Taipei, a city filled with dreams of people as well as vanity of life, has been my temporary home for over 4 years. Though I technically first moved into Taipei when my University life started, I've actually had been to Taipei for many times during my elementary school stage (due to my aunt in Taipei). In my memories, Taipei was like a fantasy world which contains all kinds of stuff a person can ever imagine - lines of skyscrappers, pedestrians with most cutting-edge outfits and styles,  department stores along with immense areas of appealing shops, the world-wide famous National Palace Museum, and the most  advanced mass transportation at the time - MRT. All of these I cannot see it anywhere else in Taiwan, and all of these was like a conglomeration of glamor. In my childhood, Taipei was like a good dream to me - beautiful but short, and beyond comparable. As a result, when I moved from home (which is located in Yunlin, Huwei) to Taipei 4 years ago, it was like a dream came ture. I could visit everywhere I've remembered and explore anywhere I've never been, and was glad to find that Taipei is still fabulous as I recalled. With various selections for natural sightseeing, numerous areas with modern fashion/unique shops, gorgeous historical monuments, and all kinds of people, Taipei is surely like a kaleidoscope of life.

 

    Nevertheless, living in a big city is not problem-free. The major defect of Taipei is air-pollution. Though I love cloudy and murky weather (and hate that scorching sunny day), I would only love it when it happens "naturally". Sadly, Taipei is often covered in hazy weather, and most of the time it wan't caused solely by natural force. As a result, the air-pollution in Taipei has given me a nasal allergy which happens very often when I returned home in Yunlin, and when it happens I just can't stop sneezing, which is extremely annoying. The other prominent defect is that people here are less enthusiastic about helping others. Many people would think that it's just a stereotype, but they'd know it's true if they come from less-developed counties like Yunlin. In Yunlin, if you ask people about direction of a place, most of them would kindly explain explicitly about the route. In Taipei, if you ask people the same thing, you'll also find one who's willing to tell you after failing 5 times if you're lucky enough. Some of them would say "I don't know, sorry" whether they know or not just to save time, and that can be disappointing if a person's really in need of help. However, the life in Taipei is still pleasant, and some of the features can be seen in both ways as merits or defects. For instance, non-stopping raining is a key feature of Taipei.  While some might consider it bad, I actually loves raining a lot, especially raining in the city. It makes me feel that it's cleansing the whole city as well as my soul (huh?), and brings the tranquility to the often-buzzed streets. The other famous feature is the ever-lasting busy traffic on the road. Whenever you take a look at some major spot of traffic, there'll definitely be some crazy motor drivers squeezing their way to the front of the line despite that there are dozens of cars right next to both their left and right. If that's not crazy enough then check out the situation after the light goes from red to green - all the cars and motorcycles racing together as if they're playing "Need For Speed" (a car racing game). From my point of view, this is somehow interesting. Yes I know that chaotic traffic might cause serious accidents, but if a person had been through the feeling of speeding up and bypassing cars on the road, it would definitely leave a deep impact on his/her mind. To me, it's exciting and makes me feel that I'm adapting to the chaotic aspects of city life, which I've been longed for since I was a child. (Plus I'm not some illegal car racer, this is what drivers in Taipei must learn, don't get mistaken!)

 

    Taipei is a city full of surprises, and has brought me many precious memories, regardless of positive or negative. I love Taipei not only because of its own beauty, but because I love the feeling of city way more than country. As a result, I think I might feel kinda depressed if I was in Chung Cheng University. It doesn't mean I look down upon academical performances of CCU, I just don't know if I can live in an  university totally without any shops and even people on the road right outside it. I've been to CCU once in a summer camp program in the end of my elementary school. There were lots of features of CCU that surprises me, like they have a small golf court, a consummate stadium for rock-climbing, a fine steak house (don't know if it still exists), etc. But the most stunning of all is that I can't even see anything other than fields when I look around outside at the main door. Maybe that's a wonderful news for country-lovers, but to me, it's like purgatory. However, it can also be a merit too, because students wouldn't have too many choices for entertainment after classes, consequently they'd study hard (I suppose?). But as I got myself transfered to FJU this year, the city life has also left me behind now. Thus I guess I'll just have to focus on studying too. Anyway Hope you have a perfect life in the 4 years in CCU!