parasitic problems

i'm still feeling sick, so today i finally decided it was time to get some help. i went to renai hospital this morning and forgot (again) how busy everything here is. there must've been 400 people in the waiting room, but thankfully the hospital has bilingual signs so it wasn't too bad. in fact, the longest wait time was when i had to pay for the visit and test (a whopping $12CDN) anyway, i had to give a stool sample and will hear back in a day or so. until then, i've limited my eating to water and bread and have doped myself up on the anti-nauseants and immodium. hope i can get to the bottom of this soon and get out there and start living again.

had a pretty good weekend (aside from frequent bathroom trips) friday night went out with gus and gav to primo, a new club that has opened up since last time. it was nice, but a little pretentious. then again, what club isn't really? stayed out with the boys until around 3 'cos i had to meet the new landlady at 10 am on saturday.

saturday was spent moving in and setting up. leesh and i went to ikea and chose some items to make it feel more like home. we've decided to stay minimalist this time around, so the place is coming together much more easily. as far as furniture is concerned, the place is fully-loaded so we needn't worry about the sofa, bed, or chairs.

went out for dinner with renate for a catchup burger at kgb. was feeling pretty crappy so not exactly the best of reunions, but we parted company with the promise of a better time the next time we meet.

all in all, week one was a mixed bag of feelings. awesome to be back but a little subdued thanks to some protozoans.

landing on our feet

the last 5 days here in taipei didn't go exactly as planned. i originally thought i would be able to get out there and find an apartment within the first few days, in order to move in before we had to give up the hotel. i also thought i'd spend my week catching up with people by doing lunch, drinks and even revisit the places i've missed terribly.

unfortunately, my body and brain were at odds with each other. i don't know if it was jetlag, the heat, or the food but suffice it to say that i needed to be in close proximity to the facilities. this is how my week went down: wake at 7, go to the bathroom. lie back in bed until leesh went to work and i would go get some breaky, followed by another bathroom trip. exhausted from the petty excursions, i would watch crap movies on star or cinemax peppered with multiple trips to the bathroom. at lunch, i would toddle off weakly to the local subway for 'safe' food just to have to visit the washroom again. then, more crap tv and naps with the ubiquitous toilet trips, followed by another sub and then blissful sleep.

sigh. not exactly the week i had planned for myself.

it wasn't a total wash however. i did manage to meet my new boss and went to my favourite pizza restaurant with a friend. plus, i did find an apartment (today) and we get to move in tomorrow! it's not that big, but conveniently located across the street from my office and a short, 3-block walk to work for leesh. i can't begin to describe how cool this place is, but will be sure to post some pics once we've moved in. the crazy part about the apartment is that i found it on craigslist. while that in itself isn't crazy, the owner of the apartment knew who i was when she called. turns out, she is the parent of one of elisha's former students. as such, she's waived the normal 2-month deposit, and given us a great discount on the normal rent.

i've forgotten just how kind taiwanese people are. they will literally grant any wish that is within their power to grant and i have to say that judy (our new landlord) has made our apartment dreams come true.

pics to follow...stay tuned.

arrivals

we've arrived! been here now two days after a grueling 26-hour day with little sleep. i think i slept a grand total of 4 hours on the plane...? not enough, anyway you slice it. the trip itself was alright, or at least as alright as three connections and long layovers can be. actually, the longest part of the flight was the least annoying as at least it felt like we were accomplishing something. one thing i've taken from this last experience is that i will always try to get my connecting flights through canada and not the u.s. i know that since post-9/11 travel and security measures have been beefed up, but i had to pretty much remove most of my clothing 3 different times while passing through o'hare. it honestly seemed like overkill to me, but i suppose terrorists on the flight would've been much more disagreeable.

once we touched down, i couldn't wait to see how much taiwan had changed over the last 2 years. we were picked up by a limo taxi the school had arranged...nothing like arriving in style! as we sped through taoyuan county not much could be seen but the heat, humidity and smell was a sweet perfume and immediately began to permeate every inch of me. breathing deeply, i thought how unreal all of this seemed.

about 40 minutes later, we arrived at our hotel (also set up and paid for by elisha's school) they simply couldn't have chosen a better spot for us. right in the da an district, a couple of blocks from work for both of us, and conveniently located near all the major amenities. but the place is much more than convenient, it is aesthetically pleasing as well as comfortable. each room is a work of art, with custom-made furniture and every little detail as interesting as could be. here a couple of pics which show how awesome this place is.

after a quick shower, i went to 7-11 to buy some long-awaited necessities...namely, a can of taiwan beer and a tea egg. after that, jumped in a taxi and headed over to gus' place to have some catch-up beers. it was fantastic seeing him after 2 years, but we picked up right we left off. we stayed a little longer than possible, eventually pouring ourselves into bed around 5 a.m.

yesterday we got our phone numbers sorted and walked around a bit, but man, was it hot! going to take a bit before i'm used to this weather again, but feels great to have so much heat again. so, spent most of the day watching t.v. and relaxing in the air cond. jetlag started to set in so finally gave up and went to bed around 8 and slept through straight til this morning. leesh had to start today but i have another week before i start. my job this week is to find an apartmen and i have put out some feelers, but may have to ask for help if i don't find anything within the next few days.

all in all, it's been an exhausting but incredible few days. taiwan hasn't really changed that much, but then again maybe it's me who hasn't really changed. i feel so comfortable here, so much at ease it's ridiculous considering i don't have a place to live, a car, family or even speak the language that well. still, i'm beyond happy that we're here and looking forward to the new challenges ahead.

it's good to be back.

the calm before the storm

only a few short days to go before we are back in taiwan once more. the reality of everything is really starting to sink in and i find myself becoming more and more protective over the time i have left. i picked up my visa today so that is pretty much the last thing to cross off the to-do list. at the same time, there are these little nagging voices in my head that if i could listen closely enough, i'm sure i would find my list a little incomplete. oh well, the voices have had their shot and for now they need to keep it down in there.
it's been a great visit here in hanover over the last 3 weeks. hard to believe that this time next week i'll be sitting in taipei, likely at work and more than likely to reconcile all that's happened in the last month. a move followed by a cross-canadian road trip, followed by a wedding reception party, followed by days and days of driving hither and thither across southwestern ontario doing more visiting, all the while trying our level best to sort out our banking, car loans, address info, plane tix, visas and contracts. on top of all that, we've been trying to squeeze in as much q.t with the family as possible. phew!
like i said, it's been a great visit but also a tiring one. really need to slip back into a routine and start living life again. we leave for taipei on friday and arrive sat night. been thinking about just heading straight out after we arrive to see some familiar faces, but we will see how that goes. one thing is for sure, i'll be having a taiwan beer and a tea egg as fast as is humanly possible after arrival. ahh...looking forward to the days ahead.

home again

been back in the old country for about a week and a half and man, what a lot we've seen so far. 9-day road trip was awesome...got to see so much and taking the time to see it was well worth it. once we were back, it was great to see everyone at our wedding reception party. everyone who organized it went to so much trouble, and even though i was against the idea in the first place, i can honestly say i glad i was convinced to change my mind.

spent the long weekend traversing across sw ontario to see some peeps and places. tried to cross all the friend visits off the list, but have a couple left to see before we go.

aside from the friend visits, we have trip planning, visas, tix and car stuff to take care of before we leave. not too mention the banking, mail, and all that other stuff which needs attending to. it just seems like it's never-ending, but we are getting there.

keep you posted as things develop.