Welcome to Taiwan! Here, have an earthquake.

I've been traveling around Korea for the past week, dabbling in such curious exploits as bare-hands ice fishing, skiing backwards, and going to college reunions in Seoul. I was having so much fun that I didn't have the time to write any posts or upload photos! However, I've since left the peninsula for a two-week stint in Taiwan, and now that I'm comfortably settled into my grandparents apartment in Taipei, I'll have time to gather my thoughts and describe the past whirlwind of a week with the attention it deserves. I will also spend the next day or so recuperating from a nasty stomach bug I caught a few days ago. Taiwan is all about food, my friends, and if I'm not well enough to make the most of every meal here, I'll regret it most ruefully.

Although I proudly call Taiwan my mother country, I've never lived here for more than a few months, and I've also never set foot on the island during the winter. Normally, say my grandparents, it's not that much colder during the koa thi than any other time of the year, but today in particular brought a sudden chill and dismal drizzle that is quite different from my usual welcome: a blast of hot, humid air upon exiting Taoyuan International Airport.

But other things haven't changed. The first thing I did when I got to my A-kong and A-ma's place was take a nap, and a few hours later I was woken up by a small earthquake. Typical. And my grandparents are still as lively and overly-concerned about my health as ever. My younger cousins are still adorable. And I got a mosquito bite within a few hours of settling in. Welcome to Taiwan, indeed!