Lauren's Adventures in Taiwan

Hey Everyone!

Sorry I haven’t updated you lately. Here’s an annotated version of what I have been up to in the past few days. I hope to put pictures up in the near future.

SATURDAY

After everyone slept in, we went out for REAL ramen...it is very different from what you buy at Walmart. I like it much better too! We stopped by my father’s office to pick up some papers and then we drove by my school. It looks really nice from the outside, but I know that it is big (with lots of open air hallways) on the inside. I look forward to starting school soon!

The three of us girls decided that we would spend our afternoon shopping. On our way to our first department store, we saw a funeral in the middle of the street. Definitely much more ritual-orientated than what we see in the US…the mourners were wearing linen robes and there was a singer who cried for them (he literally cried in his singing…it wasn’t an explainable sound!!). After all of our shopping (an entire afternoon!!) I ended up buying only some stationary and a birthday card for a friend. We went to 2 department stores total – they each had at least 10 floors to them. One of them was sooooooooo full of people that you would’ve thought it was Christmas! Even though it was expensive to buy clothes (because it was a department store, my favorite jeans went for close to $100US) I still had lots of fun. Its really neat to see the locals because they are so trendy. Some of the stores that surrounded the Sogo department store included: Chanel, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Prada, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Tiffany $ Co., etc. Tina and I are going to go shopping sometime in the markets where there are cheaper prices and you can bargain for lower ones!

For dinner, we went to a little outdoor dumpling joint. I LOVE the dumplings here. They served us soup as well and a mystery meat. Before I could ask what the meat was, my host bro said that he would only tell me if I ate it. Go figure, because I picked up the smallest piece and ate it. Once I swallowed he told me that it was pig intestines. Definitely another experience where I tried the food and I don’t know if I will be eating large amounts of it again in the near future. J

When we got home, we watched fireworks live from Taipei on the TV…no particular reason for the fireworks…they just were celebrating life I guess. They were AMAZING – 6 sections of different fireworks to music that lasted about 20 minutes each. I loved it.

SUNDAY

Today we took a little bit of an escape from the busy city to go to my host father’s parents home in the countryside. It was beautiful. We left in the morning, and I missed some of the scenery on the way there because I fell asleep, but when I woke up, I saw that the city had disappeared completely and we were surrounded by houses, rice paddies, and the foothills of the mountain range. We gradually climbed up through the foothills and stopped out a lookout point. It was hazy, so we couldn’t see too far…but when its not hazy, you can see the Strait of Taiwan and mainland China. I did get to see the track for the high speed railway that is opening in October or so. It goes 140km (distance!) from Taichung to Taipei in 45 minutes. Pretty good, huh? Its cheap, too…which is even better.

When we got to my “grandparents” house, I realized that it was so much quieter than the city. He grows pineapples, coconuts, tea, and the eyeball fruit. I learned how to pick the eyeballs off the trees using a bamboo rod that is about 12 feet long. It was really fun – especially when it came to climbing in the tree. My host bro made fun of me, though. He said that I couldn’t do it very well. And of course I can’t…I can try, but I’ll never be as good as a Taiwanese farmer! During the eyeball picking procedure, a little girl rode by on her bike and shouted “MEI GUO REN!!” (that means AMERICAN!)…then she screamed and left. I nearly fell out of the tree because I was laughing so hard. She came back and started to spell “apple” – introductions were made and I found out that she is 9 years old and wants to learn more English. A really sweet encounter with a local! While we were at the farm, we also prayed to the ancestors. It was pretty cool! It was a really nice moment just to reflect on where I’m at and what I’ve been up to.

We returned home 8 hours later tired…my host dad kept trying to convince us to go swimming. We decided to go and see a movie instead – just me and my host siblings. We had McDonalds for dinner. And, yes, it is pretty close to the American version. But they have no double cheeseburger. And they serve corn soup as well as rice burgers. I stuck to the familiar chicken nuggets and fries. J Delicious, considering I don’t eat all that much fast food. We went to go see “The Breakup.” It was a cute movie overall, but the ending was HORRIBLE. The movie theater we were in was several stories tall…like I’ve said before, they build up and not out here! You are also given an assigned seat when you buy your ticket. No problem there, but the crammed all 20 of us that were at the movie in the back section. Kinda funny, if you ask me. And there were other foreigners as well (mostly Europeans!) so I wasn’t the only one that was being looked at.

After the movie, we returned home. Tina said she wanted me to meet one of her friends, so we went back out again until around 11pm. They served us super strong tea. And it was spiked with coffee. Weird combo, I know. But it was strong, nonetheless.

