Famous noodle restaurant at Ximen

I feel a bit exhausted from the second week. With the massive touring of the city with CIEE and the trip to Keelung on Sunday, it was great week but a very trying time for my feet and lungs. If there is one thing I love about Taiwan it is the enriched culture and uniqueness it holds. The one thing to hate is the humidity, which is so bad that if you are unfortunate enough not to be able to have air conditioning in your room you would awaken in a pool of sweat and moisture. They say it will get cooler but I am not sure.

Everyday is a new adventure and I found a great one in Keelung. My friends and I went out to eat and go shopping. I didn't really think about it, but here pink and some things that would be too feminine for American men's taste are in fashion here. I'd always see guys with pink on them and glitter with chains hanging from their belts. And these are the guys that get the girls hahaha. A guy like me with a nice brown polo and blue jeans on can't really capture the eye of these girls who prefer the grace and beauty of a "whiter" man in more soft and caressing colors.

Today begins our first day of classes and the placement exam from last week....great and disappointing. Great because it is A LOT less work than taking more advanced classes but disappointing because I don't get to push my potential in class. It is really just as well to say that I am here doing the bare minimum as I would in the states. The question then becomes if I will not be challenged here then should I be here. Should I just keep this class and do more on my own? Or I should I try to move up and encounter a real challenge? I think I will stay where I am. If I study on my own I don't have to worry about studying nonsense stuff that I will most likely not use.

My pact with myself here is to exceed old boundaries and do more for me than before. I will not let the system guide me as others do. I will take the box and work outside it and learn the things I have always wanted to and find more uses for them. This is just one opportunity I have so I must make the best of it.