Culture Shock

The two preceding posts were the preface and introduction to my memoirs. You have now turned to the title page of Part One: Culture Shock. On the page you see pictures of Taipei (well links to pictures), a short poem, and a prelude to the next few posts.

http://www.molon.de/galleries/Taiwan/Taipei/

http://funfever.blogspot.com/2007/11/taiwans-modern-toilet-restaurant.html

The Sounds of Taipei

Hello, Silence my old friend,
When will I be with you again?
Kids and dogs, a battle raging,
Ice cream trucks that pick up garbage.
Street vendors sell “Da Whey,”
“Fix your screens.” Oh, how they scream.
These are the sounds of Taipei.

--May be sung to the tune of "The Sounds of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel

The first step of any cultural journey begins with culture shock. For me, a typical Westerner, arriving in Taipei meant that the differences in manners, food, technology, and lifestyles all sent jolts through my system. But the two things to which I had the most trouble adjusting were the population density and the constant background NOISE produced by the closely packed masses of bustling humanity.