Always Expect the Unexpected

Always.  This is something that we are still adjusting to, and it ain't easy!  We realized, right away, that Taiwan is not America.  Culture shock!  Disappointment is common and it is easy to get frustrated or sad when things don't go the way we think they should go.  Even though Taipei is considered "Asia-light", with its westernized restaurants, shops, and English signs, it is still a far cry from home.  We don't realize how good we have it in America.  The things that we take for granted in the U.S. are pure luxuries here.  Sometimes the unexpected is hilarious, sometimes it just makes you mad.  We are learning to let go of any American expectations in order to fully embrace the Asian experience.  Notice that I said "learning".  It's a slow process.

Here are a few examples of some random frustrations, although there are SO many more that we encounter, daily...some funny, some not so much. 

* When you go to a restaurant in Taiwan, do not expect the same service as you would get in the U.S.  The food, rarely, comes out all at the same time.  Instead, each meal will be served as soon as it is finished cooking.  It's annoying, but we learned that they do this in Taiwan, because, traditionally, Taiwanese people eat "family-style".  Everyone shares food...which is kind of gross, too.  It's like double dipping!  But, apparently, if you are with people and you are sharing food, that means that you are close friends.      

* When you order water or milk, be sure to order it cold, or it will come out warm, or even hot.  Imagine our faces when our water came out steaming hot, or Lily's expression when she realized that they served her warm milk!  Why would we want ice water and cold milk?  It's winter, right?!  

* The language barrier.  They try so hard to understand us, and we try so hard to understand them, but, quite frequently, there are many miscommunications.  Tonight, Matt took Hannah and Lily on a "date" for Valentine's Day.  They had to wait an hour to get a table.  When they were finally seated, Matt was informed that the hostess misunderstood him and thought that he said that he had a party of five, not a party of three.  They waited for nothing.  This brings me to my next frustration...

* ...everything takes twice as long to accomplish.  I'm sure that part of this has to do with living in a big city and having to walk everywhere, but also the language barrier really holds us up a lot of the time.  Grocery shopping also takes twice as long, if not more.  There's no "one-stop" shopping here.  You have to go to multiple stores to get one or two items that you need, and you can't just hop in your car for a "quick trip" to the grocery store and park in a parking lot like you can in the U.S.  Parking is very limited here.     

* The scooters.  This is not a culture of cars, but a culture of scooters.  They are convenient and cheap, so many people drive them.  It's not unusual to see a family of four on a scooter, going down the road.  The worst part is that, many of them drive like maniacs!  They weave in and out of traffic and are not careful...at least that's how it appears to us.  It doesn't seem to phase them at all.  Traffic laws aren't really enforced here, they are merely "suggestions", so people get away with a lot of traffic violations.  Pedestrians, definitely, do not have the right of way!  It can be a little bit stressful to cross the street, especially with the girls.

A common sight



Even dogs get to go for rides

 



* The girls and I went to see Disney on Ice this week.  I was so excited to take them to something that would make them feel like they were home in America...a little comfort for the week.  I should have remembered to "expect the unexpected", because, even though Ariel, Belle, Rapunzel, and Cinderella were all Americans...they were "singing" in Chinese.  We were pretty disappointed, but the girls made the most of it and just enjoyed the entertainment.

Enjoying Disney on Ice

 

 

I think Lily is testing out her "smolder" like Flynn Rider

 

 

Taiwan hasn't been all bad, though.  There are a lot of great things about it, too!  The nature is beautiful, the people are very friendly, the expat community is amazing, the Taipei American School is top-notch, and there's always something new to see, experience, and learn.  And they have Yoppi!  It's a frozen yogurt bar, almost identical to the ones in the U.S.!

Enjoying Yoppi for the first time

 

  

We have learned a lot of interesting things about Taiwan.  Here are a few random things... 

* If you import drugs, even marijuana, it is punishable by death! 

* Taiwan is not recognized as a country by most of the world.  America doesn't recognize it and, as we learn more about the history of Taiwan and its relationship to China, we begin to understand why.  It's very political.  So, there is not a U.S. Embassy here...but there is the American Institute.     

* People drive crazy and very offensively, but there is no road rage. 

