your skin getting moist and sticky the moment you step foot out the door. Furthermore the sunlight can get pretty intense and you will often find both guys and girls alike going outside armed with a sun umbrella, and no I'm not talking about those pretty lace parasols, I'm talking waterproof UV sun umbrellas (which can probably double as a rain umbrella as well).

No not these delicate parasols

An umbrella for all seasons--pretty isn't it?

In fact, what with all the rain and sun Taiwan gets, umbrella shops are pretty prominent around Taipei (and probably around other parts of Taiwan as well). In addition to protecting against the heat of the sun and health concerns, I think a lot of it also has to do with the fact that the Taiwanese (girls especially) do not want to get darker. In Taiwan (and many parts of East Asia actually), whiter skin is considered to be more beautiful and the idea of tanning, of wanting to get darker skin, is considered kind of strange. It does seem however, that down south or in the countryside, girls are not as concerned about being dark. In context it makes sense, as back in the day it was not uncommon to see children helping their parents out in the fields; all that time spent in the sun turned their skin dark hence dark skin was a normal thing. In the city however, I think if you were not dark it meant that you spent your time indoors, either in some office job, or at home because you didn't even have to work, thus whiter skin was associated with prosperity and a life of luxury. 

Anyways, with the rising temperature, another thing to worry about are these little buggers:

It's amazing how much the images differ if you type "mosquito" in Chinese as opposed to in English on Google

MOSQUITOES. Taiwan is teeming with mosquitoes buzzing around in the hot humid weather waiting to get a taste of your blood, those nasty little buggers. If you don't often get bitten (like my roommate), consider yourself lucky. If however, you are like me (T^T) and are constantly getting bitten left and right (I once got bitten 20+ times in the time span of 50 minutes while in class) then this is for you. New York City has its fair share of mosquitoes, but never have I been bitten so many times back home as I have been here (the mosquitoes here will also get you through your jeggings and leggings too so beware!).

I had previously been using this Japanese-brand ointment for my mosquito bites:

which is pretty easy enough to find in Chinatown, New York and serves as an effective anti-itch, anti-swelling ointment. With all the bites I have been getting however, I was quickly running low. Unfortunately I couldn't seem to find it here in Taiwan, so I had to go hunting for something different to treat my bites.

Found at any Watsons for NT$264 for both of them

Now in the past I have gotten by alright with not using any insect repellent, plus I don't really like the idea of spraying myself with chemicals, or just having to spray myself anytime I leave the house. However seeing as how frequently I have been getting bitten I figured I might as well invest in some bug spray as well. So I decided to head over to Watsons to see what I could find.

In addition to Taiwanese bug sprays, they also had some American companies such as Burt's Bees and Off! as well, so if those are your go-to companies for bug spray you are in luck. Of course, being that they are foreign companies, they were pricier than the local brands and as I did not have any preference, I decided to go with the cheaper 綠油精叮寧 bug spray.

There was a wide variety of sprays from this one company and as I couldn't exactly read all the Chinese to be able to differentiate between them I decided to go with the one which had characters I recognized--namely 綠茶 (green tea) and 長效 (long-lasting) because I figured a long-lasting green tea scented bug spray was a pretty safe bet. Also if you are one of those people who are concerned about spraying chemicals on your skin, these bug sprays are DEET-free so you can be rest assured.

If you are one of those people are picky about brands or sensitive to certain scents I would suggest packing a lot of insect repellent before you come to Taiwan, otherwise you can find a variety of bug sprays (and insect repellent patches) at any local drugstore such as Watsons for anywhere between NT$60 to NT$350. In my opinion it works pretty well as I haven't gotten bitten since I've started using it (except for that one time I was lazy about applying it and as a result am currently sporting ten bites; to be fair though, three of them were through my legging-clad legs and two were on the back of my hands which I am constantly washing throughout the course of a day).

The next thing I want to talk about is my Mopiko-S ointment replacement.

