Expat from Taiwan recalls meeting Taiwanese girlfriend.
Roses for the special day (Ellywa).
BY PAUL WADE
I met Allison at Taipei Main Station, the main hub for departing trains and subway cars on the little island of Taiwan. I was going down the subway entrance to take the train to work. During my underground trip, I passed by a fruit shop that sold smoothies. I went into the store to order a Banana and Strawberry Shake, but to be honest, the two attractive young women behind the counter are what caught my attention.
Usually, I’m up for a little bit of conversation, but I was a little tired from the week, so I didn’t really want to talk. (Yes, it’s true. I didn’t feel like talking.) But I just couldn’t help myself. The power of attraction is great. I had the girls cracking up within minutes. I love humor: It’s the greatest icebreaker–that and a little talk about movies. You should have seen me ask for Allison’s number. It was kind of dorky, but it still made a nice garnish on this poetic dish.
But before I get ahead–and too full of myself–let me backtrack and tell you how I got to the fruit store. Right after my workout, I took a subway entrance next to my gym to go to my school to teach children English. Halfway down the stairs, there is a detour to a food court. In Taipei, many food courts, malls and department stores are found underground. But, like Canada, Taipei still has its share of above ground department stores and districts. Allison’s fruit vendor was in that food court.
Allison works most days of the week with intense hours. This means it’s hard for us to spend time together during normal working hours, so we spend most of our time together after hours. This is convenient though because I work afternoons and finish at night. She’s not a big drinker and I’m not really into the loud bar scenes too much, so I try to find lounges and all-night eateries. Because I can’t drive a car or a scooter I use the Subway map as my measuring stick for choosing different locations. It’s worked out to be pretty good to our advantage. iT!
Paul Wade was with Allison for almost two years before parting ways once he returned to Canada.
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