* It is a very superstitious culture.  Numberology is very big here.  Eight is a very lucky number, because the word "eight" in Chinese sounds a lot like the word "fortune".  Four is a very unlucky number.  The word "four" in Chinese sounds a lot like the word "death".  You, usually, won't see a 4th floor in an apartment building...or 13th. 

* They use umbrellas for rain and sun.  They do not like to be tan.  Lighter skin is more attractive in their culture.

* 7-11's are huge here!  You can do everything at a 7-11, even pay your bills!

There is definitely a humorous side to Taiwan, from an American perspective.  We find ourselves giggling a lot at random things that we see or hear. 

Something funny, that we haven't gotten used to, yet, are the stares.  Everywhere we go, we feel like a spectacle...especially with Lily and her blonde hair.  It never fails, when we go out in public, someone stops us and comments on how beautiful Hannah and Lily are and how their hair and eyelashes look like dolls.  Hannah didn't know how to handle the constant barrage of compliments, so she finally started throwing them back at people.  The kids at school: "Ooooooh...Hannnnnaaahhhh!  You're sooooo prettttyyyy!"  Hannah's response: "Sooooooo are youuuuuuuu!!"  I love her wit.

Here are some funny snapshots from around town...

Seaweed-flavored Cheetos

 

  

Just one example of the funny, random sayings on shirts - they just don't realize what they say.  You see them everywhere (and, yes, I bought this one!)

 

 

After their lunch-break is over, they press Play

 

 



Don't even THINK about doing your laundry at the park!

 

 

Yeah, this should work...why not?

 

 



 

The aisle for Potato Slices

 

 

They are just as crazy about their dogs as Americans...but this was pretty extreme, even for the U.S.

 

 

Probably the most specific store in all of Taipei

 

 

We ordered fruit salad, and we got fruit salad

 

 

At the Taipei Zoo, they are a little obsessed with poop for some reason

 

 

Poop art

 

 

Don't forget to group your feces

 

 

Not sure what to say about this...

 

 

The rabbit and guinea pig exhibit was fascinating!

 

 

My cutie pies being silly 

 

 

Look, closely, at the bag...there's breaking news in Pennsylvania!

 

 

Trying, desperately, to learn about DNA, in Chinese, at the Science Center, but that wasn't going to happen...

 

 

...but, we made sure to readily homing!

 

 

 

 

Even through all of the hard times, we are really enjoying ourselves and trying to be as light-hearted as possible.  There is a reason for every little thing that we go through. 

 

As Hannah says, "When nothing goes right...go left."

 

Baby steps!



Gong Xi Fa Cai! 恭禧發財! Happy Chinese New Year!

Ni hao, everyone! Well, our first month in Taipei has been one of the toughest of our lives, but it has also been a great, eye-opening experience as well. Our overnight stay in the hotel turned into a four week stay! We didn't anticipate all of the corporate red-tape and the hoops that we had to jump through (and are STILL jumping through!) in order to get into a new apartment and get the girls into a new school. We have experienced every emotion that you can possibly imagine.

It is hard to sum up, in a few paragraphs, what we have been through this past month. I'll try to keep it short and sweet, because, honestly, it is one of those "you just had to be there" situations. After battling with GE for weeks, we finally moved into a temporary apartment today. I finally have a kitchen! We will be here for one month and, after we find our long-term apartment, we will move in and finally start to get settled. One baby-step closer to our "new normal".  

Our 2-bedroom, temporary apartment

Our small kitchen with only 2 burners (common in Asia). We had to buy a hot plate in order to make cooking meals possible.  No oven...just a microwave.  It will be a looooong month.

The girls started school a week after we arrived in Taiwan. They attended the school for one week. Unfortunately, the school was not a good fit for our family. During the course of that week, many things happened that were very unprofessional that we were not comfortable with, so we pulled them out. We finally got the "OK" from GE to start the girls at the Taipei American School and they had their first day on Friday. We were all so anxious and nervous about starting another new school, but they had a great first day! I am so amazed at how flexible and brave they have been through this whole experience. They have handled all of the changes and challenges with such grace. They are my heroes! But, as you can imagine, there have been many tears along the way.

First day of school at the Taipei American School

We are looking forward to the next few months in Taiwan. We cannot wait to receive our air and sea shipment...it will feel so wonderful to finally have our own things!!

