Squid on a Stick

Surprisingly, the squid on a stick was quite filling. Halfway through, I almost couldn't eat anymore (but for those of you who know me, I have a problem where I just can't stop eating when any food is still in front of me...so yes. I finished it). It was delicious.

I still haven't tried the stinky tofu yet (although I want to), I just have to get used to the smell first. I'm slowly starting to feel less shame when I go out in public and still can't speak the language. When I first got here, I felt like I let down the entire Asian race for not speaking the native tongue and being an Ugly American. But I'm coming to terms with it.

I'm still coming to terms with some other aspects of not living in the US. For instance, when we watched the movie Hancock, we contributed not to the US Box Office Tally, but to the Foreign Box Office tally. How weird is that? You always hear about how movies are doing overseas...and here we are. Weird.

Or how I used to be addicted to streaming videos of TV episodes online, but here, it always pops up with a message saying, "Our live video stream is for viewers in the US only." :P Darn hulu.

Another one is how they use Dora the Explorer to teach English to young Chinese speakers instead of Spanish to young English speakers. It's kind of cute.

They sell Lays Potato Chips with seaweed sprinkled on the chips. It reminded me of how in Hawaii, at McDonald's, they sold SPAM, eggs and rice for breakfast. I guess you gotta cater to what people want. ^_^

I also like how people on scooters can carry two or three kids at a time. Or will bring their dog along for the ride on a scooter. Or how scooters are not reserved for young people (like they are in the states) but for grandmas, moms (with kids standing in front of them, balancing), punk teens, grandpas, and everyone else in between.

It makes me happy to question what I think I know about life. Living here forces me to on a daily basis. Things I would always take for granted before (like trying to buy hydrogen peroxide at the drug store...that was fun...), or things I would always just assume about people are always challenged. It's a great feeling after being so apathetic about life.