It was rainy in Taiwan those days. Even when I woke up and the sky was clear in the morning, at last in the afternoon when I finished my Chinese language class, the sky would still turn gloomy, ready to rain on my parade. People often ask about the climate here, they think that the weather would be nice like how the country represented itself. I would tell you it was worse. When it rains, it rains cats and dogs, stopping for a while, letting you to have enough time to catch a bus and then starts to rain again all day long. Someday it almost like London, drizzling, grey cloud spreading like a huge blanket in the sky like you would never get to see the sun again, not that soon. When it was sunny, it was hot but not burning like the sunbeam in Bangkok. Taiwan as an island country makes a burning and dampish sunny day. The humidity is high and it feels like walking by the seaside where it is all hot and clammy with the moisture sticking on your skin. The weather here never brought me good feelings.
     The climate here made me feel like a wet trash bag and did not want to go out anywhere far even if I only had a chance to stay here three months. Without getting rid of my old habit, I finally found one Starbucks nearby my neighborhood I lived in, just ten minutes walking from my apartment and 15 minutes riding a bus from my language center. I love sitting in Starbucks because they can provide me the same quality of service like a barista, nice smell of coffee and most importantly, a charging service. This Starbucks was not big but they at least could afford two floors in one block. Most people were here for a buy 1 get 1 free promotion.
     I usually brought a laptop with me to study or work here and sometimes to watch series or some oldies but still goodies anime. I was so focused on myself that I did not notice anyone or anything else. The barista remembered me quickly because one, I was a foreigner, two I ordered the same menu every day and three I often sit in the same seat when it was available.
     That day the weather was so horrible that I got an emergency message about the upcoming typhoon. It would rain heavily all day so I decided to stay in Starbucks and wait till the storm gone. Unfortunately, a woman beside me, whom I assumed from her face was around thirty years old, said she noticed and remembered me because she had seen me here many times without me noticing her, I was very surprised. Speaking of my habit, I always notice or remember people I have frequently seen before in the same place or time even if we did not talk.
     After chatting with her for the first time, I finally knew she looked much younger than her true age a lot. She got short brown hair and a very skinny figure. She often wore a white tee, ripped jeans and carried transparent bag. I had never come across and have a conversation with strangers in the coffeehouse before. It was pleasantly new and soothing at the same time. I felt warm because she was nice to me and even showed me how I could get buy 1 get 1 free coupon at the counter. She was a housewife with one son who was going to attend high school. Her husband worked in a government. She every other day came here to had Matcha green tea Latte Frappuccino while bringing her English exercise textbook with her to practice.
     "I used to study in America eight years ago. I studied fashion designing. It is really hard to speak English fluently when you have no one to talk to when you came back here. So I do this for my own sake. I don't want my English skills to disappear." That was what she said about her routine. She took a turn to speak English with me while I took a turn to speak Chinese with her. I had a lot of conversation with her, mostly exchanging our opinion in our countries, news, and culture. At first, she thought I came from Hong Kong because of my Chinese accent which I had not noticed sounded like Hong Kong people. But It did make sense a lot because most of the locals were mistaken me as Hong Kong people every time when I spoke with them. It took us three times to ask each other names. I called her Mrs. Chen since it was her surname, short and easy to pronounce. She called me P. because she thought it was a pretty name while I did not.
     "Your name resembles Kourtney Kardashian's daughter’s name. She called her own daughter P. as known as Penelope.”
     That was the first time someone commented on my name like that. It was kind of memorable among all the things we had discussed together to be honest, not because I shared a name with Kardashian's daughter but because that was the first time someone apart from my mom told me my nickname was pretty.
     We met quite a several times to talk and discuss things. And when I finally flew back to Thailand. She still sent me a line message: ‘Yesterday I just went to Starbucks too! You must be really happy going home, find a chance to come back here sometimes soon!’
Looking back, I found myself appreciating a big showering typhoon that day. 

Peerada P.

6006614876