Cuz there's something in a Sunday that makes a body feel alone

I'm not actually feeling alone, but it's a high crime to not mention this song when you're blogging on your first Sunday alone in another country.

I slept in really late today (11:30 am), and loved every minute of it. I'm still really exhausted from the time here with the class. We ran on about 4 hours of sleep most days, and it was great but now my body is ready to play a little catch up. So, the rundown:

1) I walked into the city of Taoyuan today, and wandered around with one headphone in. As a side note to myself, I should probably finally break down and just buy new earbuds. One of them has been broken for awhile, and I might as well get them now. I think the iPod and music in general are like a security blanket for me, I can still experience things and hear the sounds and see the sights, but I have some familiarity and consistency in the other ear. Or maybe I've overanalyzing and I just like to jam out while I walk around!

2) The city is much less hectic than Taipei, and I enjoyed wandering into shops and along the streets. About five people stopped me to take a picture of me, I think it's much rarer for Westerners to be here than in Taipei. They were very friendly and helpful when I got lost.

3) Yeah, I got lost. Not a little lost, completely turned around, not sure where I even walked from, lost. When the whole class was here, I just followed Gavin or Ryan or Jay and knew that if we got lost at least we'd all be lost. Here, I got lost alone. It was weirdly not a panic moment though. Apparently, "wide-eyed American girl with a confused grimace glancing wildly around at signs" translates as lost in every language. Thank you, strangers in Taoyuan! 

4) When I get back to the US, I really hope I remember how it felt to be a "stranger in a strange land." I really hope I can hold onto how scary and confusing it really can be sometimes. When I'm lost or confused, and not sure how in the hell I'm going to get back to campus or to the bus or anywhere at all, there's an engulfing wave of relief that hits my chest the second someone makes eye contact with me and smiles. The kindness of strangers is pretty much all I have here, and I hope I can remember how that felt.

5) I start my internship at 8:10 am tomorrow morning (Monday) with a bus ride into Taipei. So, the long days of gchat/AIM/Facebook and reading and listening to music might be over for awhile. The schedule looks pretty busy, but I'm feeling more confident about being able to fulfill it all. This internship will definitely be a lesson in flexibility, the plan for Monday has already changed three times. But, one way or another, I start tomorrow!

6) It's starting to get warmer and warmer here, and everyone keeps reminding me to drink plenty of water and to rest lots. So, sleep lots and drink lots of water. Taiwan, you GET it.