hot hot heat + adaptation

So, it is June. The sun shines stronger, and the heat is even more unbearable. There has been a change in my daily subway routine. Since the Ximen (where I transfer) train to Xiaonanmen (where I get off to get to work) is shut down in the morning, I now take the train to the stop after Ximen--Taipei Main Station [which means more crowds and fighting my way to get on the subway]--then take that to Chiang Kai-shek stop and then transfer again there to get to Xiaonanmen. Also, the shortcut to get to the front entrance of the museum is closed for construction. I now have to walk all the way around the museum. I mean it's great that I'm walking more, but it's not fun to show up to work soaked in sweat. And when I say soaked, I am honestly and disgustingly SOAKED. Additionally, my so-called sweatproof sunscreen, waterproof mascara, and Make-Up Forever eyeliner have all melted off my skin! Because of this, I show up to work with raccoon eyes, suncreen dripping from my elbows, and little sunburns here and there on my nose. Yeah, I despise this climate so much that I've thought about going home early and quitting this internship. I mean, growing up in SoCal all my life and living 10 minutes away from the beach [and rarely ever having to turn on the A/C or fans], of course I will hate this weather.

On a more positive note, I am finally adapting to this Taiwan lifestyle. I wake up no later than 7am the weekdays and 9am on the weekends. I sleep earlier--actually much earlier than I do on a normal school/summer schedule--between 10-11pm. My shower time has been cut short to less than 5 minutes. Shocking, Teresa? Yeah, both my dad and aunt have said that I take too long of showers. They tell me that Taiwan has a water shortage so I busily multi-task in the shower--wash my face before heading in, shampoo while shaving and scrubbing soap all over, then quickly condition, and done. And my aunt scowls when I do something she doesn't like or that doesn't comply with her ideals. Like yesterday, she wanted to give me a pair of flats she has never worn before. They were nice leather flats, but a half-size too small. I tried them on and told her she were a little tight. Then she goes, "Ni de jiao pangpang de" which translates to "Your feet are too fat." Well, those shoes were size 6.5--I normally wear a size 7. I gotta say that my feet are pretty narrow too. Whatever.

Anywho, I will start updating the blog about my weekend trip to Macau and Hong Kong within the next 3 days. Sorry in advance if my updates are infiltrating your inbox all at once! But I promise that they will be good posts and amazing pictures :)