why yellow fever vaccines and fried chicken sellers suck

Time's slowly creeping closer to the end of my first year in Taiwan and my vacay to Africa.


In preparation for Africa, I decided to head to the hospital to get pills and vaccinations. In particular, I have to get a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate to authorize my visa into Ghana (SEE! I'm not gonna get kicked out this time!!). I went to the hospital, got lost, and took a cab there. The cab driver had no idea what I wanted even though I though I had the Chinese address and kept saying "hospital" and coughing and acting sick so he'd bring me to the hospital. A few loops later, I reached my destination only to be told that said hospital did not have a yellow fever vaccination. Ok, no problem. Jumped in another cab and went to hospital 2. Hospital 2 was severely lacking in English-speaking staff and getting them to understand I wanted a vaccine for an upcoming trip to Ghana with my limited Chinese was about as possible as me training a legless man to tap dance. Finally, an English speaking doctor brought me upstairs and told me they too did not have the vaccine. They wrote down the Chinese address of a third hospital and I jumped in another cab. I walked in this hospital to ask the service desk where to go only to be bombarded by a random Taiwanese chick chatting away to me in Chinese. I just looked at her and said, "no" because I felt approximately like this:

Unfortunately, she switched to English and asked me if I was an English teacher. Guilty - I was wearing my work polo with HESS plastered on it. I told her I was, and she told me her friend sometimes sells me fried chicken sometimes. WHAT. 

She proceeded to talk to me for about 15 minutes, asking me questions like, "where is your Taiwanese friend to help you?". She was the female equivalent to the annoying guy at the bar who keeps pestering, "where's your boyfriend tonight?" except wanting to be my friend. Apparently she asked my name back in September and actually remembered it, which is both impressive and downright creepy, especially since I have no recollection of ever talking to my fried chicken vendor's bff. 


After I finally got rid of her, surprise! Hospital 3's yellow vaccinator doesn't work past 3pm.


Total counts for this afternoon: 4 cab rides, 3 hospitals, 2 hours lost, 1 head ache, and 0 yellow fever vaccines.

On the plus side, according to a random Taiwanese girl, I have very sexy arm hair. 

Don't act like your not impressed.