Chinese New Year here in Taipei taught me this lesson. What an amazing cultural experience! We had folks give us tips on what we should see and do during this time and we made the most of being in a place where a major holiday is going on around us. We still don't really comprehend most of the traditions, but the red and gold decorations everywhere (including our apartment!), the happiness and holiday sparkle in the air, time off of work and school with the general good feeling - it's contagious! But it was certainly an "other" feeling- enjoying it but not owning it.
Another thing we enjoy but don't own- our apartment. Property values here are outrageous. We live in an expat-friendly area so there's a premium on living here due to the convenience (English at most stores/restaurants, lobby staff to help with cabs and services providers, etc...) but renting in Taipei puts monthly payments in Orange County to shame. No crabbing about property values ever again in my presence!
Our apartment is finally settled; just need some pretties to soften the Ikea stock-box feeling. It occurred to me when I started unpacking the goodies we bought for the kitchen and bathrooms that we have one drawer in them. That's ONE drawer in the kitchen. None in either bathroom. NONE. We are a Container Store dream apartment... if you want to sort your goodies into containers. I'm a drawer girl. But adaptable. Did you really read that last thought- one drawer.
I wouldn't be allowed in a Container Store here, only Saks Fifth Avenue (and there aren't any of those.) I now must pay much closer attention to shopping and money. It still feels a bit like I'm out with a purse full of Monopoly money- I can't always do the math quickly to figure what things would be in the US to calibrate value. I'll walk four blocks to save a bit on a carrot but inadvertently spent $200USD on a trashcan. It's a super cool trashcan, but I thought it was $20. Sales clerks think, Big Spender but mostly it's just Big Idiot. Forrest Gump feeling continues.
Actually, I must qualify that to feeling like Forrest Gump Lee (four kids in Claire's class of 23 are surnamed Lee). I do feel a bit like a true Asian- I've begun playing Mahjong with a great group of ladies and I now have my roller shopping cart for the market. Two instant identifiers in my mind for feeling properly Chinese.We have an odd dorm-like feel to apartment life here. The Health Club in the building serves breakfast every morning. Claire catches the bus at 7:10 (we weren't even awake at 7:10 in CA so that's a huge adjustment) so we head down for breakfast early. She's ready for school and dressed, but I'm usually in slippers and sweats. Not ready to be seen outside, but kind of out in public at breakfast. Just like college dorms and cafeterias. I should probably be more put together but can't muster enough care to get up earlier to do it. She heads to the bus- I head back up to shower and dress.
Another aspect to apartment living is the sounds. There is a 487pound toddler who lives above us. I guess the age due to the 4:30am steps running into the master bedroom above us that we hear each morning. They sound suspiciously like the thumping steps I heard eight years ago when Claire went from crib to a bed- each morning upon waking she'd climb down, thump into our room and hot-breath whisper, "Mommy! Are you awake?" in my face. I'd guess the weight based on the volume of those steps reflected down thru their floor into our ceiling. It is a lot cuter when it's your own kid and you need to get up anyway.
Urban life has lots more sounds than the burbs - the classical music-playing garage trucks, the construction on the high rise nearby, cars and trucks. And fireworks! The fireworks during CNY were nuts! We bought a bunch and were headed out to a park across the street from apartment with our overflowing shopping bag. The security guard in our lobby saw us and started shaking his head. I wasn't sure what he was referring to- where we were going or what we were doing. We asked the lobby staff if it was ok to use the park for our fireworks and they looked at us like we were felons, telling us that it's very illegal to do that in Taipei. Cue loud firecrackers outside right as they're informing us. Hmmmm. Not sure what to make of the disconnect but figured we're guests in this country so we'll just sparkle in the apartment courtyard.
We found out the fireworks are part of the traditions of CNY- scaring away the evil spirits. There's some aspect of fireworks being a cue for employees to return to work after the business owner/manager finishes the evil spirit scare- Chris wondered if he'd need to perform some ritual for the WD employees but his HR assured him they were good. It's hard to know which rituals to honor and which are just considered tradition and a fun story- it all seems the same level of serious to us. I was puckered up to be very frustrated when querying an English-speaking local about some detail to their CNY celebrations when he couldn't answer what things were about and why they did them- then it occurred to me- I have no idea why I decorate an evergreen tree or buy people gifts, you just do it! It's tradition!
Here's to making a few new Karr Family Chinese New Year traditions!