We got to experience our first Chinese New Year today. The year of the snake! Chinese New Year is a very big deal here, like Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year's Eve in America. It is deeply rooted in tradition and centered around family. We were very fortunate to be able to experience an authentic Chinese New Year. Our driver, Mr. Huang, surprised us and invited us to his family (immediate and extended) dinner! Apparently, it is not very common for outsiders to be apart of these celebrations, as this night is a very special night where families gather. It was incredible to be able to have experienced it, but it was also one of the most awkward things we have ever done! Only a few people spoke English, but they were extremely hospitable and friendly, as are most of the Taiwanese people. The food was so bizarre...there was a lot of jellyfish, octopus, squid, stinky tofu, and even beef stomach. In Taiwan, it is rude if you don't eat everything that is on your plate, so we had to try really hard to swallow each bite! There were a few times that I had to, mentally, go somewhere else to keep myself from gagging! Lily didn't eat anything, of course, but Hannah was very adventurous. However, at one point, she took a bite of something and couldn't swallow it. We didn't know what to do and didn't want to be rude, so we had her, politely, go to the restroom, where she spit it out. There were many awkward, cultural-difference, moments, but also many sweet, fantastic moments. We got to set off fireworks with the family, which was a blast (no pun intended)! It's a night, with our Taiwan family, that we will never forget.

The Huang family

Hannah being a good sport

Lily staying safe with white rice

Interesting Japanese crab

Cuddling with Lily

The whole gang - Happy New Year!

We have grown so much as a family and as individuals already. Even though it has been difficult, we are so thankful that we decided to take on the adventure.

I could go on and on about life in Taipei, but I won't bore you with all of the details. There are so many precious moments and also so many funny, random moments that I will share soon. I will also try to post pictures. I just wanted to give everyone a "quick" update on how the Schlabachs are doing on the other side of the world.

I hope you are all doing well! We miss you and the USA. You don't realize how blessed you are to live in the USA until you've left and experienced something completely different. I will never take my HOME for granted ever again!

Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore...

Well, our first week in Taiwan was not what we expected. It was much, much harder than we anticipated! We are still enjoying ourselves, but have been faced with some big challenges. One of the biggest challenges is FOOD. It is really hard to find American food here and when you do, it always tastes a little off. I don't know why! Maybe because it was imported and is old? Lily is one of the pickiest kids I know in the U.S. and now, in Taiwan, she is surviving on chips, french fries, boxed mac 'n cheese, and marshmallows. Anyone who knows us knows how crazy we are about eating healthy and organic, so this is, obviously, an issue. :-)

The biggest challenge that we have faced is our apartment. Instead of getting settled in, we have, after a week of living there, moved out. It is a long story, but it turns out that the weird smells that I couldn't handle all week (and were giving me headaches) were chemicals that were being emitted from the fabricated wood in the apartment. The levels of toxicity in the apartment were above regulation. So, after a couple hotel stays, we are back at the hotel, for good, until we find the right place to live. Didn't see that one coming!!

Our 3rd move in Taiwan. Lily's face says it all!

On a positive note, the girls are doing great. We have learned how flexible they really are. They are even content watching Phineas and Ferb in Chinese while we get things done. Honestly, I think they are handling this transition WAY better than Matt and I have been handling it!

The girls had a chance to visit their new school on Friday and that went very well. Lily's new little friends adore her (and her hair!) and made her feel so welcome. They will start their first day of school tomorrow.

Funny cultural moment...We took the girls ice skating in the city yesterday to escape the fumes in the apartment. When we got there, we noticed that everyone on the ice, kids and adults, were wearing helmets, knee pads, elbow pads, and wrists guards. Matt and I decided to opt out of the protective gear, but Hannah had a very hard time with that! She just couldn't get comfortable with the fact that everyone was geared up and she wasn't. I had to remind her that, in America, you'd never see someone on the ice in full protective gear...we'd think that was silly...but in Taiwan, that's what they do. They aren't wrong...and we're not wrong...it's just different. I saw the light bulb go off in Hannah's head and realized that THIS is why we were excited to bring them to Taiwan. The cultural experience is such an eye-opening experience for them...they are going to grow as people and learn invaluable lessons along the way. We also learned that the Taiwan people skate just as crazy as they drive!!! LOL!!! 

Ice skating in Taipei



Lets hope that this coming week goes more smoothly than the last!