I Can Be Eclectic, Too!

I love shopping. It doesn't really matter what kind of shopping it is; whether it be for food, furniture, clothing for me, or clothing for others, I just love shopping. And it's no different now that I'm living outside of the U.S. Shopping still makes me giddy, and can change my mood for the better at any time.

The other night, we went out to the middle of Feng Yuan and wandered around the open-air shops for a little bit. My uncle and aunt have always said that clothing is more expensive here than in the states, so I have been talking myself out of clothing shopping here, because it would be (more of) a waste of money. But, upon venturing out into the little independently owned shops and markets out on the street, I've come to the conclusion that my aunt and uncle are SO wrong. For the knock-off brand sweaters, the dime-a-dozen crossbody bags, and the blingy CZ jewelry at least, it's way cheaper than anywhere in the United States where I could get the same thing. And knock-offs are awesome. Who doesn't love a cheap trendy item?

One of the other things I was also interested to figure out was where fashion actually was in Taiwan. Asians are known for their rather eclectic sense of style, and Taiwan--from what I could see--was no different. And, after looking in a bunch of stores and corner shops, I've come to the conclusion that fashion here is exactly like fashion in America; only it's intensified almost to the point of tackiness. Amusing, not surprising.

Of course, that didn't stop me from buying this scarf:

Isn't it so borderline?? I love it. I want to wear it every day. And for $170 NT (about 5.60 American dollars), I could have easily bought two. But I suppressed the urge. So don't worry.

So now, after getting my first real paycheck in March (I have to get a work permit, and an ARC card in order to open a bank account, don't you know) I am happy to say that I have a bit of shopping to look forward to. Which is awesome, because remember my closet? Yeah. Enough said.

Next week starts the three week Chinese New Year celebration. Which means we have a week off of school, and our students have a whole three weeks off of their regular Chinese school. Boy, are they excited! And so are we! A week to explore! A week to do nothing! A week of red envelopes! A week of nothing but food! What could be better?