wo shi taibei ren (maybe)

I know my way around Taipei like I know the lines along the palm of my hand. I pretty much can tell a lost tourist how to get to his/her destination via subway, of course, without having to look at the route map. I know where all the teens flock to on the weekends, where the sea is, where I can buy accessories (a 4-story store near Taipei Main Station), where I can eat Italian food (literally,the only place where you can order a salad!), where I can get mochi-on-a-stick...It's always so fun being able to explore a city without having someone to drag you around (aka my mom who drags us museums and botanical gardens). Although, I do wish I could read traditional Chinese characters and speak Chinese more fluently so that I don't have a hard time figuring out what to order at the smoothie stores or noodle vendors. Like NYC, you're never alone in Taipei. I feel like it's more crowded than NY here. Maybe it's because I'm crammed in the subway every morning on the way to work. These people force their way onto the train, even when it's obviously too full to fit just one more person. I noticed that their tactic is: door opens-->turn back to train-->walk backwards into the train-->take itty bitty steps all the while use back to push people into train-->lean back when door is closing. You know that box or zone you make for yourself i.e. don't step within x many inches/feet from me or you're in my space. So, there is no such thing as "personal space" on the subway. People are literally toppled onto each other, and you can feel that person behind you breathing hot air onto your neck, where you can feel each dew landing on your skin. Not a very good feeling...at all.