As you might be able to see from the cityscape below, Tainan is not a city of high-rises. My friends tell me it is a "comfy" city, though in my red-eyed, world-weary state this is a bit hard to imagine. I think I am, however, beginning to grasp their sentiment.

It is a welcoming place. Yesterday, I happened upon a little tea store near my apartment. The owner invited me in and I inquired after some cheap oolong tea, which is my particular favorite. He said he had just what I was looking for - a variety grown in his very own plantation - and only $7 for two heaping cans of the stuff. I was already reaching for my wallet when he told me I should really try some first, so for the next 30 minutes we sat in his store drinking the tea and speaking about my first few days in the country. He introduced me to his family and told me that should I ever wish to share the ceremony again I should only come by and say hello.

If I had to compare it to a city, I might say Brooklyn. First off, people are about as fashionable as the brooklynites - everyone has those tight, angular haircuts that you see the Japanese youth sport in the U.S. Then, also, walking through the streets at night is a bit like walking through an american apparel ad - formless shirts and leggings, short skirts and plaid t-shirts. I always feel scandalously unfashionable, especially when dawning my much beloved long underwear to brave the 65 degree tainan winter nights. Beyond the fashion likeness, Tainan is also almost all little mom and pops and roadside stands - it has the organic feel of brooklyn. Think of ferns growing out of decomposing trees or birds recycling human hair for their nests: it is like that, life bursting at the seams, discombobulated but peaceful, qi-gong on busy sidewalks, temples in bicycle repair shops. The organismal nature of the city presses you to engage the intuitive and visceral faculties of understanding as much as the analytic. Perhaps this also has to due with my poor language skills, which I am more-and-more painfully aware of, but I suppose those will come.

anyway, I thank you few people for the comments you've posted - it is very rewarding to get feedback and to see your writing. I would also appreciate requests for certain topics and advice, as I am still trying to figure out how to approach this writing. ok, time to study food words so I can stop eating at 7-11 altogether (it's not just me, everyone does it).