I know I complain about the rain a lot, but since the last big rain and round of complaining in early June, it hasn't been that bad. That is, it rains just about every afternoon, sometimes squalling to beat the dam down, but then it stops, clears up and dries out.
In fact, just about every morning in recent memory has suggested bright and sunny days ahead. Since I get up right around sunrise, I'm sure I could have stepped outside onto the rooftop deck and tracked the location of the sunrises northward. Well, if there wasn't a building in the way.
And I guess the sunrises would stop moving northward after the Solstice, which was when?, around June 20?
And depending on when I've been able to drag myself out of the apartment, it could be sunny or cloudy. If reasonably early, it would be sunny. If not, say after noon, then the likelihood is that cloud cover would already have spread.
I expect afternoon rain, so I try to get whatever I have to get done first, and then park my bike at a covered bike lot on campus, and from there walk to the library or class. In Taipei, always carry an umbrella.
And then it rains and I have 3:30 class. Often it stops by the end of class, but if it doesn't I go to the library and wait it out and then happily ride home, feeling good about myself for having studied some. Or blogged-d.
Looking back at these past few days, I can't say that they've been any good. Old habits re-emerging, the usual battle with my negativity and kicking out images from my head of beating people down in a vengeful rage. It doesn't help that the Taiwanese national pastime is getting in other people's way. With specializations in not looking where they're walking.
Last month in Wulai I witnessed a van driver bump a pedestrian woman who was in his way. I have trouble not imagining me going ape-shit on the van if it were me. Seems like a reasonable response to me. The woman's response of offended surprise and giving a dirty look did not seem appropriate to me. Ape-shit, I say. I probably would have joined in as it happened right in front of me (I had just stepped out of the way).
This language definitely isn't sinking in. I still hardly understand a word I hear, and I'm trying to dedicate myself an hour every night sitting in front of the TV trying to convince myself I understand what it's saying. It all sounds the same. How do you make a language out of, like, 16 sounds, and stretching them out by assigning them 4 different tones?
Alas, more than a billion people speak this language or a variation of it, and have done so for several thousand years, I really need to stop blaming the language for my inability to learn it.
At least I've confirmed visiting the U.S. in late July. I have confirmed seats for a week visit, but I might try to see if I can stretch that out to two weeks. That's a long ways to go for just a week. Especially since I don't plan to go back for at least a year after this time.
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| July 2, 6:47 p.m. - Sunset with classmate, Santi, an incredible photographer. |
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