MONDAY

For some of you that are reading this, Monday is just now beginning! But here, since I am 13 hours ahead of the Central Time Zone, my day is coming to a close. We went this morning to my new school. We had a meeting with the Principal and the teachers as well as the 2 other Americans that will be at my school. We had the opportunity to pick out our classes…we can change them at any time. My school counselor, Eunice, is very sweet (she gave me my own chopsticks!) and wants to make sure that everything is good for me. Now before you look at my schedule, do note that I tried hard to get in math, Taiwanese history and geography, business environment, and basic accounting. But the head poohbas said they would all be too hard for me and that I shouldn’t take them. So here’s what I am taking for sure (which may change if I don’t like the course) as well as some requests that may or may not fit into my schedule.

Chinese (4x per week!)

P.E. (2x per week!) and a 6 week seminar on badminton

Cooking (Wednesday morning is ENTIRELY cooking)

Chinese desserts (that’s all of Friday afternoon)

Fashion design

Sewing (5 classes per week)

Beauty/Cosmotology (I was forced into this…they said that they would love to have me in this class. But I’m NOT dying my hair.)

2 Free periods as well as naptime after lunch (yes, you read correctly. We get NAPTIME!!!!!!!!)

I also requested to take more Chinese if my schedule will allow it as well as art, computer web design, and music (piano!). We’ll see what happens. They gave me my school uniform…its actually blue. And I think I’ll look like one of the Sailor Moon cartoon characters when I’m in it. I’ll put a picture up and you can laugh at me. Don’t worry. J

I spent the rest of the day with one of the other Americans that is at my school. She is from Iowa. We (along with her host sister) went shopping. I didn’t buy much…envelopes, food (lunch, dinner, and some tea), and an English-Chinese dictionary. But it was lots of fun! The restaurant we went to for lunch had HUGE ice cream sundaes for dessert…mine had fruit on it, of course. They also gave us free coupons for our next dessert because my first platter had a piece of random plastic in it. It was definitely a classy restaurant, though.

That should do it for now!

--Lauren

Greetings!

This morning the sun was out and shining. That is a first up to this point…we are in the midst of typhoon season and it has been hidden behind rain clouds since I have arrived in Taiwan. I also saw a bird. It was definitely a living bird…but probably not for long. It will end up on someone’s plate for lunch or dinner! J That is how it works here!

My host mom had an appointment this morning, so Jack and I took off on his moped (yes, we still wore helmets) for the Folklore Park. It’s a quite location in the midst of the city…except for the little kids that were there. It recreates older Taiwan – the architecture, appliances, linens, clothing, and everything that was used by the old age Taiwanese on a day-to-day basis. All of the items that they used were so meticulously and beautifully crafted. It was pretty cool! The main building in the park sort of resembled that of the home in Disney’s “Mulan” – we walked around (with vanilla ice cream cones in hand) and browsed the shops of the locals. We also walked around a pond brimming with coi fish (the huge Japanese ones…we all know what they look like!). On the side of the pond, we saw tons of kindergarteners. They were adorable. And, of course, they all looked at the foreigner. But they didn’t seem to pay any attention to the 2 older Americans that I started to talk to. They were there on vacation from Washington state.

We returned home afterwards and waited for mama before going out for lunch. We ended up at a place called “Just for Fun.” Basically, you picked out raw everything (meat, veggies) and cooked it for yourself in a pot of boiling water that fit into the table. It was really fun…and the food was really good too. I tried several new meats (abalone and shark) as well as different sauces for dipping. For dessert, we had more ice cream. Definitely not Coldstone, but still good. During our dessert, this little girl (in a pink teletubbies t—shirt) played peek-a-boo with me around a cement pole. When I said “Ni hau!” she ran away. I nearly died laughing…the little kids are the ones that are most interested in me because I look so different, but when I try to blend in ever so slightly by speaking the language, they get scared and run away.

During the afternoon, I went to my host father’s law office for a bit. I saw a CAT piece of equipment on the street. I’m definitely always grateful for small glimpses of the familiar. Its funny how I’m happier to be an American when I’m not in America. We left the office shortly to go to the bank and pay for my host sister’s college tuition for the upcoming year. For one entire year, room and board included, at one of Taiwan’s best Universities, it was only $2000US. We then went to a store where I was measured for my school uniform. I get a summer and a winter uniform, both in LOVELY forest green. My favorite color…haha. They also gave me a TINY messenger bag for school use. They must never carry home textbooks because it is sooo small. I highly doubt that I could get more than my previous Calculus book and 2 English novels into it!

