Getting to know me: What is this blog about?

Tena koe e hoa, tena koutou katoa - greetings to all of you. As this is my first post (in two senses) here is some background to set the scene.


Where am I going?

Born and bred a kiwi, I am moving from the dulcet street lamps of Wellington, New Zealand, to the bright lights of Taipei, Taiwan. For those of you who are not so hot on geography, it's somewhere round-a-bout here:

Source: Wannadive.net

What am I doing?

For the next two years I will be studying Mandarin at the National University of Taiwan, which hosts the International Chinese Language Programme. My current level of mandarin? I hope you're talking about the fruit because when I arrive at the airport it will be a 50/50 shot on which bathroom is for the ladies. I am optimistic about those odds.

When am I moving?

The movers come next week. I touch down in June 2008.

What is this blog about?

This blog will cover:

• useful tips for expats moving to Taipei (Post label: Moving to Taipei)
• descriptions of local food, culture and sights (Post labels: Taipei food, Taipei culture, Taipei sights)
• observations on learning Mandarin from scratch (Post label: Learning Mandarin)
• notes of interest on day to day living in Taipei (Post label: Taipei life)

This blog will not include any of the following:

• politics
• policy
• salacious gossip
• anything inappropriate to read at work
• venting