Out and About!

 Finally, my turn again to do a post! Just kidding... I've been asking my dad to do the posts as I recover. As Dad mentioned, we moved from the hospital to a very fancy Airbnb in a much nicer city than our previous hotel. Nothing smells like oil, which is great! I'm a strong believer in the importance of a change of scenery, so moving out of the hospital was amazing for my healing process. I hate, hate, hate hospitals with a passion: the smells, the sounds, and the feeling of the air just creep me out.

The first few days after surgery are usually the worst. It's really painful to swallow, so I don't want to eat anything most of the time. I'd like to read a book or watch a movie, but the super-strong pain meds (the ones with the opioids in them) wreck my concentration so my brain feels like it's floating three feet above my body. I spend most of my time in a dream-like state: not quite asleep, but definitely not fully coherent or present either. 

However, soon after we got to the new Airbnb, I was able to start reading a book for school (Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro... I definitely recommend it. Not quite sure what it's about yet because I'm only 30% of the way done, but I really like the author's style of writing). I've been so stressed catching up on summer homework because I'm a chronic procrastinator that I haven't had any time to read pleasure books yet (sorry Uncle Ron and Aunt Marge!! I'm really looking forward to reading Fourth Wing soon though). 

My food intake has consisted so far of ice cream, delicious Taiwanese tea, boba, jello, chocolate milk, and blended-up curry. I eat using a squirt bottle sort of sorts that has a really small opening to prevent me from choking on any chunks. Funny story... Sunday morning I was drinking curry for breakfast on the couch while my dad watched YouTube videos on the bed. A piece of food got stuck in the opening, and, being the strong, independent girl who don't need no man that I am, I proceeded to squeeze the bottle with all my might to dislodge the chunk. It worked a little too well and a geyser of curry erupted from the bottle, hit the ceiling 12 feet in the air, and rained down on the surrounding couch, floor, and furniture. I found it hilarious, but my dad (who had to clean it)... not so much.

My dad and I have been going on walks throughout the day around our nearby neighborhood, and although I look like Quasi from the Hunchback of Notre Dame when I stand for too long (it hurts my hip, where they removed a strip of fat, to stand for a while), it's been really fun for the most part. We went to a night market on Saturday night, which sold a lot of food that I unfortunately couldn't eat. We went to Taipei Tower, which used to be the tallest building in the world, yesterday and explored the mall that was next to it. The mall was huge and super pretty!

 

Louis Vuitton cuz we're fancy like that

Father was feeling fabulous.

View of the tower from outside

On the way to the mall, we noticed that there were a lot of people cosplaying anime characters standing outside of a nearby building. Upon further inspection, we realized that there was a major video game, movie, and TV show convention right next to the Taipei Tower. Obviously, we snuck in and had a look. It was incredible.

                                            

We were supposed to go to the zoo on Saturday, but unfortunately, I could barely breathe through my mouth and nose from all the congestion/blood/mucus, so dad decided it wasn't a good idea to go on a super long walk. Bummer, because we missed out on some really cute koalas.

Today was a BIG day. First, we packed up our suitcases to check out of the Airbnb. Next, we took a train to the hospital for a post-op with Dr. Lo and a reunion with our BFF Aggie. Side note: if you're traveling with suitcases, you have to be a master at Tetris because the elevators in Taiwan are extremely small and everyone is trying to not be the loser who has to wait for the next elevator because they're too much of a wimp to shove themselves in there. 

Once we got to the hospital, we ate a quick lunch, then met with Aggie who brought us to our appointment with Dr. Lo. He did a quick look in my mouth, stated the obvious and said that I have to drink more water, and then removed the stitches around my nose and lip, and the tape on my hip and stomach. Then he said everything looked good, gave us his business card, and sent us on our merry way.

                                                    

My very beautiful selfie depicting the first time I had seen my face without any stitches. The brace over my nose (which I have to wear for about a month) is to protect the fat that they inserted into the bridge and give it time to heal. The stint in the nose (which I have to wear for six months for at least four hours a day) is used to train my nostrils to retain a certain shape.

                                                        

We checked into a new, fancy hotel that not only gave free breakfast but complimentary snacks and drinks in the room! It was definitely the nicest hotel my dad and I had ever set foot in. We unpacked and decided to check out the area. We grabbed some boba (obviously) and meandered around for about an hour before grabbing some microwaveable dinner at --you guessed it-- 7/11 before heading back to the hotel. 

                                              

Thus concludes day 12 in Taiwan.