It's good to be back.

While catching up on the latest episodes of NPR's "This American Life," I was fascinating to listen to the piece entitled "Got You Pegged" which deals with assumptions we make without meaning to stereotype. Two stories in particular stuck out: Chuck Klosterman's somewhat cliched rant on stereotyping and Germany made me chuckle but also struck an important nerve, and Shalom Auslander's hilarious bit on his tropical vacation. Both hit a chord because of my recent travels to Hong Kong and Thailand, particularly Thailand for reasons which I will go into below.

Klosterman's story was about his experiences in Germany and how not only did German people stereotype Americans, but he found himself stereotyping Germans for their stereotyping of Americans. Confusing? You bet, but funny and fascinating. At the end, Klosterman explains that when people ask him "How was Germany?" His response has become "I have no idea." I feel this way about Thailand. With no one to guide me through the mess, I felt lost and confused, and utterly uneducated. I found myself constantly wishing someone from Thailand would take me under their arm and tell me what's what. The socio-political arena? No problem, it's as follows. The economic situation? Here's a spontaneous essay on that. What's with the king? Oh, that's simple. The conversation I had with said imaginary local Thai person went on and on to the point where I could not distinguish my own confusion and discontent from indigestion. So, in the end, I have no idea what Thailand was like. Sure, I can tell you what it was like to be an American tourist in Thailand. I can tell you how Southern Thailand has no real people in it--how it's this shell of something that was, filled with obnoxious beach resorts and ugly, white tourists who think bathing is "optional," and how everyone, and I mean everyone, is trying to rip you off. I could go on and on about the evils of capitalism in the country, or how in Bangkok capitalism has an entirely different face...but this doesn't really tell you what "Thailand was like." It gives you some random, biased, stereotyped impressions of something too large for words.

Auslander's bit on his vacation had me rolling on the floor. In true Jewish nature (i.e. neurotic), he goes on about how he can easily ruin even the most perfect of vacations. Well, his discussion reminded me of my own experiences--or, "how I learned that I hate beaches in the summer part II" more aptly put "how I realized I'm a city girl through and through." I'm not sure I need to go into that here (therapy, much?), but the point is, I'm happy surrounded by buildings and traffic, not so much surrounded by sand and surf, the pounding of the waves quickly turning into a shard of glass stabbing in my mind as I try to sleep. Overdramatic? Of course. Funny? I hope so.

It's good to be back in Taipei.

Crazy birds

This video might be boring to some, but I get a kick out of it. Every morning for about a month, this bird woke me up at around 5:30-6:00 AM. Every. single. morning. It was kind of unbearable after a while. At first, I had no idea what was going on. I would be sound asleep and suddenly hear a rat-tat-tat-tat-tat--the sound of something striking metal over and over again, quite rapidly. Finally, I saw this little guy right outside my window:

Crazy bird attacks metal grill from Anna Fodde-Reguer on Vimeo.

I'm not sure if you can tell, but the metal thing the bird is in is just a metal box for holding wires or something. At the top, there is literally nothing--it's just a metal grill. I have no idea what the bird is doing! Why is it attacking the grill? I thought maybe it was the sunlight, attracting it to the metal, but this would happen on rainy mornings as well.

Sick with the flu.

Oh dear readers, (all 5 of you?)
I must apologize for my lack of posts. I don't know where the time went. This summer and last summer are utterly different. Last summer I had oodles of time to go out and explore the city, and this summer all I have done is study! Sure, there is the occasional excursion, but mostly for food, but definitely not out and about. Lately, I've been stuck in bed with the flu, and it has only been today, day 5 of the flu, that I've felt somewhat well enough to write anything, or do anything in fact.

Yesterday I did have an adventure--I went to the hospital! My fever spiked and my cough just didn't feel "right." When can a cough feel "right?" I suppose I was comparing to the last time I had the flu, oh, only a few months ago (groan)! This time seemed bad. Very bad. So I went to the hospital to see a doctor and figure out what was wrong.

