Day 1 ~ Christmas Day

First day in Taiwan!  After 24 hours of travel, it was great to finally be on the ground, and staying there.  A short night of rest was all we had before jumping into exploring and learning about the campus and city.  Academica Sinica is the top research university in Taiwan, and we have the pleasure of using the labs, working with the students there, and staying at the campus.  After exploring the fish labs and the overall campus we used the subway and bus systems to get to east downtown Taipei.  Near Taipei 101, the world's second tallest building, was the bank where we exchanged our US dollars for New Taiwanese Dollars.  We also started off the program with lunch at a hot pot restaurant.  At this restaurant, we were given raw veggies and meats, sauces, and a small pot filled with broth on an inset burner.  We could cook the foods in the broth at our own pace, picking what looked best.  The food was good, albeit unfamiliar.  It will take me some time to get used to it; I will have to get hungry enough, then everything will start looking and tasting good.  After lunch we purchased new SIM cards for our phones while we are in Taiwan so we can be in contact with each other.  Overall, its been a good day, and really cool to see so many new things.  I definitely feel like a foreigner, but I don't feel unsafe as one.  I'm very excited to start shopping and really exploring the stores tomorrow.