Also from the same company as my big spray, this 綠油精 serves as a multi-purpose oil which, in addition to treating mosquito bites, can also be used to treat headaches, nose complaints, seasickness, stomachache, abrasions, burns, cuts, and muscular pain and comes in two scents--verbena and geranium. Normally Watsons would have samples for customers to sniff, but for some reason the samples were missing the day I went so, as I tend to be wary of floral scents, I decided to go with verbena which smells kind of like a milder version of the Salonpas patch my mother uses for her headaches.

What I like about this is that the scent is not too strong and it's also really light, so even in this hot weather you can apply it without feeling like you're adding extra layers on your skin. Plus the fact that it's a rollerball means that it is a lot cleaner to apply. Also because it contains eucalyptus oil and camphor oil (both of which are supposed to be unappealing to mosquitoes), this Green Oil can double as both a mosquito repellent and a treatment for mosquito bites. In terms of effectiveness, I think that this works pretty well, both to alleviate the itch and reduce swelling and redness. I would definitely recommend this as well. And the Hsin Wan Jen company that produces both of these products seems to be a good, reliable brand.

Everyday Chinese

• 溼 (Shī) - Humid
• 傘 (Sǎn) - Umbrella/Parasol
• 雨傘 (Yǔsǎn) - (Rain) umbrella
• 陽傘 (Yángsǎn) - (Sun) Umbrella/Parasol
• 蚊子 (Wénzi) - Mosquito
• 防蚊液 (Fáng wén yè) - Insect repellent
• 長效 (Cháng xiào) - Long-lasting
• 風油精 (Fēng yóu jīng) - Essential oil containing menthol and eucalyptus oil used to repel insects
• 桉葉油 (Ān yè yóu) - Eucalyptus oil
• 樟 (Zhāng) - Camphor

Taiwanese Breakfast

Living in Taiwan means access to a great wealth of food for a relatively low price (I can usually get away with spending less than NT$200 a day on food), while living in a university area means a wide range of places nearby to eat. That includes breakfast places too, some of which open as early as 6 am (or even earlier for all I know), which is especially important when you have three 8 am classes a week (some of my friends have 8 am classes everyday). Now granted, I usually eat after my class ends, but occasionally I'm hungry enough and have enough time to spare before my class to be able to sit down and have breakfast beforehand (I prefer not to eat in class even if the professor doesn't mind).

Now as I mentioned, my sister's friend was in Taiwan recently and the first few days he was here, he had been going to convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and Family Mart to buy breakfast. I admit that when I first arrived, I had been doing that also, because it was cheap, convenient, and didn't require struggling to read a menu. However, by the time he had gone back to the States, he still had not had a proper Taiwanese breakfast. I was aghast and hence, decided that a post was in order.

Now if you want a truly traditional Taiwanese breakfast, you can have congee or rice with some meat and veggie dishes (which was basically what they served everyday at the first hotel that my Chinese class stayed in when we came last year), but what I want to talk about is 蛋餅、土司、三明治 and 漢堡 which is what you will typically find served in a breakfast place and they're usually pretty cheap as well. A 蛋餅 typically costs around NT$30 (about US$1), while a 土司 and 三明治 will cost anywhere from NT$30 to NT$50, with 漢堡 being a little more expensive at anywhere from NT$45 to NT$70 which is still pretty cheap in US standards. Drinks as well should cost no more than NT$50. I spend on average anywhere between NT$50 to NT$75 for a breakfast of one drink and one food item which is around US$1.50 at most.

蛋餅 (Dàn bǐng)

Please ignore the little puppy nose peeking in from the corner--I took this shot to send to my sister and the lighting on my other pic was kind of poor

When my Chinese class first landed in Taoyuan International Airport last spring it was still in the wee hours of the morning, thus only a few of the food stands were open. McDonald's was one of them and a place selling more traditional Taiwanese food was another. As I didn't want my first meal in Taiwan to be American food, I opted for the Taiwanese breakfast and got this delicious 蛋餅 which is basically an egg crepe.

