Hong Kong pictures

Downtown Hong Kong looks just like any other big city might when you're standing on the street... Skyscrapers so high all around you that you can barely see the top when you look up. However, when you go up a few levels off the street, you can see the thing that makes Hong Kong's downtown different from that of, say, New York City - the skyscrapers are built into the mountains! As you can see in one of the first pictures, in the background, the mountains are almost as tall as the buildings. You can also see the buildings that are built right on the sides of the mountains. So strange and REALLY cool!
The night time pictures are taken across the water from the downtown area. The view at night was spectacular! We may take another weekend trip back to Hong Kong before heading home next summer, or, (maybe wishful thinking) on the way to Beijing to watch a little of the Olympics?!?!?!?!

More pictures!

These pictures are from my first weekend here. The first pictures are from a trip to the night market, which is basically a couple of blocks filled with food and clothing vendors and game booths. It's a good time, and a great place to get a cheap dinner or wallet! : ) The last two pictures are of the nieces of the family I was staying with. They are two of the cutest and naughtiest little girls ever!!!

Going Away Party

Here are the first of some of my pictures. These are from the small going away get together at my house the weekend before I left : ( Some of the fam, one of Courtney, and one with Marcus and Nicole.

A Quick Shout Out : )

Two posts within a week's time!!! Amazing! Well, I just have to mention a couple of things. First of all, I'm a total food nerd for this (some may even call me a "fatty" or "food addict"), but yesterday, I found a grocery store here that has tons of great stuff!!! They had tons of fruit and vegetables, lots of American products (even Bisquick!) and stuff I can use to make chili when it starts to get cold outside. However, the absolute icing on the cake was when I found Relax Reisling in the wine section!!!!!!!!!!!! I actually jumped up and down a little - Nick laughed quite a lot, but he understood. It seriously made me so happy. It's nice to find the comforts of home whenever I can. (Probably unfortunately) The easiest way to find that comfort is through food!!! Don't worry - I'm working out and running as much as I can and I'm going to try and curb the "comfort food" addiction so I don't have to buy two plane tickets for my flight home next summer : )

Anyway... The second reason I'm writing is to say "thanks" to you all. I have received so many emails and blog posts telling me what a great and brave thing I'm doing by being here, and I really can't tell you what that means to me. The support helps so much and once in a while, I need a little something to help get me through the day.
I should mention that I have really not felt a lot of homesickness yet, and for that, I thank Nick, SO much! I of course miss my friends and family (and cats) like crazy, but having him here to give me a hug at the end of a hard day makes all the difference in the world.
Also, the endless packages (people at school are actually jealous) from my mother and sister are wonderful. I received one from Katie Heimenez (Lang) today, and it was the best ever! Homemade salsa and some Tostitos to eat it with, lots of whole wheat pasta (which you CAN'T get here at all) and even some Halloween Oreos!!! It made my day! (you're the best, Katie!) : )

So, thanks for everything. Love and miss you all very much!

