Starbucks in my spot!

02.11.2009 10:39p.m.

Where in the World is D Today?

Making new friends at Starbucks!

Corporate America and Globalization ain't all bad.

As I have noted I do not have internet access in my apartment. So I couldn't take it anymore. I walked in to my friendly neighborhood starbucks and purchased WiFly for the next month. It was $500 dollars, and worth every penny to get me out of the house and something to do after work. But the great thing is tonight I met some new people. All of which came up to me, sort of. It was, say it with me, AWESOME! Let me introduce them to you.

First let me introduce you to Coke, yeah you read that right. I didn't ask.

Anyway, Coke was the young man that I met when I first got here. He set up my computer to use WiFly at Starbucks. Here's how it works. You buy a card with a password on it. When you get that put in on your computer, it sends you another password to your phone. Well I don't have a phone and can't get one until I have an Alien Resident Certificate. (It's Taiwans version of a Green Card) So good ol' Coke has it sent to his cell phone. Big, Bang, Boom, I'm on and rockin' and rollin'.


While Coke is getting me set up Timmy was watching from across the way. Timmy is a high school senior. Timmy just walks right over and asks to sit down.
OF Course!! We talk and joke for a good long time. I show him my facebook and blog. Some pics I have stored and are posting as I have time at work. He wants to share too, so I let him on my laptop and he shows me his blog and lots of pics of his friends. It was pretty cool. I decide I want to get to work writing and stuff. You know I went to Starbucks so I could get on the internet. But I just love this kid and have to have a picture. Enter Kirin and her sisters.

I noticed Kirin laughing at me a couple of times as I badly mispronounce some Chinese that Timmy is trying to teach me. Hey, it's part of the new language gig! Kirin immediately comes across as having a nice, fun spirit so I have her take a picture of me and Timmy. Timmy so does NOT want to do the typical Asian peace sign thing, because it's too girly so we get our thug mugs on, sort of. I'm still working on it.
Kirin is being so sweet so I ask her to take a picture with me. Kirin is like,"I am girly" so I play along and there you have this goofy picture of me and her.

We stand talking in the middle of Starbucks for several minutes when I finally just ask to sit. So of course I meet her sisters who are with her. Kirin, wearing green, is the most fluent in speaking English, but I discovered that they all understand English very well. Claire, where pink is a Teacher and the Elder sister. And Ray, wearing red, used to be a teacher, but is now studying Art Therapy if I'm not mistaken. They all loved to laugh and joke around. It was a great time.

I got to Starbucks a little before 8 and the girls have to leave around 10:15. OK, finally I can sit and write. Nope, Starbucks close at 10:30!! What?! Everything in this town stays open just about all night, but Starbucks closes at 10:30. Go Figure.









But "My Boy" Coke, tells me there's a Mos Burger that has a WiFly connection that stay open 24hrs. just down the street. Cool! So here I am telling you all about this Great evening I had sitting at the 24hr. Mos Burger. I had a Sprite and some fries. I'm sure they have burgers but, I'm just not that hungry.

This was so not the original topic of todays blog. But this was even better. AND I have semi-instant access. Hurray for me!

Rail against Corporate greed all you want. But thanks to Starbucks and it's wisdom in hiring good - caring people like Coke, I was able to make some new friends, in a new place, when I had none.