I never thought I would be able to study in Taiwan, let alone eat more of this delicious breakfast item, but here I am, trying different types of 蛋餅 in different places along with other delicious breakfast items.

生菜蛋餅 and a bowl of hot 豆漿

As I mentioned, this is basically an egg wrapped inside a slightly crispy crepe. The one I got at the airport was your standard 原味 flavor, but they also have different meat flavors (火腿 ham or 肉鬆 pork floss), different vegetable flavors (生菜 lettuce or 韭菜 leek), and a personal favorite, 起士 cheese. You can also add different 將 sauces to it such as a slightly sweet teriyaki sauce or some spicy chili paste--sometimes there will be a sauce "station" in the place for you to add yourself, other times they'll have added for you already.

火腿蛋餅 to-go with a bit of black pepper cooked in too

起士蛋餅 with a cup of 奶茶 to-go from a different breakfast place, with sauce added--theirs was of the less crispy variety

I think my favorite has to be the 蛋餅 from 永和豆漿 (where I also had the 生菜蛋餅) just because their 蛋餅 are not only big, but pretty generous with the fillings as well so it's actually a pretty satisfying meal. They also have a little sauce station where you can add whatever you want--as you can see below, I drizzled some sauce on my 蛋餅 with some chili paste on the side. The nice thing about this place is that while other breakfast places tend to close by noon, this place will be open at night too (for all you breakfast-for-dinner folks out there) and they have non-breakfast dishes as well. The atmosphere wasn't exactly the greatest however as I saw a few bugs crawling around the table once and the second time there was this creep staring at my friend (we're not sure if he works there or not), I think because she was non-Asian.

起士蛋餅 with a cup of 仙草奶茶

 This here is 小小福 which is a little commissary on campus where you can go for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Although there are only three stands there's a pretty good variety of food there and a nice little seating space under a giant tent-like structure so it's sort of like eating both indoors and out. There's even a sink there. The one annoying thing about eating here though is that they only accept exact change.

This is actually not a 蛋餅, but a 蔥抓餅 (Cōng zhuā bǐng), which is a scallion pancake. It's similar to a 蛋餅 as there was also an egg inside of this (they don't always have egg), but for the outside, instead of the slightly crispy crepe wrap, there's a thicker, chewier dough-like wrap with scallions cooked into it. This I also recommend (and I don't even like scallions).

土司 (Tǔsī) 、三明治 (Sānmíngzhì)、漢堡 (Hànbǎo)

Basically, toast, sandwich, and hamburgers. Haha. These three words are actually all loanwords (as you can probably tell); sometimes you'll also see toast written as 吐司 (pronounced the same). 

These are also common breakfast items sold at breakfast places. Now, in the US when you say "toast," you'd think of a slice of toasted bread, maybe with some butter, maybe with some jam, maybe with some cheese. Here however, 土司 refers to two slices of toasted bread put together with whatever filling inside--basically a toasted sandwich. I've had 花生 (peanut) and 抹茶 (matcha) toast before which were okay, but the layers of peanut butter or matcha were spread pretty thin, and there definitely could have been more.

I don't know if you toast your bread before making a sandwich, but I always used to do that. However, the 三明治 here do not use toasted bread, which is fine, I just thought it was worth a mention. 三明治 come with different flavors--most Taiwanese breakfast places will have fillings like egg and a meat of your choice (火腿 ham, 肉鬆 pork floss, 雞肉 chicken, what have you), but the sandwiches at Louisa Coffee, which are more Western-style, have lettuce and tomato in addition to ham, chicken, or beef (and cheese if you want), and some sauce. They also have a choice of whole wheat bread or multi-grain.