Katie

New place

So, I've officially been in my new place for almost a week now! Very exciting! I'm living in a sort-of apartment (two rooms and a bathroom) in the house of a friend of a friend. I'm on the 4th floor again, but the fact that I have some furniture and free cable (including the English movie channels) makes up for that. Originally, I was thinking of using this place temporarily, but I may decide to fix it up a little and stay there for the rest of the year. The only real downfall is the lack of a kitchen anywhere in the house.
Cooking is really uncommon in Taiwan, as most people eat out most of the time. A lot of people simply don't have the time to cook because if they own their own business, they are typically at work most of the day and sometimes late into the night (the girl I'm living with owns her own tea bar and works from morning until 11 or 12 at night!). Also, it's significantly cheaper to eat out than to buy groceries here. A typical lunch or dinner might cost me 40 NT ($1.10 US)!!! However, I get sick of eating the same thing over and over, and I do like to eat for the health benefits as well, which spoils the eating out benefits for me.
So, given the fact that I have only a refridgerator, and it's on the 1st floor, I am looking into buying a few things to have my own make-shift kitchen in my apartment. Apparently, I can probably get some portable burners (think camping stove), a small used refridgerator, and maybe a small new microwave for around $100 US. I do have a rice cooker (which will not only cook rice, but steam vegetables, and I'm going to experiment with making pasta) and a toaster oven (which will cook nearly anything that will fit inside of it), so those and a lot of peanut butter and jelly, and things that my mom has sent me - like cereal and granola bars - are holding me over for now. The change in living situation has done wonders for me, as I feel a lot more like myself when I have my freedom to do as I please.
I'm still enjoying my job (I took pictures of some of my students and will post those just as soon as I post all of my other pictures : ) My friend Jennifer (from work) left on Sunday to move back to Canada after 4 years here, and I was sad to see her go. She was a lot of fun and I could never thank her enough for all of the help she gave me in the last month! I only hope that I will be able to help someone else half as much when it's my turn to go home.
For anyone who's wondering : ) Nick is doing well. He is still living under "the rules" of his house and handling them far better than I was able to (but he has his WoW to keep him warm). He works a lot, with a few extra jobs private tutoring students outside school and correcting papers people have written in English. In short, until I get my first full month's pay, he's my sugar daddy! : ) We started taking Chinese class together last week, and that's seriously going to kick both of our butts for the next several months.
Also, I've started the process for grad school application again, although this time armed with a lot more knowledge and one absolutely GREAT connection and letter of recommendation. I'll be applying to Nebraska, the University of Utah, the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, and probably the University of New Mexico. Wish me luck!
I hope all is well for everyone, and I hope to hear from you all very soon!

Love,

Katie

Independence Day

Since the Taiwaneese "Independence Day" is coming up, this seemed like a good theme. First of all, I'll have to learn more about the holiday since it seems that at any time they wish, China could swoop in and steal all independence from this country. Apparently, the US has agreed to assist Taiwan in any wars against China (how they'll get enough man power over here in enough time since our troops are half a world away in Iraq - I'll leave my personal feelings about this unsaid so as to not offend anyone - is beyond me), however the promise of help from the US is only valid if the attack from China is not provoked by Taiwan. Also, it seems that China has agreed that as long as they are not provoked, they will leave things with Taiwan as they are. However, it also appears that Taiwan's president is about as intelligent as our own (again, I will leave most of my opinions out of that one), and continues to make grand statements about Taiwan's independence, etc. etc. In other words, "provoking" the Chinese. Smart, right? He will be in office through the end of the year, at which point he will likely be arrested and put in jail (that's the truth!). Rest assured, though... With the Olympics only a year away, China will likely not be making any rash moves, like invading a country, between now and then. Also, should something happen, the Chinese goverment has agreed to give sufficient notice and let all Americans off the island before they attack. There are boats waiting at one of the port cities 24/7 to transport all Americans in case anything should happen. (Pretty interesting, right?)
So... This brings me back to the idea of independence... My own. I have successfully been riding a scooter on my own for about 4 days now (knock on wood). It's totally great and I feel like I have a lot more freedom than on my bicycle. It feels kind of scary at times, but I've got a brand new, full-faced helmet and I drive VERY slowly. On Saturday, my friend Jennifer is going to take me around the city more, since I can go farther now without passing out. She's going to show me how to get to places like the Walmart-type place where I can buy EVERYTHING, the book store, some good shopping and food places, etc. That way I can do a lot more by myself.
I did go to the grocery store and have been successfully going to a few restaurants all by myself, as well. It feels nice to be able to do those things without help. For those of you who know me well, I'm NOT one to have my hand held! I'd much rather figure out how to do it on my own (unless we're talking most complicated electronics).
As I think I mentioned in my last post, I will also be getting my own place soon. Right now, I'm a 26 year old with an 11:00 curfew - something my own mother never gave me - and a list of rules longer than I care to mention. I will feel more comfortable if I'm responsible for myself and if I'm living in a place that's all my own. I have also been having a REALLY hard time dealing with the bossing around and having someone tell me what to do, so it will be very nice to have freedom from that, too!
So, as is the Taiwaneese Independence Day, my own Independence Day is fast approacing. I'll keep you posted!