Here I am on my moped!!
The first pic is my current moped and was taken earlier this year. (I know; I need a better helmet. I'm working on it.) The one on the right was taken in 2003--me on my very first moped. (That moped was stolen in the fall of 2004.)
Ok, confession time: When I take personality tests, I always check that I do not like adventures. I do not consider myself an "adventure loving person."
When I confessed this to my friend (an American who also lives here in Taiwan) she was shocked. She told me she thought I had a great sense of adventure. Her reply included something along the lines of "you drive a moped in Taiwan--that is very adventuresome."
She got me to thinking.
And, I think she is right.
Adventure does make me smile (. . . most of the time).
Later, I came back to read my blog, and I saw the quote I had from Helen Keller in the description line: "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." :)
And, the other day I caught myself thinking that being a contestant on an Amazing Race type game would be a blast!
I guess I was embracing adventure without realizing it.
I guess that is another one of those crazy things that God has changed about who I am, and I didn't even realize it on a conscious level.
I guess from now on I better check the "likes adventure" box when I take a personality test, huh? :)
Charlotte, a fellow Taiwan-blogger, calls her blog "Always an Adventure." I guess that truly is what life is--in Taiwan or anywhere!
Yipee!! Let's go!!
Hop on the back and I'll take you for a spin.
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Here is the answer to the question that prompted this post in the first place:
Q: Do you drive a scooter in Kaohsiung?
A: Well, yes. I do drive in the city--which is crazy--but not unless I have to. I live in Kaohsiung County--so when leaving my apartment, if I turn left I end up in Kaohsiung City after 30 minutes of riding but if I turn right I end up in a sea of rice and pineapple fields in less 3 minutes of riding. Also, I walk to work--so I don't ride daily.
AND--I got used to riding a moped while living in Meinong--which is major countryside with few stoplights and very light traffic. The first time I rode in KH city--I was freaking out inside--it was a heart-pounding I-don't-know-if-I-am-going-to-live-to-tell-about-this kind of moment. At first, I would hop off and let one of my student's "drive" as soon as we hit the "city" part. Now, I am ok . . . well, on most days.
So, my scooter riding adventures have been more-or-less a let-the-water-warm-while-the-frog-is-already-in-the-pot kind of acclimation. Does that make sense?
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Alright. Now, I'm ready . . . where do you wanna go? Vrroom. Vrooom!!
Oh, I wish I had one of those. I keep asking my hubby to have one so I can get rid of the car, but he won't let me get one. He says it is to dangerous. Well, I am sure the traffic in Taiwan is much worse that here in the Metro Phoenix area - lol...
ReplyDeleteOh, I thought about going on the Amazing Race many times (the only show I actually watch on TV), but I can't, because I don't have an American passport *sigh*...
That looks like such fun!
ReplyDeleteIt is a lot of fun!! (Well, most of the time its fun--where there is tons of traffic it can be stressful.)
ReplyDeleteI am not sure I would drive one in the States. Even though traffic is crazy here--there is a special lane for mopeds and people are used to driving cars around them. In the USA, that is just not the case.
The Amazing Race is one of the few TV shows I really like. Your description of your first time driving in KH reminds me of when I first started riding a bike in the small countryside town I lived in last year... it could only be described as a series of near death experiences, and i'm sure that was MUCH milder than yours! A friend who used to live in Taichung commented once that riding a scooter there was "just like a video game except you only get one life"
ReplyDelete"just like a video game except you only get one life."
ReplyDeleteThat's too funny.
Now that you mention it, on my walks to and from school, I sometimes feel like that little frog who is trying to cross the street without getting smashed by a car.