Rain Season

It has been raining non-stop for most of my time here, and I think I am turning pale due to lack of sunshine. After the 2 accidents, I finally learned how to drive properly in dangerous Taiwanese traffic. I mastered the 20 minute drive to the closest commercial area to my parent's rural house: Hala Planet, which has a movie theater, Eslite bookstore, Starbucks, and countless restaurants. Every other day I would go there, read, write, and shoot hoops in the arcade next to the theater. It was relaxing, but I started to feel empty. Things have really quieted down after the HanDan Festival. Wasn't there something more exciting I wanted to do when I quit my job?

Even though I no longer had a full-time job, I still found myself looking forward to weekends - since all of my friends are working. My high school buddies discovered a pretty cool bar called Duckbill, which features dart machines and single malt whiskey - perfect for a rainy day.



I also checked out the music scene with my friend Hanching, whom I've known since the 4th grade. One of the largest venues is called The Wall, which is actually a cultural complex with a cafe, tattoo parlor, music school, indie record shop and a bar. A big sign facing the entrance says "Music Can Save Your Soul." A group of teenagers with guitars slung over their backs rushed by, and I wished that there were more places like this back in the day. All we were supposed to do was study, study and study, and it's encouraging to see that leisure and culture are valued now. That night was post-rock night, and we nodded our heads to a few pretty decent bands as we sipped on smuggled-from-7-11 Taiwan beer. Yes, rock will live on even in the most remote corners of the world.






Two weeks into the rainy season, My mom finally came back from China. She is semi-retired at home now. I was relieved to see that she had finally shed her workaholic ways, and is in a relaxed state for the first time in years. Perhaps one of the most inspirational stories I have to tell is that at age 59, she finally learned to swim, and goes to the pool every day. Thanks to the rain, there have been many days where we just stay home and talk, eat, do a bit of work, go to the gym, and cook dinner while waiting for my dad to come home. I don't think I've experienced this since elementary school. I'll be getting busy soon, and I don't know if there will be another whole-month where an unemployed son and retired mom are trapped at home by the rain.