For my last day in Taiwan, it seems befitting that I have arrived at the airport SIX hours ahead of my departure time. Yes, I let the nagger win, bc I was too damn exhausted to fight.

Yesterday (Day 6) was actually a decent day: my aunts came over, and surprisingly, my mother agreed to leave the house and let the caretaker cook, clean, and chaperone my grandparents. We all rode the metro to the Cicao Sugar Fields, a touristy, historic preservation spot that used to be sugar plantations. The temps have been unusally hot lately even for this time of the year in Taiwan, but we managed to clock a few thousand steps walking around on some easy trails. Thank goodness for my youngest aunt: she’s the only one out of all my father’s siblings who appreciates the simple pleasures of life. She knows how to stay active plus maintain perspective and have some fucking fun. Everyone else is all about the struggle and suffering.

After our short outing, we hit up Hansin department store, bc my father tasked my oldest aunt with buying a portable heater for my grandparents. I think it’s total overkill, but my father “over-cares” for his elders, and then his siblings are always ready to help him when he asks so it will just be done.

Sometimes chores here seem so damn laborious though. I don’t know if it’s bc my aunts are low-tech or if Taiwan is inefficient. For example, dad wants to buy a heater similar to the one he bought my brother last year. I guess no one knows the brand, so we go to the store. They see what they want, but then they want to price check. Normally, I would just snap a pic of the model/brand and either 1) research online and maybe even buy/ship from online or 2) call around the area stores to see if the item is in stock and how much. Well, the way they do it here, they call their kids and ask them to go to the stores nearby to price check. WTF?!! Do you really need like four people to work on this task? And why can’t they just call the department store? I really don’t understand. I ask about the other methods of doing this research, but people just want to stick with their tried and true. So fine, buy the appliance the hard way. As it turns out, I called my oldest aunt twice today already, and both times she was out looking for this portable heater. Ridic. Then again, if everyone is retired, maybe this is the only way to get them out of the house? Who knows.

In other news, my face is breaking out again. A big boil on my nose. Ugh, I really need to get home ASAP.

That said, I did have a nice visit today with two of my younger cousins. They took us out to an Italian spot. It was tasty, and it was really nice to see them. Both cousins (they’re sisters) have young kids, and they are always so calm and patient. They drive like 4-5 hrs every other weekend to go home and visit their parents. Mind blown. And no one seems to mind sitting and hanging around with family. Sometimes I really wonder what the hell is wrong with me. Why do I have to get so angry and irritable, esp around my family? I dunno. I have issues.

OMFG, it’s only 8p. I have so much time to kill. I am so tired. I guess I’ll go to the bathroom now and layer up for the flight. Maybe I’ll take off all the makeup and just get ready for bed. I’m pretty dang beat.