PDA Alert
We're not in Kansas anymore folks. Or to put it more accurately, we're not at the Kings Academy anymore--where P.D.A. was basically non-existent as it was "neither encouraged nor discouraged".Whether it be middle-aged couples cuddling on the MRT or young love-birds hand-in-hand at the Night Market, it has been made clear that the Taiwanese are huge on public displays of affection. Today, for the fun of it, I counted the number of couples either hugging, holding hands, or arm-in-arm as I went to work. I counted fifteen. No joke. It's really uncanny when you think about it. It must be something in the water. Truthfully I hadn't really felt lonely in Southeast Asia until I came here and witnessed this phenomenon. They really know how to rub it in the faces of us single folk.
And what's most perhaps most interesting about the PDA here is that it's never over-the-top. Despite all the lovey dubby going back and forth, I'm yet to witness any of the locals kiss each other here. I'm thinking maybe this is because, unlike Cambodia and Vietnam (where young lovers were forced to neck publicly in the parks for lack of anywhere else to go) here in Taiwan most of the youngsters have their own places/dorms to go back to. Whatever the reason may be, I'm certainly grateful for it. And I haven't yet witnessed anything that has warranted me to drop the oldie but goodie "get a room!" line. Despite the popularity and prevalence of PDA here, everything has managed to stay G-rated (which is certainly a relief after all the trashy things I saw go down at Cal Poly, let me tell you).
And I know what many of you may be thinking...aww, how romantic! Indeed, despite making me feel rather crappy some days, I still have admiration for many of these couples..especially the older ones. However, I've already mentioned Taipei can be extremely dense and hard to maneuver around. So when you factor in so many people being linked together, it makes things all the more hellish. I can't tell you how many times I've been stopped dead in my tracks (especially trying to run at DaAn park, rushing to catch a train at the MRT, or weaving through the ShiDa Night market) by couples or even a group of girls linked up. At times it looks sort of like they're a soccer team forcing a wall against a free kick. And add to the mix that these groups, apparently lost in romance, tend to walk extremely slow--well, it's safe to say the admiration typically turns into frustration pretty quickly.
It's Raining Cats, Dogs, and...UV Rays??
It could be pouring rain. It could be sprinkling. There could be a touch of moisture in the air. Or of course it could be a completely sunny 74 degree day. What do these days have in common? On each of them you'll see almost as many umbrellas out as on the others. I for one think Rihanna's hit single featuring Jay-Z should be this island's theme song. I've got to believe that if you were to have a monopoly on umbrellas here, you'd probably be richer than Bill Gates. I've even seen some of the people sporting different umbrellas on different days, almost like they've got one for each day or type of weather. Could it be that umbrellas are also part of the fashion trend I've already described?
Granted, it rains a lot here. And the weather can be pretty unpredictable. Some days it will look like it will be clear all day and then suddenly start pouring; others look like there will surely be some sort of precipitation yet none arrives. So an umbrella is certainly a wise investment (already on my second after my 1st one was stolen at Hess). However, the thing that I still can't understand is how the locals bust out their umbrellas when it is completely clear out; absolutely no rain at all. They can't really be that scared of the sun, can they? Sure, skin cancer's no joke (just ask my mom, who made sure us boys wore SPF 9,000 throughout our childhood and still goes a little insane when we get burnt), but umbrellas always? Really? Even under the shade of a tree? A little sun is good for you, people!
But I've come to learn that there's more motivation behind the umbrella in sunlight than merely avoiding sun rays. People here love being white, and so much of the time people use their umbrellas as a means to keeping their skin color pale and preventing themselves from gaining color. What a crazy concept. In the United States it is the complete opposite--the more color you have, the better. In college my friends actually gave me the rather unflattering nickname "whiteness", in reference to my appearing like an albino. Back home this nickname could have caused some self-esteem issues; here I'm actually thinking of getting it printed on a t-shirt and wearing it around proudly. My my how the tables have turned!
