Homesick?

I don't think so. No offense, home.

"Aren't you craving a Jack Daniel's Burger from T.G.I. Fridays?" you might ask. "Think about that all-beef patty glazed with Jack Daniel’s traditional glaze and stacked with two strips of crispy bacon and smoky Provolone cheese on a toasted bun. (Served with a side of Jack Daniel's traditional glaze)."

"Good point, I think I'll head to Ximen this weekend."

Obviously major restaurants franchise globally, so it's not really news that I can grab a burger whenever I feel like it. It is pretty safe to say that I'm not really feeling homesick, though, and especially not from a lack of Western-style food. Since I've been here I've had burgers, fries, pizza, pasta, you name it. While it's not especially hard to come by, its more likely that I'll be eating Clean, Japanese, Thai, Taiwanese, Chinese, or even an occasional Kiwi Burger.

My tenure in Taiwan is approaching the 3 month landmark, which I'm told is a relatively trying time period in terms of culture shock and homesickness. Apparently the first 3 months is a "honeymoon" period where everything seems amazing and novel. Spot on so far. If I am to comply with predictions, I should be coming up on the period where my immune system weakens and I become vulnerable to homesickness.

While I can't see myself being homesick anytime soon, the Taiwan novelty has become slightly diminished (as noted by my lack of interesting things to say in posts). On the other hand, I am always very busy with school, so my time to go exploring and find new things is a little bit less than when I was unemployed.

Homesick? The verdict is "no." If I do start to feel the symptoms I will be sure to post them, but in the meantime, check out what I ate for dinner last night:


I think I've come a long way since gagging on chicken feet.


Other updates from this hemisphere: I finally got my ARC (Alien Resident Certificate), making me a legal alien in Taiwan. Take me to your leader... Typhoon season is coming and I'm trying to figure out a way to carry an umbrella and not feel like a fruitcake... I'm still taking W.O.D. suggestions. For the complete list, click here... I've also introduced "Phrase of the Day" for commonly used phrases and idioms. For the complete list, click here... After my 4-day weekend, my school threw a 6-day week counter punch (with a 1-day weekend to cap it off)... I may or may not have shaved my head.
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