Mandarin is the official language that is taught and spoken in schools in Taiwan. Students also learn Taiwanese 台语, a Hokkien dialect from China that is taught in schools as well. You can find all the grandmas and grandpas speaking Taiwanese fluently. Taiwanese is mostly spoken in the Southern parts of Taiwan, so I hear it often here in Kaohsiung.
The New Taiwan Dollar (NT) is used in Taiwan. One USD is equal to 30 NT. The biggest bill is one thousand and the smallest coin is one cent, like with the US dollar!
A bottle of water (around 8 ounces) costs 15NT, or 50 cents! You can easily buy bottles of water in all convenience stores, such as 7/11.
This week, I tried a restaurant called Herb Garden with my friends. All the ingredients are locally grown in their outdoor garden. I ordered ribs with a salad. It was delicious!
