What is the mouse's name?

This one is going to be long (if I don't get lazy) so hold on tight:

1) An excellent question posed by Mr. Friedman. What is the mouse's name? Well, if you go by what we usually say when we see it, the mouse's name is "Fuck! There it is again! Fuck, fuck, fuck!" But, maybe that's not appropriate. My friend Adam calls it our third roommate, so we'll call him roomie number three. I hope this answer settles all confusion. Thank you.

2)If anyone can pick out all of the various spelling and grammar errors in the previous, hastily written post, a kiss will be given to them when I return to America in December (or candy, whatever you want more). I promise to read my posts before I let the world see them from now on.

3)I think I have, out of boredom, yet again planned way too much for myself to do. Yesterday I went to listen to the "Modern Readings of Chinese Drama" class I am auditing, thinking that it might be too difficult or boring. It was difficult, but the lecture was amazing. The teacher is SO good and she seems to be personal friends with every modern Chinese playwright who is still alive (and probably communicates with those who have already passed as well through the magic of feng shui and herbal medicines...). Soooo...can't give that up. Then I found out that the choral group I am now a happy member of practices for three hours twice a week. Okay, that's cool, right? Wrong. Because today one of my teachers found me an opportunity teaching English for two hours a week and right after that I received an e-mail from a Taiwanese friend telling me that I would be perfect for a volunteer position at the Taibei Artist Village. I should be pleased, and I definitely, definitely am, but I don't know if there is enough time in the week for all of these things and ummmmm...the very expensive Chinese classes I am taking. Somehow I forgot about those. :)

4) I was going to do Top 10 Most Edible Things here, but...maybe tomorrow?

Two Quick Happenings (Before Class Starts)

This post is dedicated to Sarah "Skillz that Pay the Bills" Schillaci for all her hard work in commenting on this blog.

I have class in about ten minutes, but here are two stories for y'all (next up on the blog will be the Top 10 Foods I Cannot Live Without, so stay tuned):

1) Went to the Guling Experimental Theater on Sunday to see a Taiwanese/European joint presentation of Kafka's short stories in PUPPETVISION! It was actually really awesome and as the only whitey in the audience I got an edge in talking to some of the "European" (actually American and Canadian) members of the cast. They are all living in Taibei and planning to start a puppet theater sometime in February. I know puppets are little out there, even for me, but I'm thinking completely awesome summer internship.

2) I got into the NTU Chorus after a completely hilarious audition in which I totally screwed up one part but sang so low that the alto section almost fell of their chairs (as a collective whole, I'm serious). We have our "Welcome for New Members" tonight and, while a little nervous (there are 80 people in the chorus), I am extremely pumped to make some totally hip, choral-lly inclined Taiwanese friends.

Oh, and the European/Taiwanese Film Festival is all this weekend, so I'm going to try to catch some of that if I can force Rach to go with me.

AND, we have a mouse in our apartment!

:)

Internet Cafe

There's a kid passed out next to me at the internet cafe.

That's all I have to say.

Oh, and I use the word "cool" way too much in this blog.

Classes are starting soon...then all the fun will be over...

There has been a rush of activity in the past few weeks in anticipation of classes starting and fun dying indefinitely. I just got my books today and while they seem a little easy I am going to believe what everyone tells me and assume that easy will become harder as hours of homework pile up.
BUT I have huge last weekend of freedom going out with a bang plans. Badminton tomorrow with some Taiwanese badasses, a folk dancing show at night, a Taiwanese/European puppet show at the Experimental Theater on Sunday. It's all good.
I know, I know, you're thinking, "But, Jess, what about bars and parties?" Well, I've already danced extensively on a bar and been to some very, very, too cool for me Taiwanese bars...soooo...enough of that for now?
Also the theater department here is SUPER AMAZING and I am auditing some classes until I get too bogged down with work. I audited "Guided Readings of Modern Chinese Drama" yesterday and it was so COOOLLLL. Chinese drama has a very intense history and I sorta understood what was going on! YAY FOR LANGUAGE ABILITY!
All right, I think I am going to go try out for a singing group, if I read the sign correctly...
Peace out, dudes!

Buster Keaton is the MAN

Just a quick note for those who are perenially bored or just love me THAT much. Yesterday Rachel, Lauren (Rachel's friend from Colby), and I all went to the National Palace Museum. Rachel and I had gone the day before to see the actual museum (Two words...Jade Cabbage...pretty amazing and bizarre) but, while wandering, Rachel found her way into THE COOLEST EXHIBITION EVER. Basically, for the entire end of August and beginning of September, the museum has been showing famous silent films and having local DJs come and mix to them LIVE! We saw the Jazz Singer and the General and it was soooo the coolest thing ever.

The moral of the story...Taibei is hip and the Union army may or may not have been the bad guys in the Civil War (old movies really mess with your head)...

We may be overrun with ants, but we still have spirit

So, the previously commented upon, sketchy former owner of our apartment has apparently never heard of cleaning products or thought to use the mop in our apartment, and Rachel and I are currently in the middle of an epic battle with a colony of ants. BUT, never fear, my darlings, we went to the grocery store/house of everything neccessary to live today and found anti-ant cleaning spray as well as kick ass closet/tent contraptions and bed mats. The ants have no chance and the apartment is going to super amazing and chic (pictures are forthcoming).
Rachel and I have also registered and signed up for our placement exams at ICLP (in two days, AHHHHH!). The secretary there is verrrryyyy cute and I kept asking him unneccessary questions to prove that my Chinese was acceptable (and, of course, that I was amazing and fantastic).
The NTU campus (at which we are studying) is beautiful (palm trees and tropical breezes, eat that Jersey/Massachusetts) and has what seems to be a highly functioning theater/drama department. Audit classes? Yes, I think I might. There is also news of an amazing experimental theater in the middle of the city (near the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial, holla back) and a visit to it will be made after the placement exam.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of an apartment attempt to speak only in Chinese Sunday-Thrusday (I know we're starting a little late, whatever) and note will be made of our progress as we march forth in the footsteps of the bold and honorable Sun Yat-sen.

"That building is not THAT tall...oh, wait."

Dearest Popstars, (I think writing this is the form of an e-mail will make it better and more like my ever famous mass e-mails of yesteryear)
I have finally arrived in TAIWAN! I know! Completely amazing! My roommate (again the dashing and fabulous Ms. Rachel Krause) and I were on the same flight so we got to share all the excitement of a 19 hour plane ride followed by the search for a car to take us into the city (We finally found transport with a very cute, "emo" Chinese guy). We stayed in an incredible hotel paid for by the wonderful generosity of the Krauses (they had bacon which was inspiring, because no matter where I am I will always need bacon...mmmm...)and instantly became THE stupid, white people in the area.
Never fear! The stupidness will end soon! We have already moved into our apartment (in the Yonghe district, right outside city proper) and as soon as we get rid of the slightly creepy former owner (who is, in all honesty, nice, but quite bitter about the fact that Chinese girls won't talk to him) we will be rolling in coolness.
For any contemplating a visit to the tropical island of paradise remember an UMBRELLA. Sometimes it sprinkles, but sometimes it POURS and then you become very wet (and that's never fun, unless you are more carefree than I am).
When I have something funny or important to comment upon I will write again, for now...ADIEU!