A couple weeks ago in Chinese class we learned the word 肉麻 (ròumá). Literally, this word refers to the bumpy skin on a bird after its feathers are pulled off, or as defined in our trusty textbook, “goose pimples, goose skin.” However, the more common usage of this word is to refer to something that is “disgusting, […]
For years, my brother and I have joked around with the way my old man speaks Spanish. It’s not our intention to be mean or make fun of him or anything like that; we just find very entertaining the weird phrases he comes up with. Given that the old man learned Spanish after learning four […]
When I was a child, my mother and I had this routine pretty much every day after I got home from school. Tired of wearing shoes all day at school, many times I would start taking them off even before I walked in through the front door. As soon as I walked in, my mother […]
Taking out the trash in Taipei is madness. Let’s start with the trash bags. You have to use special trash bags sold by the city, pretty blue bags like this one. These bags come in different sizes and have different prices. Now, I do think this is a pretty good idea since not every household generates the same […]
I’ve heard the phrase “lost in translation” in the past, but I always thought that it referred to spoken or written language, actual words rather than gestures. The other day I went to this buffet-like restaurant with a friend of mine. I say “buffet-like” because they did have a table where you pick whatever you […]
Tengo un leve recuerdo de mi papá enseñándome a escribir el carácter chino 正 (zhèng). No recuerdo bien cuándo fue ni dónde estábamos, pero recuerdo que yo era un niño y que estábamos esperando por algo o alguien. Mientras esperábamos, mi papá sacó un pedazo de papel y una pluma y me propuso un juego. […]
Ayer después de clases nos fuimos para Shilin Night Market. Creo que es uno de los night markets más grandes en Taipei si es que no es el más grande. Ese night market queda súper cerca del lugar donde viví y daba clases las otras veces que vine a Taiwán. La última vez que estuve en […]
Since I’m staying in Taiwan for a year as a student, I am supposed to go to the Immigration Office and get an Alien Resident Card (ARC), that would work as my official ID in Taiwan for the upcoming year. I went to get that paperwork done today. I had the chance to experience first […]