Categories
in taiwan

japanese encephalitis vaccine

japanese encephalitis is one of those diseases that, if you get it, things can get irreversibly bad pretty quickly. the chances of being bitten with the mosquito that carries it and getting symptoms are low, so doctors only recommend the vaccine for longer stays in asia, or trips that involve going to the countryside during mosquito season… but it’s a statistics game, really. knowing that 1 in each 4 symptomatic cases are fatal, i really didn’t want to risk it.

after checking in portugal (and poking a few pharmacies in spain as well), we quickly realized it was not going to happen, and an email to the lab that makes them confirmed that they’re having trouble delivering stock to southern europe… so when we were planning the trip, the thought crossed our mind that we might as well get it in taiwan.  we checked, the price didn’t seem to be that different from what we’d pay in portugal, so let’s book it!

when the day came, things were a little messy… a bit like a paper chase around the hospital! go to the other building of the hospital -> register -> talk to the doctor -> take this paper and go pay for everything -> get the vaccine from the outpatient pharmacy -> come back here to take it… pfeww! it took a couple of hours to go through all the steps, but somehow, we managed to do it. the doctor was young and chatty, perhaps a little surprised to see foreigners on holidays taking vaccines… but he explained everything carefully and even gave us suggestions of places to visit in taiwan. :) the hospital wing we were at was quite crowded with people going about their appointments and exams, but somehow, everything seemed to work. when we got to the hospital’s pharmacy, the prescription was already ready and waiting for us.

the vaccine itself was easy-peasy: super quick and painless and no significant side-effects afterwards. and now we wait a couple of weeks and we’ll be immune for the next 20 years. check! ✔️

Categories
in taiwan

taipei manhole covers

ok! so we’re in taipei, and i’m going to try to document our time here like i did in thailand, with one short post for every day. just simple stuff,  whatever has been making us look. and first up, we’ve been looking down at manhole covers!

manhole covers are a form of art in japan, where they have hundreds of different ones on all kinds of topics. some years ago they came to taipei too, with a few commemorative ones spread around the city. for me it’s always exciting when someone has taken the time to make a bit of boring infrastructure less boring and more special, and this is just a great example of that.

i feel like going around town hunting for these, adding them to a collection. the colored ones are great, but even the more simple covers are beautiful here. makes you want to roll some ink over them and stamp them on a t-shirt!

Categories
general weeknotes

weeknotes, 12/23

— finally heading to taiwaaaaaaaan! 🇹🇼 i’m writing these words on a delayed train to lisbon… i hope we’ll make it to our flight in time. fingers crossed!

– the week before something big and exciting is always a drag, but this week has been so full with errands and family and work that i feel like it has passed in the blink of an eye. i don’t know where time went. we’ve spent a lot of it with our families, eating, chatting, playing boardgames, visiting sick people… i’m grateful for all these moments.

– incidentally, i’ve been sleeping rather badly lately… so on the upside, lots of reading is happening in the middle of the night. i’ve finished “encyclopedia of an ordinary life” by amy krouse rosenthal (where this quote comes from) and it was a lovely memoir, in an unusual but interesting format. it reads a bit like the book of disquiet, random fragments that float to the top and tell something about a person. i’ve started “green island”, a chunky book that mixes fiction with the history of taiwan, and also loaned “shades of milk and honey”, “mouth to mouth” and “the gentle art of fortune hunting” for the flights. i hope these will be good!

– we had fogaça and regueifa, from bakeries that still wrap their things in beautiful paper! 😍

– and in more food news, francesinha with the boy! ah, there’s nothing quite like visiting our favorite francesinha place to catch up on the familiar flavors.

Categories
one second everyday

february 2023 — one second everyday

i’m a bit late with last month’s video, but here we go!

february was a month for reading, planting trees, seeing friends, redoing the garden, spending time in alentejo, learning baby-russian… it was a good month. :)

Categories
just life weeknotes

weeknotes, 11/23

– after all the packing and the cleaning, we arrived at the train station at 6am on wednesday, only to discover the railway workers were on strike and our train wasn’t going to come… so we drove north instead, which feels like a waste of gas and reading time, but it’s not the end of the world.

– we spent time at my parents, whose love language is cooking up a feast every time we’re home. this weekend was the camellia’s fair at their hometown, and the whole place was brimming with people and excitement. children were dressed up with flowers and marched in the main street, tv channels interviewed people… everyone seemed happy.

– the four-book saga of lila and lenu has finally come to an end, and i feel a little empty. i’ve been reading and listening to these books for three months now, following their lives as they unfold like a violent soap opera. the naples of 50 years ago felt like a vicious place, with forces pulling in all directions and conflict taking place in everyone’s doorstep. how small the world was back then (the size of a neighborhood), and how things have changed since, especially for women… i’ll miss these two, and their love-hate relationship.

– as a sidenote, it’s amazing how much i’ve read since i stopped reading fanfiction… which is to be expected, but i’m kind of blown away by it nonetheless. books are still not as satisfying as fanfiction for the most part… but i’m trying to branch out and explore different styles, find my way to the things and authors i like. it’s been fun!

– the new camera is here! it’s unbelievably slim, and unlike most cameras i’ve owned, the film rolls from right to left. i loaded it with a long-expired ilford pan that has been languishing in the fridge for years, and have been snapping away with it. can’t wait to see what comes out!

– this is a little ridiculous, but i’ve become the kind of person who is so sensitive to coffee that having tiramisu for dessert at dinnertime will keep me awake at night. sigh.

– one week until taiwan!!!!!