Guest Blog: Mike's Typical Gaoshu Day

Hi! Mike Long here. I've been visiting Eileen for about three weeks now and have totally fallen in love with Taiwan, and in particular, her lovely town of Gaoshu. I thought I'd take over Eileen's blog for a day and show you my typical day in Taiwan's beautiful south.

First thing most days, I eat a ton of delicious fruit. Taiwan has introduced me to a variety of fruits that I had never seen or tasted before, and many are grown right here in Gaoshu. It's tough to keep up with all the bags of ripe, beautiful fruit that people seem to give us every day. So far, my favorites are Dragonfuit, Starfruit, and Wax Apples (not pictured, but still delicious).

Many days, I hang out with Shu Shu, Eileen's host father/landlord. He's super cool. He has a huge garage where he fixes many of the gigantic trucks that roll through town. When he has free time, he welds the spare parts into sculptures.

One day after welding, Shu Shu and I did some local campaigning for the upcoming election. It wasn't quite what I expected. Apparently shooting fireworks in Gaoshu is a very casual activity. To be performed anywhere - if you have a lot of big ones to launch, the best place is from the back of a small truck. Smaller fireworks can be launched from your driveway or garbage can.

Meanwhile, Eileen is at school, monitoring the scooter dropoff zone, or being mobbed by her adoring fans. I have to say, all of the kids in this town are super cute, and they all totally love Eileen Laoshi.



After school is when the real fun begins. Eileen picks me up on her scooter for our afternoon exploration. Often her co-teacher, Edward, will be our tour guide. Riding scooters is the most efficient, and most fun way to explore the local area .

We take trips to other towns, trips to waterfalls, or sometimes just go for a bike ride.


When evening comes, it's time for music. Whether it's laying down some jams while teaching the local fire department English, or auditioning for Gaoshu's number one metal band, we always try to shred late into the night.



Then after some more fireworks, and perhaps a late night snack of a sausage stuffed inside another sausage, it's bed time. Gotta rest up for the next day of Taiwanese adventures.


Thanks for all the good times Taiwan!