So, I lied. I was planning on posting about my trip to the Dream Mall in Kaohsiung, my trip to the doctor, and a few other miscellaneous things, but then I realized that I had planned on doing a dorm life post and never did. So, I only lied to correct a lie… or something. Anyway, I took pictures of the floor I’m living on and my dorm room today. Enjoy.

The picture is a little dark, but this is the main lobby area of our floor. People don’t use it too often, other than as a waiting for other people kind of place. The furniture pictured here must have been purchased in bulk, because the same furniture is scattered throughout the college, pretty much in every common area. It’s not terribly comfortable, but then it isn’t terribly uncomfortable, either. So, there you have it.

Also in the lobby, opposite the sitting area, is this bulletin board, full of what I’m sure is VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION.

There is a television in the lobby – only a couple of students actually sit there and watch it though. Most of the time it is turned off. There is also a Christmas tree. I suppose that now is as good a time as any to say that I have not a clue in the world why, but there are Christmas decorations up everywhere in the dorms. It’s strange, especially given that only approximately 4% of the 23 million people that live in Taiwan are actually Christian. Come to think of it, that might explain why they are still up. Maybe they don’t know Christmas only happens once a year.

Our elevators. They are lovely and efficient and are only operational when it is raining. However, I maybe might have acquired the power to turn them on at any time. Maybe. Shhhhh. It’s a secret. Please note that there are Christmas decorations stenciled on the door of the elevator on the left.

There are a couple of phones in the lobby for those who are gifted with calling cards. You can’t receive calls, but you can dial out. I was saddened to see that in Taiwan, just as in the United States, there is a need for domestic violence services. I imagine that the Coast Guard number is there in case of typhoon, but I could be wrong.

If you are coming off of the elevators and turn left, we are the first door on the left. Come on in!

If you look to your right just as you walk in the door, you will be confronted with our bathroom. I find the lack of a door on the outside a little frustrating, given its proximity to the front door, but at least there are doors on the shower and the toilet areas.

The shower room. The water pressure is good, there are shelves for your shower necessities, and a towel rack that I don’t use. (I hang my towel over one of the bunk beds so that it will dry better and stay dry should my roommate decide to shower.) As long as you remember to get in the shower between 5 and 10:30 pm, you are pretty much guaranteed hot water. Around 10:30 the hot water starts its journey to becoming lukewarm, and by 11:15 it pretty much turns ice cold. No thanks.

The always scintillating toilet shot – the toilet was manufactured by a company called Shangri-La.

Finally, we have the sink. For the curious, my stuff is on the right.

This is kind of a shared desk. I was doing laundry today, so my laundry basket is out – it’s usually housed in one of my closets. The desktops don’t work too well, so we’ve relegated them to this desk, along with bottled water, sweet tea in juice boxes, the couple of snacks that were purchased as a welcome gift for us that we’ve not devoured yet, and the bottle of detergent that was also given to us upon our arrival.

The big, gaping hole is where my laundry basket usually resides. All my toiletries, medicines, and assorted other necessities live on the top shelf, my shoes on the bottom, and my shorts and t-shirts are in the middle. Fascinating, I know.

Since we are sharing a room meant for four students and we are only two people, we each get two closets! YAY! All my work clothes are in this one, along with assorted other clothing bits, and some state of Kentucky giveaways for the summer camp kids.

My desk! I usually sit with my back against the wall and my feet up on the chair closest to the closets. It’s quite comfortable.

We actually have two air conditioners in our room. This is the super special one that works all day long. We don’t bother with the other one. We usually keep the temperature between 25 and 27 degrees Celsius (77 – 80 degrees Fahrenheit), which is surprisingly comfortable. Well, surprisingly for me, anyway.

And here is my crib bed. I don’t sleep in the loft beds, mostly because coming down in the middle of the night to use the bathroom would suck. So I sleep on the crib. For someone who likes to sleep stretched out with at least one limb hanging off the bed, it’s not the most comfortable, but I’m adapting. The bed isn’t made because of the aforementioned laundry doing, but I usually sleep with my head towards the phone and stick one leg out of the opening. It suffices. Barely.

What I find most challenging, though, are the mattresses. There isn’t a lot of stuffing and they are backed with hard, tatami-like mats. Frankly, it’s just not enough and my hips really resent the bedding. I’m sleeping better, but I still wake up just about every time I turn over. I wish I could sleep on something other than my side, but that just isn’t going to happen. I originally only had one “mattress,” but I got another one after the first couple of days. It really hasn’t helped much, though.

Well, that’s the tour. Please close and lock the door on your way out!

Next up: Medicine, malls, and miscellany…. (Really.)