漢堡 like the 三明治 have a variety of different fillings you can get. I recently went to try out 拉亞漢堡 (Laya Burger), which is this lovely little breakfast place near my dorm. They have a variety of food items there and the first time I went, I tried their 抹茶土司, which as I mentioned was alright, but the second time, I decided to be adventurous and get a 米堡--a rice burger!

Pork I believe this was with a cup of cold 紅茶

Your food comes in this cute little basket

I had rice burgers both in Korea and in in the US before, though they didn't seem to be very common (less so in the US), but never for breakfast. I think part of the reason I like the rice burger so much here is that I feel like rice dishes are harder to come by and I'm used to having rice practically everyday. Rice is also makes for a filling dish, whether you have it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. 

That's not to say however that I only got the rice burger because I wanted rice--I truly enjoyed my rice burger. In fact I enjoyed it so much that I got it again the next time I went.

The wrapping through which you can still feel the heat of the burger, but it does prevent the grease from getting on your hands!

They could work on aligning the patties a little better but it was still a delicious meal!

My friend's 漢堡

Despite being a little on the small side, the rice burger was quite filling, being that not only was it made of rice, but also was quite generous with the meat and vegetables. It is pretty hot though, so be careful not to burn your tongue (or hands) when you first take a bite out of it.

飲料 (Yǐnliào)

Or beverages. If you noticed, in all of my photos above, my breakfast was accompanied by some drink or other. After all what's breakfast (or any other meal for that matter), without a drink (no, I'm not talking about the alcoholic variety and yes, water counts too) to wash down the food? 

In a typical Western breakfast, your meal is usually accompanied by a cup of coffee or tea or perhaps a nice cold glass of milk, some orange juice, or a smoothie even. While Taiwan is famous for being the creator of 珍珠奶茶 or bubble tea, and while there's no lack of bubble tea stands all around, it's not exactly the go-to breakfast drink. So what constitutes are typical Taiwanese breakfast beverage?

豆漿 (dòujiāng), or soy milk, would probably be the most common breakfast drink. And I'm not talking about Silk milk either--Asian soy milk is quite different from American soy milk--it's much better. Haha. If you don't believe me, try Vitasoy soy milk--just don't get the sugar free one because it's not as good. 豆漿 can be served either hot(/warm) or cold (熱/溫 or 冰). If you're eating in and get it warm, they'll usually serve it in a giant bowl for you (as in the picture of my 生菜蛋餅 and 豆漿above), otherwise you'll get it in a cup.

米漿 (mǐ jiāng) or your brown rice milk. I've never had rice milk in the US so I don't know how the two compare. 米漿 is not bad, but not really my cup of tea. It's a lot thicker than actual milk or soy milk and has a nutty scent to it (although it doesn't taste nutty) and is slightly sweet. Again you can get this cold or hot though I've only ever tried it cold.

奶茶 (nǎichá) or milk tea, another popular breakfast drink. Nice and refreshing whether you have it cold or hot and I really like how there's the most subtle hint of tea in the aftertaste.

紅茶 (hóngchá), literally "red tea" but translated into English as "black tea" (don't ask me why). It's slightly sweet (I usually have it chilled) which means they probably add sugar to it, but it's still good.

咖啡 (kāfēi), of course we can't not include coffee on the list. I'm not much of a coffee fan myself so I can't attest to the taste, but I think they usually serve it black.

柳橙汁 (liǔ chéngzhī), (or 橘子水 júzi shuǐ for the Mainlanders), is your orange juice and well, it pretty much tastes like any store-bought orange juice, although I believe here they actually use a juicer so there's pulp.

蘋果汁 (píngguǒ zhī) or apple juice. I've seen this a few times on the menu too, which was kind of surprising as I don't think I've ever had apple juice for breakfast. I haven't gotten it yet, but I'm sure it's just like your standard Tropicana apple juice.

There you have it--the basic guide to common, typical Taiwanese breakfast food items. If you're ever in Taiwan be sure to try them out!