Does it have any meat in it?

I ate pigs blood last night.

I know that sounds disgusting and impossible all at the same time.

We went out in Taipei for another teacher's birthday last night and ended up at this club called Pasoul. (Pasoul sucks by the way. Stay far away.)

Afterward we're sitting out in front of the venue on some steps waiting around to make sure we didn't forget anyone. We're getting a lot better at this whole going out in groups and not leaving people behind thing.

There were two street food stands outside: one had the best smelling sausage in the world (maybe it was the slightly buzzed appetite) and one had other stuff... including pigs blood, but we didn't know that yet.

Essentially this is a Taiwanese delicacy (as I understand it at least). Ours was congealed and then mixed with rice. It was in a little block on a stick like you would see stinky tofu or pretty much anything else you buy at a street vendor.

The funny part is that my roommate, who is a vegetarian, was the one who ordered it. She went up to the stand and asked if there was any meat in it. The woman said no.

I guess that was technically true.

People here don't seem to understand the point of being a vegetarian. You just don't eat things that generally require you to kill the animal first. Somehow, I think blood falls into this category.

My roommate bought one and was talking about how it was so good and asked if I wanted a bite.

Me: Katie, does it have meat?
Katie: I don't think so. I asked the lady.
Me: Screw it. Why not?
Katie: It's really good.
Me: It's OK except for that weird gooey texture at the end. The rice really makes it edible.
Graham: Can I have some.

Katie and Graham ran off to buy another one and were halfway through it when Carson informed them that is was, in fact, congealed pigs blood on a stick. I kind of knew it was right after I ate it, but I didn't want to say anything that would freak her out.

She seemed to take it pretty well.

Today, we're going to Bobo's for her birthday (SO MANY DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS, OMG!) and then I think we're going to Taipei. I think the idea is to eat, drink and shop our way through the city. Pictures to come!

Was that a mini-earthquake or am I having a seizure?

Saturday night was a lot of fun. We went to this club in Jeng Li, called Search, for Jeremy's birthday. You basically pay one big cover to get in (I paid $400 NT — $12 USD) and that gets you all you can drink all night.

The catch, you stand in line a lot.


There were a lot of scarcely dressed women and this DJ from Malaysia. I think everyone had fun though and that's the important part.

I got left behind though. That was certainly not fun. We had such a large group and everyone else was pretty drunk. I went to the bathroom and came back and realized everyone was gone.

Gave me a chance to fend for myself in Chinese though. I went to three different cabs before I found one that was willing to drive me back to Taoyuan and then I had to try to explain where I live in Chinese.

Me: Taoyuan. Do you know Jengjen Lu? Do you know Tong An Jie?
Cabbie: What????

I had hoped that if I could get him into Taoyuan and to at least ONE of the streets I actually knew then I could just give him directions back to my place.

We finally combined efforts and he got me back to the dorm at about the same time as everyone else. Cabbies here drive super fast.

I ended up staying up to watch the sun come up Sunday morning, so I, of course, took some pictures from the balcony.


That's the LDS church right down the street from us. That's also what the sunrise looks like at 5:30 in the morning.

Bright, I know.

Sunday, Megan, Allen and I went shopping in Taipei. It was a lot of fun, but SO tiring. We walked so much!

I found three dresses I liked though and a bag.


There's Allen modeling my bag for me.

Unfortunately, staying up really late (early?) and then going to Taipei and walking all day took all the energy out of me. I ended up not cleaning the refrigerator last night. We'll see how I feel after school tonight.

Probably not great. I think I have a cold. My head hurts and my throat is a little swollen. How do you get a cold in this weather?

Last night Megan messaged me on Skype at about 1 a.m. asking me if I felt that shaking?

I didn't feel anything, but then today I was sleeping off my sickness and suddenly my bed started shaking back and forth.

I jumped up out of bed and immediately got on my computer to see what the deal was.

Apparently there were about 15-18 earthquakes in Haulien county yesterday. People have been feeling aftershocks all over the northern part of the island ever since.

Being from Texas, I am running into a whole different set of mother nature's wonders. At home it was tornadoes and hail, sometimes a really large hurricane hitting the coast would make its way far enough inland.

Here, we have earthquakes, typhoons and I suppose the possibility of tsunamis?