Lauren's Adventures in Taiwan

So, before I get too far, NO WORRIES - everyone in Taiwan is 100% safe and sound. The only damage is to some buildings a few hours south of me and communication lines bound for China, Japan, and Hong Kong. 2 eathquakes happened last night (both between 6.7 and 7.1 on the Richter scale) and one this morning...I honestly had no clue what was happening. I was outside with some friends and I suddenly couldn't walk very easily. And I looked up at the buildings to see them swaying. My apartment with my host family is on the 12th floor...I'm happy I wasn't there! One was around 8:20 pm and my friends predicted that there would be another around 8:30pm - they were right! There was also a bit of an aftershock in the middle of the night and early this morning.

That's my story - off to do some homework and meet up with a few Rotarians!

Warmly,

Lauren

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

I hope that this post finds everyone in the midst of a happy holiday season! For me, Christmas in Taiwan was totally diferent but also lots of fun. December 25th has never been a public holiday in Taiwan mainly because there are no Christians on the island. So, instead, I took a holiday! Actually both Monday and Tuesday as holidays! :)

My weekend was spent in Nantou County with a large amount of foreigners (that is another story!!! but just know that it was fun!). We finally returned to Taichung on Sunday evening. I went with 2 of the other Americans and one of our Chinese teachers to a hotel...we split the rate! It was super nice. And they had comfy beds (not the cardboard ones!) and carpeting on the floors!!!! We spent Christmas night hanging out, talking, and watching movies (The Polar Express and Miss Congeniality). On Christmas Day at around 6:30, my family called me! YAY! It was the perfect way to wake up! Then I opened presents for a couple of hours with the other Americans...my gifts are the best of 2 cultures! I got a scarf, chopsticks, books, jewelry...the list goes on and on! At first I thought being so far from my family meant that Christmas could be boring/bad, but I had a special Christmas celebration and didn't once feel homesick! After opening all the presents, we went down and feasted on the complimentary western-style breakfast. It was good. And the scrambled eggs were amazing (its like a delicacy in taiwan!!!).

Eventually, we had to check out of the hotel. I came home (actually we all went to the art museum via taxi) and then relaxed and enjoyed my presents even more! Thanks so much to all those that sent cards/gifts. I hope you know how much I appreciated it! :-) Later on in the afternoon, I went out with my pals that own a coffee shop down the street. Monday is their holiday so it worked out perfectly - they took me to their hometown of Changhua (about 10 or 20 min from Taichung) and we had a bit of holiday fun! Meaning, we had dinner and walked around. We stopped at Buddha Mountain...a mountain with a buddha on top. And we got to see Taiwanes war airplanes. Oooh, but the best was overlooking the city/Taichung county at sunset!

The rest of my Christmas was spent singing Christmas songs and doing su doku/reading! LOTS of fun, really!!! I miss everyone LOTS and I hope you had a wonderful holiday, too!!! :)

Lauren

For all those of you who spent Friday digging your cars out of the snow, I am sooooo genuinely sorry! I miss the snow LOTS! :) But it is finally getting cooler here - and the Taiwanese think that it is actually pretty darn cold right now...around 65 degrees F with a breeze. I am thoroughly enjoying the pleasant weather! But I did put on a sweatshirt on Saturday while hiking in the mountains! There is a first time for everything!

So that is what I did on Saturday...I went hiking in a nearby mountain park with my new host family. It was a lot of fun, considering the weather was perfect! And we hiked for 5 hours...a long time...but I had so much fun. It was also a really great opportunity to be with my host family and get to know them! We returned to our home (all really tired!) and then we relaxed for a bit. I decided to go back to the mountains with my family and spend the night in our 2nd home in Dakeng. It was so peaceful and cool! And I slept really well despite the beds being really hard! I also woke up around 2:30 am to call a few friends and my mom/bro. Lots of fun!

Yesterday, Sunday, was spent relaxing. We woke up (still in Dakeng) and then we drove around for a bit on these narrow, country/mountain roads. Then we had breakfast and returned to Taichung. I went out with my host bro and one of his classmates for lunch. We had Subway!!! But, I think that Subway is better in America. Especially the Italian B.M.T...but it was worth trying! For the rest of the afternoon, I watched a movie, studied, and went to bed really early! The movie I watched was good...something with Pierce Brosnan about art - "The Crown Project" I think. But I used to hate it when I was little. And now I love it. Funny how time/circumstances can have an effect on one's perspective.

Stay dry and warm everyone!

Lauren