Dear Friend,

	People getting off the MRT

A lot of people live in Taipei, and there’s plenty of traffic to prove it. All those cars and motorcycles mean a lot of pollution. So to help solve the traffic and pollution problems, the Taipei city government built a subway system.

The MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) is five stories below ground in some places. During the summer months, it rains a lot here, especially when a typhoon hits. Two years ago, a typhoon flooded the MRT. They had to rebuild the entrances to the subway to stop water from entering the tunnels. You walk up stairs to go down into the MRT. Additional gates have been added that can be closed to block water.

The MRT is really easy to use. The signs are in Chinese and English, and announcements are made
in four languages: Chinese, Taiwanese, Hakka, and English. This is a good thing because tomorrow I have to start using the subway to get around Taipei all by myself! Wish me luck!

Your friend,

Carla