(Back from the Past) Sweet afternoon

(from 7/5/2008)
Another rainy day. The rain has barely stopped the whole day and it was hard at some moments. I am seeing that some people know how to take care of themselves here. I didn't have much for dinner tonight, for other so far good reasons, but between tea time at department of Earth Sciences and the birthday celebration of an ex-student of the Radioastronomy group, I lost count of how many different kinds of cake I tasted. I am not too much into eating cake outside normal eating hours, but some were very good. They really like sweets here.

What is funnier is to try some of the local desserts. When I ask them what they are made of, they try to tell me, but either their English is of no use or they don't find the words, so I am trying many things without really knowing what they are. It could be hazardous, but I am discovering a new range of tastes and textures.

Apart from that, I have a good time listening the conversations among students and professors, in chinese or taiwanese (I am not really sure what language they use), and seeing all the laughs and facial expressions they display. They translate something from time to time, but even if I don't know what they are talking about, I think I can distinguish their different personalities. What a funny bunch!.

In the advances area, I ordered some food today, using signs of course, but knowing by the chinese pictograms what it was (easy: noodles and beef, hehe) and I haven't made a fool of myself when paying the bus yet, which is a whole another story by itself.