raindrops and randomness

it's been raining off and on for the past 3 days. there is/was a typhoon rolling through. nothing serious. just a lot of wind and rain, and a bit of torrential downpour. 


the weather hasn't stopped us from exploring. on Tuesday, the friendly parents who took us to Costco last week picked us up again for a stop at a "home depot" type store and a trip to the awesome supermarket at the giant mall downtown. the supermarket was kindof like whole foods... only much smaller. we were able to get some really good ground beef, some wine, and most importantly- refried beans and hot sauce! [I understand we are in a new culture and should be trying new foods... but Mexican is comfort food to us.]


Wednesday was the day for new teachers to report to the school... which meant we finally got to meet our neighbors! I still don't think I have everyone's names straight and who is from where and teaches what, but it was really great to meet everybody. the teachers range from first year in a classroom and first overseas job to people who have been teaching abroad for a decade. they hail from Minnestoa and Buffalo, Seattle and San Diego, Idaho by way of Las Vegas, Toronto Canada, South Africa, and more. everyone seems friendly and outgoing, and hopefully friendships will form. [there's already plans for a fantasy football league, in which I am being forced to participate.]


another pair of parents took all the new teachers [plus myself and the other 2 non-teaching spouses] on a "bus tour" of Hsinchu. basically, they showed us how to take the buses to the train station, to downtown, to the mall, and back to campus.


last night, a few of us met up at a nearby bar called N2 which is owned by and American and serves western food. I was a little skeptical at first, but after the daily special [pulled pork smoked for 18 hours good enough to rival some of the better bbqs I've had in the states] and a 180NT glass of Johnny Walker Black I was sold. it's a short walk from campus, less than 5 minutes, and has a great open air deck. a little soggy last night with all the rain, but I bet would be great when it's sunny out.


by the way, 180NT is about $6 US. crazy, right?

today, Husband and the teachers had orientation so I stayed back in the apartment. I've been doing a little unpacking and organizing, some photo editing and design work on the blog, and a lot of thinking. thinking about how we ended up here in Taiwan. thinking about how to decorate our apartment. thinking about pie.

and thinking about how completely random this blog is turning out to be. 


I suppose technically it falls into the travel niche, though it's not necessarily what I'm aiming for. I loved having the baking blog, but given my gluten sensitivity and lack of an oven that seems to be out.  home design blogs make me drool but I don't have the budget or space to support endless DIY projects. I adore personal style blogs but lack the photographer boyfriend to follow me around all day to snap pictures of my effortlessly perfect hair [also lacking the effortlessly perfect hair.]


I'm a complicated person with plenty of quirks and varied interests. yes, this blog is to keep all our loved ones at home up to date on our big adventure in Taiwan. but it's also for the everyday adventures in photography and food and style and craftiness. and maybe a little bit of randomness too. I want this blog above all to be a true and genuine representation of myself and think that pinning myself into a specific niche is unfair to the other parts of me. I am a random well-rounded person and this blog will represent that. 

so here's to the random, and to the everyday adventures. 
cheers.