Still in Taipei

We are still in Taipei, and after all these sweltering days and weeks, I’m finding we are acclimating. There’s this stereotype of rugged white Canadian men revealing their hairy legs to the snow outside, impervious to the winter chill, and actually I can see how our bodies here have gradually become accustomed to producing less heat.

Our apartment is kept at 26 or 27, which seems incredibly warm when I think about the numbers, but is a comfortable coolness. Back in Canada, at 27, I feel like I’d be in the AC, or maybe finding the coolest spot in the house with the cats. Maybe it’s because here in our Taipei apartment, the ACs are in the bedrooms and they’re small bedrooms, so the cool air is blowing directly over the beds at night.

When we sit inside cafes for a long time, after coming in from the heat, I find it’s actually a bit chilly, and I can see why locals often bring a sweater or a covering. When we first arrived and saw people in this 39 degree weather wearing sweaters and long pants and jackets, protection against the sun mostly, I thought it was crazy—and outside, when we are indeed baking in the sun, I still find it a lot. But it’s less than when we first got here.

Our general mode is, contrary to most recommendations of getting out and about early in the morning before the oven of the day fully preheats, to take our time in the morning at home, futzing about, playing, reading, eating our oatmeal. Depending on plans for the day, we start heading out around 10:00 or even later. This is both because a lot of places don’t open until 11 or even later, but also because we’re weaklings and have low stamina, and if we get out of the gates too early in the day, we’re all fizzled out and flagging and flailing by lunchtime.

In any case, we are acclimating. What an adventure.

Caleb has fully invested into his role as local garbage man.

Junia FaceTiming her favourite sibling. Literally everyone else’s feelings are hurt. These two have their own love story. I’m just here to the hold the phone on my end.