A Costco Run!

I realize that one of the misunderstandings about Taiwan, and there are many, is that you can't get American products here.  Well, that's a whole load of BS.  You can get pretty much anything here and today I got to see just that at the local Costco.  Yup, they've got 2 of them in Kaohsiung and they are massive!!

Although my goal is to live a minimal life, there are things that do help a home feel like a home and that is exactly what I wanted at Costco.  One of my fellow teachers, Jen, who is also my mentor here, offered to drive us because it's too far to go by bicycle and we would have to get things home anyway.  I have to be realistic about what will fit in a bicycle basket.  The store officially opens at 10:00 but we got there at 9:30 and they were open.  It's a good thing we did, it got insanely crowded and busy in there by the time we left at 11:30.  There are food and drink samples everywhere so people stand in line to taste things like almond milk, oat milk, whiskeys (I did taste those of course - it's noon somewhere) and many different foods.

I am easily overwhelmed when I'm shopping.  Must be something missing in my female DNA because shopping is exhausting.  Even when I have a list, it's so hard to stay focused when you are wandering around such a huge place.  I did get a few things that I was aiming for....a counter top convection oven, pillows for my couch, bath mats and a few items I haven't found in Kaohsiung yet like peanut butter.  Such small things but they totally made a difference in how the apartment feels. You can see for yourself.

Here's my new convection oven.  Now I'll be able to bake a potato or just bake in general.  The problem is that all of the controls are in Chinese so I'm not sure how to use it yet.  I'll bring the directions to school and will ask there.

 Even the papers that came with it are in Mandarin. I love that is says "For use in Taiwan only." Um....why?

I got myself a yoga mat, which I'm so happy about.  It's all marble, wood and tile here so I need a soft place to salute the sun and downward dog on.

Finally, I bought great food items like English muffins, peanut butter, different cheeses (feta, fresh mozzarella), portabella mushrooms, Roma tomatoes (gonna make a sauce tonight) and a plethora of other foods for my pantry.  Yippee!  I mean, I can totally live without peanut butter but while I was there, it was great to grab it because it's an easy snack or lunch to bring when I'm feeling overwhelmed.

Tomorrow I will stop by the afternoon market on the way home to stock up on local fruits and veggies and I'll be all set for the week.  I leave to come back to the states next Tuesday the 19th so I don't want too many things sitting in my fridge while I'm gone.  Now it's time for me to finish planning my first week of school and then make myself a wonderful meal.  Life, my friends, is good!