I was sort of hoping it would be an infection. Yay for antibiotics? Nay, not an infection, still the same old virus wreaking havoc in my body. The doctor gave me three days worth of medicine:



She told me to come back in three days, and I forgot three days for that moment is a Saturday. We'll have to wait and see.

Onward ho! We must heal ourselves! We must not consider how much school we are missing (one week?!?!)! We must focus all our energies on restoration!

I will have some videos for you soon. I hope.

Theme words for now: "frustration" and "chinless"

Gah! I forgot how frustrating it is to study Chinese! I have so many things I want to say, and have to use the language and vocabulary of a three year old to say it. You would think that after 5 years of working with the language I would be able to articulate my thoughts more elegantly, but nay, dear readers, this is not the case. Hence, the first theme word: "frustration."

I, of course, am not alone in my escapade. This summer there are almost double the students as last summer, causing yours truly to run and hide from all the commotion. While this is good because it forces me to study my bum off, it is also a bit overwhelming and disappointing. I am ever one to compare! In this case, I end up comparing summers which is not fair to the here and now. Alas. Alas.

My three teachers this summer all have one thing in common (aside from the fact that they all teach Chinese to foreigners): they are all missing chins. I don't intend to be mean or unkind, but it's true. Each of them is chinless. And one of my classmates is also chinless. What is going on? In what strange parallel universe have I found myself? The land of no chins?

In lighter news, here are some photos of amazing food I have sampled while here.


First we have mango shaved ice with "grass jelly" on top. My friend T. was the one who recommended the grass jelly on shaved ice, and man was she right! The coolness of the jelly combined with warm flavors of mango and condensed milk make for an amazing combination.



Next we have mountain tomato juice. The flavors in this drink are divine. Very subtle and delicate. It sort of tastes like a combination of apple, beet, tomato, and a few other vegetables thrown in the mix. Fantastic and refreshing.



Last, we have Aiyu jelly which I have had many times before, but the Aiyu at this place was home-made and amazing. The place I refer to, by the way, is called "Love Coffee Manor" in English and is close to my home. My lovely new friend LL brought me there this weekend, and I have to say I'm hooked. The meal I ate was delicious, and even more so with these new delicacies in the mix. The typical aiyu I have had comes in a lemoney-lime drink that you can buy on the street. It's very refreshing and flavorful. The aiyu I had at this restaurant, however, tastes entirely differently. The aiyu is drizzled with mountain honey (you can taste the high altitude pollen in the honey) and is not too sweet. It's fleshy appearance is no lie--it has an interestingly thick consistency. It plays with all of your senses to provide you with a wonderful experience.

My new apartment in Da'an

After a very intense first few days, things have finally calmed down (somewhat). My jetlag has been pretty awful, so that's been difficult. I keep waking up at 5 am...it's nice if you are into early morning Taipei (which I am!).

Anyway, I decided to take the second place I saw! I thought it was going to take me at least a week to find the perfect apartment, but I found it on the second day of searching. It's a bit more money than I originally wanted to pay, and I also wanted it to be closer to Shida and Taida, but for what its worth, I'm so happy with the place. Here's a video! Enjoy :)

My apartment in Taipei from Anna Fodde-Reguer on Vimeo.

Farewell, America!

Sunset from Anna Fodde-Reguer on Vimeo.

What better way to say goodbye to New York, and the USA, than with a video such as this? Taken in Prospect Park on Memorial Day. The lovely lady is my best friend Seraphina. Music is by Dustin O'Halloran and is Opus 36. Special thanks to my sister for helping me figure out how to do something so simple!

I am off to Taiwan for the year. I feel ridiculously lucky, and will be updating all of my adventures for the next year. Stay tuned! You won't be disappointed!




[P.S. My blog is not an official Department of State website or blog, and the views and information presented here are my own and does not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.]

New Fashion Obsession

I first saw a photo of Janelle Monae on getty images and since then have been actively searching her out on the internet. It's not easy to find her--everyone is commenting on her fashion choices. Some love it, some hate it.


Janelle is a singer/songwriter and you might have seen her in this Big Boi video: Morris Brown which is a really strange music video (but I kind of like it all the same).

If you search for her on youtube, this gem pops up:


She's amazing! Enjoy :)