Hot Pot and Mandarin

It's so strange! I feel as the Wednesday has being stolen from the week! Really, I did get scared when I was told that today was Friday and here in Taiwan is already Saturday!
I'm getting dizzy about how time is going fast, faster indeed!

Even though one day of my week was stolen...really I didn't see the Wednesday this time, I did a lot of things and one of them was going out with very nice people and I was able to enjoy great conversations! I have written about Taiwanese people but I always think that I miss some details or that I didn't say enough!
Going out with them really means having a great time! They are funny, cordial, and they really take time to explain and answer all questions and comments with a huge smile and an opened heart! They also try their best to make sure you are feeling comfortable and enjoying the place we are in!

We went to a Hot Pot restaurant and it was my first time there! When the food started being served I really was amazed and shocked by the amount of food! It could feed myself for one week or so and I'm not kidding!
The table has wholes where the pots are fixed. Each eater has her/his own pot and the control of its temperature as you can see in a photo below! The food you order comes raw to the table and you boil it in the hot pot and you season it with the selection of sauces available!

It was really good! I ordered fish and crustaceans and the side dishes were rice, lettuce, cabbage, mushroom and rice cake! I was told that everything, except the rice, should be boil and I just followed the crowd! What a dinner! I enjoyed everything, it tasted soooooo delicious!

Hot pot table!

Typical Taiwanese Hot Pot restaurant!
It's a lot of food and little Irene didn't stop eating...

It's really hot the hot pot!
The smoke is everywhere!

And my Mandarin class! The teacher is sooooooo cute, patient and her voice sounds so tuned to my out of tune ears! Thank God she laughs on my lack of tongue skills to reproduce exactly the so similar pronunciation of some group of "letters"!

I'm taking Mandarin at Chung Yuan Christian University, in Jungli and I'm really enjoying it! In fact I'm being able to even say some basic phrases and I'm very proud of it! Tonight I tried some of them on my friends and they even understood me right away! I almost exploded in joy!

I'm having a great time here in Taiwan and I'm so in huge need of having a great time that I'm enjoying it until the last drop!
Tomorrow I'll go to the National Museum in Taipei! As the weather didn't change a bit, I'll take the time to do indoors tourism and the National Museum sounds just perfecty!

Christine and me having fun...

I can understand what is written on the board!
Unbelievable!