Déjà Vu Pt. 1

Let's put all wood related matters aside for a moment and get down to business. Before we continue however, I would like to note, in response to Vijay's comment, that I myself am definitely an oak man. Oak is a sturdy material, which brings a certain classy quality to every interior. It says "I care about interior design, but I'm not a complete douche bag". So go forth and furnish your homes with oak, your uncle Marsellus approves.

But alas, I digress. It's been just over a week since Captain Safety First and myself left Holland for a year long stay in Taiwan, at Zhengzhi University and Qinghua University, respectively. The last couple of months had been kind of hectic due to all the necessary preparations, so it felt strangely liberating when it was finally time to depart. The departure itself wasn't as smooth as planned though. Apparently some typhoon near Hong Kong had decided it would be fun to annoy the hell out of us, so our flight with Cathay Pacific was delayed and eventually cancelled. Some of our classmates, which had booked the same flight as us, were transferred to a China Airlines flight scheduled to leave half an hour later with a stopover in Bangkok. Chun and myself were not as eager to die a horrible, kerosene soaked death accompanied by a score composed of the desperate cries of burning children, so we kindly declined the offer. The delay did provide Chun with the opportunity to make some last minute arrangements, some of which are deemed to be prerequisites for modern day travel, like, oh, I dunno, BUYING SOME FUCKING INSURANCE. Here he is on the phone with the insurance company's customer service trying to convince the employee he's not getting on a plane within the next 10 minutes. He actually pulled that shit off...


It seemed as though we wouldn't be able to take off until the next day, but things were finally looking up for us as there were a couple of seats free on a KLM evening flight to Taibei through Bangkok. So finally, after having spent all day wandering around Schiphol Airport and bidding our friends and family farewell, the fellowship was off on a perilous journey of disgusting airline meals and annoying fellow passengers.

The flight went quite smoothly, although the airplane seemed to have contracted a shitty audiovisual entertainment virus and a hairy and odorous Brazilian infestation. Anyway, the transfer in Bangkok took about an hour and then we were off to Taibei. From the moment we set foot on Taoyuan International Airport, everything has been kind of déjà vu-ish, if that makes any sense at all. We were greeted by a mix of familiar sights and sounds, which was kind of comforting. The dynamic duo was there to pick us up:

The next few days we spent wandering around Zhongli and Taibei, staying at Tailin's and Daniel's apartments respectively. Up until now, our days have consisted of sightseeing, meeting old and new friends and handling all the administrative and bureaucratic bullshit that needs to be dealt with before the first semester kicks off. Speaking of which, slacking seems to be fashionable these days when it comes to the important matters in life; Chun just found out that he was supposed to take a proficiency test about 10 days ago, and that his classes start next Monday, facts to which he had been completely oblivious until yesterday or so. I myself am up until now uncertain whether or not I will actually receive the scholarship which Leiden University dangled before my nose like a 24 oz. T-bone steak, and which is the only goddamn reason I came to Taiwan in the first place. We'll see how this plays out in the next couple of days, I'll keep you updated. I'll have the facts and pictures of our first days in Taiwan up within the next few days, so stay tuned, kids.