The trip to Taichung

The morning after our big night out in Taipei, we had to wake up at 8 oclock to be on a bus for our destination city, Taichung. Under the circumstances, our bus ride was surprisingly comfortable. It was called an Aloha bus, and had large, leather seats, a personal tv screen, snacks and drinks, and a built in massuese. The trip took a little over two hours. Upon arrival we were greeted by some Hess people that would work at the branches with us. Everyone was very friendly and accommodating. They have all been a tremendous help so far in every aspect of our lives. I constantly call my head co-teacher and ask her for directions or to translate something for me to a bewildered shopkeeper.

After we ate lunch, we went on an apartment hunt. I agreed to room with two other guys from my training group. Wade, from South Dakota, studied anthropology in school and knows kung fu. His especially gentle demeanor is very misleading when you know that he can probably snap your neck with two fingers. My other roommate, Stephen, is from England. He is a very affable fellow. Even when he is cursing or trying to insult you, he still comes off as very polite. He slightly resembles Harry Potter; something his students (and occasionaly girls we meet at bars) constantly remind him of.

We found a really nice, 4 bedroom apartment with wooden floors and a small balcony. It is very close to a large KTV building (karaoke tv). However, we found out that this was a "special" ktv place, where not only singing goes on. We walked up to it one day to look inside, and the ladies at the door told us it would be NT 1000 per girl. She also kept repeatedly handing us warm towels. We ran away.