It's Bloody Hot

I was trying to be tough because it isn't like I didn't know what the weather was like here, especially in July and August. But it has been so incredibly hot, and that combined with the humidity...It's an oft used description but since it is so accurate I will repeat it, walking outside is quite literally like stepping into a steam sauna fully clothed. The natural response- besides going back inside- is to take your clothes off asap, though I suspect that's frowned upon which is a real bummer.

You can try clicking on the picture, we'd been outside less than 5 minutes, but you can see Nathan and I 'glistening', Kohen and even more so Aly's faces just turn entirely bright red and even after we go inside they tend to stay flushed for a while. We learned quickly to B.Y.O.W.- Bring your own water- everywhere we go. I am embarrassed that 3 levels underground in a parking lot (imagine stifling heat that has no where to go) your favorite pregnant lady swooned- nearly passed out. It was weird, I was just so hot and I couldn't breathe. Felt like a bit of a boob. But then just today we were told it has been hotter than it has been in 5 years and so now I'm feeling like we're handling the heat quite well.

(Taipei 101)

Okay, next subject. Our kids are rockstars here and it's making me a tinge crazy. On this night we were downtown and had to go to Nathan's Accountant to sign papers for our ARC cards (Alien Resident Cards). Everywhere we go the people are so nice and treat our kids like royalty. The accountant actually sent one of his secretaries out to a store to bring back something for the kids after Aly embarrassingly yelled, "I want cold water!" having been served the traditional warm/hot water everyone drinks here. First Aly get's ice water- ice water! Ice is about the hardest thing to come by here and I was totally shocked when I saw it in the cup. Then the girl brings back a bag full of treats, gummy bears, Mentos, 3 Cokes, giant juice boxes filled with some kind of tea- we were only in the office for all of 15 minutes! And in case you are wondering, both drinks were a bit of a navigational mine field as we don't drink tea and Coke isn't a soda we would normally serve our kids (though one of the only ones you find here) and we didn't want to offend...

Next we found a place to eat and when Nathan took the children to go wash hands before the food came a lady had made cranes out of her napkins to give to the kids as they went back by her table. Those were a huge hit. For whatever reason Kennedy would not touch her noodles at dinner. They were like plain noodles in broth- very simple and understated but she would not eat. Towards the end of dinner she actually asks if there is something for dessert (insert my crazy 'as if' cackle here). I of course reply, "No, but even if there were I'm afraid you wouldn't be having any since you didn't touch your food." Not 5 minutes later here comes our waitress with complimentary bowls of ice cream for our 3 children.

All of this happened in about an hour and a half- it blows my mind. The people here are very nice and generous, that much is obvious. Will my children get through this experience without becoming completely spoiled, that remains to be seen. And for the record, Kennedy had to eat noodles before she got to eat her ice cream.

On our way home we learned valuable Taiwan Lesson #1: Always carry an umbrella. Admittedly, it should be a no-brainer but... We all got soaked going the short distance from the curb to the lobby. Surprisingly it doesn't cool you off that much which seems a bit unfair. Aly kept running back out claiming she needed to "take a shower" and I let her, deciding on the spot that there will definitely be more dancing and playing in the rain in Taiwan for our family. And why not, you're already soaking wet from the heat, might as well.