When I first arrived at the dorms of the 耕莘健康管理專科學校 (Cardinal Tien Junior College of Health Care and Management) in 三星 (Sanxing), my first impression was…

“I feel like I’m living in Silver Spoon“

Which is an anime about a kid from the city who goes to attend a farming school…in the middle of no where…

…an anime which I love!

So …

…it kinda looks like this on all sides…

And when I leave the dorm — which honestly is not often because it is extremely difficult to do so — there is only one destination: the Water Park I intern at.

Damn you Silver Spoon…

(how many selfies do you think I took with this spoon just for this blog post?)

Otherwise, because we eat on a schedule (breakfast is from 7:30-9:30am; Lunch from 11:30 to 1:30; and Dinner from 7:30 to 9:30pm ), life has quite literally become like this:

Gone are my days of exploring…if I go too far in one direction I might get lost cause all the field kinda look the same.

But sweet potatoes…

…the scenery is beautiful!

And the honest truth is despite being somewhat marooned, I kinda’ love it.

I live in this building.

And am a “VIP“ as the dorm staff like to joke considering I have the four bed dorm room all to myself, haha!

My bed mattress is pretty flat ( like 2 inches thick or something ) luckily all that sleeping on the floor as a child prepared me for the flatness (thanks Mom!)

I learned how to say “remote as F#$%” because I live here （偏僻 minus the cursing), and because for the first week or so I could only access the internet in the lobby, I ended up meeting a bunch of friends because people would come up to me and ask where I am from and why I’m here.

Being the only intern, an island in itself, definitely makes me a bit of a curiosity.  But, despite being the only American here,  I don’t feel like an island all on my lonesome.

Nor an empty hallway, silent and stiff.

because when it is silent, it is the silence of inner peace.

And when it is loud, it is Turkey’s never ending dance party loud (that post coming soon 😉 )