In Taiwan, companies give their employees a little more than an hour to eat lunch and take a nap. It's ridiculous.

12:00... a bell goes off, and people scramble for the cafeteria, where they quickly eat their lunches. They pick up their plates without saying goodbye and they rush off back to their work seats to spend some quality time... online.

12:15... Lights off.

12:20... Surfing Yahoo! News. It's the safest for work, especially when you have bosses behind you. Streaming a movie or surfing Facebook would be a little too much.

12:30... Employees knock out like it's past midnight. They even bring pillows and extra jackets.

1:10... The alarm goes off, and everybody wakes up. Sort of. They sit there dazed, expressionless, and they're not very happy to see you.

1:15... Everyone ACTUALLY wakes up. They turn back on their computer screens, and everyone opens up their e-mails.

1:15 - 1:45... Nobody wants to make noise, really... or talk to anybody else.

1:45... Finally, this awkward silence lifts.

That's Taiwan. China, too. Since kindergarten, everyone is given an afternoon nap time.. all the way through high school. I guess they're just continuing the tradition.

It's funny, because Mike Chang and I were talking about this, and we had the exact same story to tell. Not only that, we both exclaimed how the first few weeks we feel like tough Americans who don't take afternoon naps. Now, we're always dying to get some afternoon nap time!

I apologize, all, for not updating as much as I should. I figured I'd start now, since I'm already so far behind.

Life after school may navigate as follows (certain restrictions apply):
1) You graduate from college
2) You move to your hometown where you lived for most of your life
3) You meet with your friends, most of whom have graduated and begun the search for money
4) You realize that your finding of a job was a blessing
5) Your friends start dispersing based on their job findings or returning to school
6) You yourself enter a job or do something important abroad
7) You end up missing college, considering applying for more school or to teach English abroad.. just to get closer to younger people
8) You forget that you have hobbies
9) You start making bigger and bigger purchases with your new found money
10) You scoff at the sight of high school and middle school relationships
11) You consider settling down in a nicer apartment like you're retiring there

Needless to say, starting work has been tough. I was working in Southern California prior to finding out about needing to transfer to Arizona, still within the same company. I flew out that weekend to see the new office, and before I knew it, the company I thought I knew completely changed. I was in a new department, working with new people and living in a new state.

Arizona's a mix of heat, dryness, random monsoons, helmet-less motorcyclists, and an absence of diversity. I hear scorpions exist like crickets there, but I haven't noticed any scorpions yet (or even crickets in that case). Hotels, rental cars, and weekend flights home.

A month after moving to Arizona, I booked a flight to Shenzhen, Guangdong. It's right next to Hong Kong, right inside of China. I spent a Sunday in Hong Kong prior to entering Shenzhen, roaming the streets and trying to find a dim sum place to eat at.


Hong Kong while on the MTR
Going into Shenzhen, I was overwhelmed with mainland Chinese people. Seeing all of the factory workers, dealing with the Chinese mentality, and seeing China's traffic again was a crushing feeling. Their way of life is just so different from America's and Taiwan's. Trash gets thrown everywhere; kids urinate on the ground; guys don't open doors for girls; bathrooms smell terrible; cars are out to kill you; people cut in line; girls are treated poorly; women don't dress nicely; and there's this ominous feeling that people are always up to no good.


Shenzhen
A month later, landing in Taiwan felt like heaven (as it did four years back when I had a similar adventure). Greeted by beautiful Taiwanese women, I remembered why I enjoy Taiwan so, so much more! Good food, nice people, easy transportation, cute girls, great nightlife... I haven't had a boring day yet. Not to mention.. my girlfriend, Jamie, visited me! :)


My girlfriend, Jamie!


Mountains in Taichung


Shilin Night Market... Food!


LOVE sign at the Taipei 101