Phil, you went to quite a few of the games.

Two of them.

Yeah, and how did you think of the games?

They were, they were...

There's some...

What was that?

Where's the sound coming from?

Yeah, no, they were good. It was a lot of fun.

People were... the crowds were loud and everything, and I got to see, you know, world-class athletes doing what they do best. It was exciting.

Do you feel like Taiwan gave all of their energy and warmth to receive these athletes from around the world?

Definitely. Yeah, they were very supportive of everybody, doesn't matter what country they were from.

It feels that way, because quite a few of them went back home and started to write on blogs and talk about Taiwan quite a bit.

And some of the things they talked about, we thought, are pretty funny.

So today, we're going to go through some of these, quote-unquote, lasting impressions of Taiwan on these Universiad athletes.

Because, after all, they come from all different backgrounds, all sorts of cultures.

But, seeing as someone who has been to Japan before, what did you... you're a Canadian, right?

Yes, I am.

So, what did you think of Taiwan when you first came here?

It's hot.

And humid.

Yeah, really hot and humid.

But, I don't know, I was... it took me a while to find toilet paper.

What?

I was expecting it to be in rolls. I didn't realize that it comes in, like, these square packages that you have to, like...

Oh!

So, you weren't sure if those could go...

Well, I didn't know what it was. I couldn't read Chinese at the time.

And my friend, like, sent me a picture, like, by the way, this is what toilet paper looks like.

Oh, that's a very thoughtful friend.

Talk to the mic, talk to the mic.

Taiwan is actually, like, the last country who used this kind of toilet paper.

Really?

Yeah.

Taiwan...

Yeah, because we used that when we were poor.

Oh.

When you're really poor, you don't even use toilet paper.

Well, I guess.

Or leaves.

I don't want that part.

Oh, we got a packet right here. Okay, let's talk about toilet paper for a second.

Do you find this to be a good, sort of, applicant, or, you know, something that you can apply and get these done?

Like, Philip.

Do I find that it works?

Do you find that it works, basically?

And if it doesn't, what's wrong with it?

I don't know, it's fine.

It's a perfect square you can fold it into.

It's fine. I mean, what I do like about it is how it's, like, versatile.

Like, if I need to, like, blow my nose, I don't need to, like, try to rip it off of the roll.

I can just take one.

That's true.

Just don't confuse it, you know.

Don't, like, blow your nose and then put it, or vice versa.

Well, usually when you've used it once, you get rid of it.

Oh, is that how you're supposed to do it?

How poor are you over there?

Alright, anyway.

Toilet paper is one thing.

That was your first impression of Taiwan.

You couldn't find toilet paper.

Yes.

What else do you think is worth mentioning that may actually come up on this list of people's lasting impression of Taiwan?

Well, people were friendly and helpful.

I mean, at that point, it wasn't really, like, you know, it wasn't really more than anywhere else.

I didn't feel like people, except for actually once when I was trying to find a hiking trail with my friends that I just met, my new classmates.

We asked this woman in a family mart, and we asked her if she knew where the trail was.

And then she walked us all the way there, and it took, like, ten minutes.

I mean, it wasn't a short walk.

So that was nice.

She accompanied you.

So she showed us, because she figured, you know, she directed us.

Also because Taiwanese streets are really hard and confusing.

Yeah, they're strange.

So anyways, I guess that's why she thought it was probably necessary.

Did she leave you with a packet of toilet paper just in case?

She did not.

And I don't know if we'd want to take it on a hike with us.

Alright, so Rachel and Yvonne, we're going to run down a list of some of these athletes' lasting impressions on Taiwan.

Alright.

And you're going to tell me whether or not you think it's true about Taiwan, okay?

Okay.

First off, convenience stores are convenience.

Yes.

They do everything they open anytime.

Yes.

Do you guys feel like you're being spoiled with convenience stores in Taiwan?

Yes.

Definitely.

Have you ever been to convenience stores outside of Taiwan?

Anybody?

Yeah, for sure.

Korea and Japan.

Okay.

How do we compare?

But the ones in Japan are like the same.

Well, yeah, yeah.

Right.

The one in Japan is kind of the same.

If not better, right?

Japanese convenience stores, they have more selections of usually beverages or food.

Yeah.

Yvonne, you've been to Japan and Korea, right?

How does Korea's, you know, 7-Eleven or, you know, they don't have Family Mart, I guess.

It's not as good as Taiwanese because like we make coffee, we make hot food, we microwave everything.

We even have to make bubble teas.

They don't do that.

That's true.

They don't do that in Korea.

And this is speaking from, coming from someone who actually lives off the nearest Family Mart.

Yes.

To the company.

Yes.

Okay.

So, it's convenient here in Taiwan.

Rachel, you've lived abroad before.

Yeah.

So, I was in Montreal for half of my life and the convenience stores, they're closed at 11 p.m.

Oh, actually, yeah.

I remember that.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

Don't, but there's 7-Eleven.

No?

No.

7-Eleven is the closest.

But in Montreal, no.

Really?

We don't have that.

We actually don't have 7-Eleven in Montreal.

Oh, that's because you don't have it.

But if it was there, it would be open 24 hours.

I would hope so.

Because, I mean, 7-Eleven is always open 24 hours.

In the other, in the rest of Canada, it is.

On Vancouver Island, they just have...

Of course we have 7-Eleven.

We have, we have, okay, I lived in West Vancouver where we had one 7-Eleven that used to open 24-7 and then it stopped doing that by the time I hit high school.

As long as I can remember, even when I went back to Canada, you know, this year, the town that I'm from is like 7,000 people and there's one 7-Eleven and it's open 24 hours.

Interesting.

So I guess it's not always the case.

It's not the same everywhere.

I just assumed 7-Eleven never closed.

We have jokes in English about how it doesn't close.

I don't remember any of them.

But we do.

Don't ask me.

I was about to ask you.

Okay, well, that's one thing.

Convenience stores are very convenient.

What about lining up?

Apparently these athletes also think that Taiwanese people really love lining up.

Taiwanese people really love lining up but I don't.

Like what kind of lines are you talking about?

Have you ever lined up for anything that you thought was sort of silly?

Um, I lined up for Lady Gaga's concert ticket.

Okay, well, yes.

You gotta line up for that one.

Is that kind of silly?

No, something silly that you lined up for.

Like food.

Food, like what kind of food?

Sometimes not even restaurant food, right?

Like a vendor.

Yeah, sometimes like a vendor.

But I never lined up for that.

Oh, I know.

I would just skip it.

Okay, we went to Jiao Xi and then this is the, what is it?

Chong You Bing.

People love lining up for that.

But it's everywhere.

Like Chong You Bing, like food stalls are everywhere.