![\"Taipei](\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Taipei-apartment.jpg\" "\\"Taipei")
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This is our apartment building in Teimu, Taipei, Taiwan.<\/strong>\u00a0 I don\u2019t have a vehicle and am going to be learning how to get around in subways, buses, and taxis.<\/p>\n Costco Via Taxi<\/strong><\/p>\n I have now shopped at Costco using only taxi service. \u00a0This is how it works:<\/em><\/p>\n The top story offered \u00a0the household, clothing, books, etc .<\/strong> \u00a0We found and bought a Taiwan edition Monopoly game which the kids are learning to use right now. \u00a0It has Chinese symbols and \u00a0English directions. \u00a0There are credit cards and a reader instead of paper money. \u00a0The properties and issues are Taiwanese. \u00a0They have to play using New Taiwanese Dollars,<\/em> which are roughly NT$ 30\/$1 US. \u00a0I also bought Aesop\u2019s Fables in Chinese and a Children\u2019s Encyclopedia.<\/p>\n Since this was my first time, I wasn\u2019t sure how the taxi connection home was going to go<\/strong>, so I was trying to limit what I bought. \u00a0We did get wonderful things such as bagels, tortillas, cheddar cheese, normal looking chicken, chocolate chips, and vanilla. \u00a0I won\u2019t give you my whole list, but you get the gist of it. \u00a0It was a hidden treasure to us<\/em>. \u00a0While touring the meat section, a blonde woman caught my eye and told me, in English, that she was looking for Italian sausage, with a hopeful expression\u2019 \u00a0I told her, no, I was just learning my way around. \u00a0She also had only been there about 3 weeks. \u00a0She doesn\u2019t live far from us here in Teinmu, near Hagen Daaz, she said. \u00a0So I told her maybe I\u2019d see her there. \u00a0I wanted to get home before the air raid drill.<\/em><\/p>\n I entered the check-out line with some apprehension, wondering how far I was going to have to carry all of this before I got a taxi.<\/strong> \u00a0But I got too busy to worry about it for very long. \u00a0The bagels were 2 (pkgs) for 1 and I would still have to pay the same price if I only took the one that we had. \u00a0So I left Carlie at the check-out helping to bag our groceries, which were still being scanned, and jogged to the back of the store to get my other bag of bagels. \u00a0I felt a little conspicuous, as no one else was jogging, but the lady handing out samples in back responded in English when I told her in English, \u201c2 for 1\u201d as I passed by. \u00a0She laughed. \u00a0I showed up with my bagels before they were finished with my load, so didn\u2019t hold anyone up, which I think is a cardinal sin around here.<\/em><\/p>\n Carlie and the bagger, who was a cute, elderly little Chinese lady, were almost done putting everything in the four big bright red bags<\/strong> that I had been told (by the Community Center support) to pick up at the beginning of the check-out conveyer. \u00a0They cost me about $2 US a piece, but I will probably remember to take them every time I go to Costco<\/em>, or for any other shopping. \u00a0They are a heavy canvas-like plastic with the Costco logo on them. \u00a0\u00a0Our name will go on them, too. \u00a0They and a few larger items went back in the shopping cart and Carlie and I proceeded to the exit.<\/p>\n I could see the taxis lined up along side the road before our receipt was examined at the door,<\/strong> but I couldn\u2019t tell if I could get the cart down there. \u00a0Again, it turned out to be as easy as pouring water out of a glass. \u00a0As I approached the sidewalk, a group of about 4 taxi drivers \u00a0approached us, but it wasn\u2019t to fight over us. \u00a0One of them asked, \u201ctaxi?\u201d and the split second I said yes, they all commandeered my cart, loaded everything into the trunk, and ushered us into the car.<\/em> \u00a0I lingered a moment to see things go into the car. \u00a0As they were quickly loading things, you could tell they were still trying to see what they could see. \u00a0One of the turned to me with a big smile and announced, \u201cAmerican?!\u201d<\/em> to which I smiled and said \u00a0yes.<\/p>\n The driver who took us home looked like he may have been Filipino, but he didn\u2019t speak English either.<\/strong> \u00a0He could read the Chinese symbols of our address that had been written by the lady at the Community Center. \u00a0(You can see why I love my new Community Center friends.) \u00a0He drove faster than the first taxi driver, but we arrived safely and without white knuckles. \u00a0Carlie and I sat in the back and casually discussed our shopping experience.<\/p>\n He took us right to our gate, which is only a few feet from the elevator.<\/strong> \u00a0Our watchman\/maintenance man, whom we affectionately refer to as Uncle Huang, like we were told to, was at the gate and loading the haul on the elevator before I paid the taxi driver<\/em>, who had helped unload the things to the front step. \u00a0Uncle Huang took everything up the elevator, while Carlie and I went up the stairs. \u00a0Uncle Huang is hard to say no to, and, no, he doesn\u2019t speak English either. \u00a0He is one of the smaller men that I have seen, even around here, but apparently quite strong in spite of his \u00a0years.<\/em><\/p>\n Once on our floor, we all helped carry things into the kitchen<\/strong>, followed by many a \u201cxie,xie\u201d and \u201cbye,bye.\u201d \u00a0“Bye, bye” is<\/em> Chinese, in case you didn\u2019t know. \u00a0The kids and I enjoyed our peanut butter and jelly and are hanging out until the air raid drill is over. \u00a0It is supposed to begin in about 10 minutes and no one is allowed on the streets during it. \u00a0We\u2019ll be watching from the window if allowed.<\/p>\n I\u2019m still deciding what to do after that. \u00a0I\u2019ve been told about a cooking supply store just up the street<\/strong> and I still need some more pots and pans. \u00a0There is also a smaller store that I\u2019m told carries bags of flour larger than 3 cups.<\/em> \u00a0It is Greg\u2019s and my 26th anniversary today, but he won\u2019t be home until around 8 PM. \u00a0\u00a0We will do something interesting this weekend. \u00a0How can we avoid it!?<\/p>\n\n