He’s making love to you

Recently I realized I was yet to see the sunrise in Taiwan.

In my first year, summer temperatures pushed my daily walks further into the night. Then, by the time winter returned, my late starts had become habitual.

And suddenly, I’ve been here two years already. Time passes me by, like sunrises in my sleep.

So today, on my two-year anniversary in Kaohsiung, I set my alarm for 5:30am—an unfamiliar time of day I’d previously only experienced in the Southern Hemisphere.

It was 16ºC as I rode my scooter to the north entrance of Kaohsiung Harbor, just across from the Gushan ferry terminal.

I waited for the sun but it never appeared: air pollution from China turned daybreak into a hazy, peaceful, non-event.

I photographed the scooter ferries instead.

The fleet is being progressively electrified, but the ferries in the above photo are, like China, ancient and polluting.

A wildly-inappropriate Google translation

I returned to my building at around 8:30am.

There was a three-year-old boy standing in the doorway. Not wanting to knock him with my tripod or motorbike helmet, I said zǎo ān (good morning) and waited for him to move.

But instead of stepping aside, he inexplicably leaned his head against my thigh. Then he wrapped his arms around my knee.

His mother and the building manager—both at reception—laughed uncontrollably as I stood on the sidewalk with this random kid clamped onto my leg.

Blurting out something in Chinese I didn’t have a chance of understanding, the building manager, who was laughing like never before, then typed it on her phone and showed me the translation:

“Ahhhh” I answered, desperately not wanting to affirm this sentence.

(I later learned a more contextually-appropriate translation of the Chinese sentence “他正在對你做愛的動作” would’ve been something like “he’s showing you affection”.)

Thanks, Google!

Brunch for one

After dropping off my camera gear, I rode to a friend’s cafe for brunch. She sells the most delicious bread in Kaohsiung. I look forward to every visit.

My friend asked why I was alone. I explained I was quietly celebrating my Kaohsiung anniversary, and everyone I knew was working. I think she felt sorry for me, saying (in Chinese) something warm like “I’m here, so you’re not alone now.”

In Taiwan, I’m often alone, but I never feel alone. I’m surrounded by caring, fun, excellent people.

And excellent food.

Relearning the basics

At 2pm, I had a meeting with a stranger who’d contacted me via this blog. Working on a project of relevance to immigrants, she wanted to ask my perspective on some Kaohsiung-specific topics.

As I reflected on starting a new life in this city, I thought about how, amongst the avalanche of positive experiences, even the challenges have at least been interesting.

I’ve had to relearn so much. Routine actions, like paying a utility bill or visiting the doctor, are completely different. Knowledge I previously took for granted, like how to flush a toilet, no longer applies.

(My toilet in New Zealand had 1 button. My toilet in Taiwan has 19.)

But it’s been great. Really, overwhelmingly incredible. Not just the toilet, but my entire Taiwan experience.

Late last night, I went to 7-Eleven to get a canned coffee I could enjoy with this morning’s sunrise. On the walk home, I felt a swelling sense of warmth or joy or something similarly profound. I experience this periodically in Taiwan. Moving here has generated a sustained boost to my baseline happiness, and every now and then, it hits me in the throat.

I wish everyone could feel this good about where they live.

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