We returned to the office and I whipped out “Pride and Prejudice” to read for a bit. They had 2 issues of “Teen Vogue” that I also read. They are very nice at my host father’s office! We took one of the workers, her English name is Rachel. I really like her. She just graduated from Taichung University last year with an English Literature major. We talked about books on the ride back – we both agreed that Lord of the Rings is good and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is waaaay too complex. I look forward to talking with her again soon. She is in the office to help my host father with his job as the Youth Exchange Officer for my host district here in Taiwan.

We went to a steakhouse for dinner. For an instant, I was like “STEAK! Meat I recognize! Bring on the A1 Sauce!!” But, it was not quite like that. You order the teak (the “house special” mystery meat cut) to be cooked to your liking – my family couldn’t believe that I wanted medium-well done. While they cook the steak, you can help yourself to the buffet of Chinese foods. I had large amounts of fresh mango and toast with a fruitella (I have NO clue what it is called, but it is a fruity, nutella texture spread). It was a pretty good steak for being Taiwanese…it was definitely chewy, though. They also put an egg on top of the steak…something that is different from any other steak I have ever had!

A new day – here’s what I’ve been up to so far today. What I wrote above is a verbatim excerpt from my journal. J

This morning, I heard from mama that she was going to go to the market. She told me that I didn’t have to go because it would be hot and there would be lots of people, but I insisted upon going. It was soooooooo cool to go. Yes, it was hot…but it was so culturally enriching that I can’t wait to go back again. There were hundreds of stalls that sold EVERYTHING – jewelry, accessories, clothing, makeup, fruit, veggies, poultry, seafood…you name and they probably had it! All of the poultry and seafood came with limbs attached. Some poultry stalls “specialized” in the fact that you could choose the animal you wanted and they would prepare it for you (prepare it to be eaten, that is) in front of you. Definitely something you never see in the US. EVER. We returned home and I helped to wash fruit while mama started to cook some dumplings for lunch…my favorite! For some reason, which I have yet to understand, the Taiwanese like to wash everything 3 times. So, I washed the fruit and the veggies 3 times each. When it came to preparing the grapes, you couldn’t just break them off the vine. You had to cut them from the vine and leave a little bit of the stem attached so you could tell that they were ripe. A good idea, but definitely a meticulous process.

I think that does it for now! I’m still having fun, obeying all the rules and laws of the country, and trying to learn as much Chinese as I can. I’ve started a log of vocab that I’ve written about 40-60 words in over the past 48 hours. So far so good! J

Lauren

Greetings everyone!

Sorry I haven’t updated you in the past few days…but I did put up some pictures! It took a really long time, so I limited the number of pictures that I put up…I haven’t taken that many yet because I look like enough of a foreigner that I don’t want to be a “tourist” in my first few days here.

Here’s what I’ve been up to in the past few days:

On Sunday (I think it was Sunday!) I went with host mom and Tina to the home of Tina’s aunt. We got to see her two little girls – one is 4 and the other is 1 and a half. Their aunt asked me to give the 4 year old an American name – I chose Emma and they loved it!  Emma then danced for me…she put in a DVD of children’s music (“the wheels on the bus,” “if you’re happy and you know it,” etc.) - it was adorable! At first she was scared of me because I look so different, but once she got used to my appearance and trusted my personality, then she took to me instantly. She even taught me a few words of Chinese – teddy bear and popsicle. All the important things come first!

Last night, I went to my first Rotary meeting. Unlike the Rotary at home, it is much smaller here – about 45 members. The members are all male, but their wives and older children often attend. I was introduced, and I spoke a bit in Chinese…which they were not expecting to hear from me. I also met all of the members – they have more American last names that everyone uses…they go by their professions – like Mr. Ortho is the orthodontist. Mr. Bond works with bonds, I guess. Mr. Chemical, he works with Chemicals. My host father, is Mr. Lawyer – he is a lawyer, obviously. I think it's an ingenius idea to remember names – all you do is remember their profession! The Rotary meeting had essentially the same structure as the one at home – they sang 2 songs in Chinese at the beginning as well as “ROT ARY” that is how you spell Rotary. I could sing that song, because it was in English!  My host sister was the speaker of the week – she talked about her experience as a YEP participant in Houston, TX. She did a really good job. I’ll have to say something at each meeting that I attend…which will be once per month.

Today, I got my cell phone! Whoohoo! It’s a silver sony ericcson camera phone…it also does mp3 and some other cool stuff. All for the price of just over 50USD – and it will work in the US when I get home! Cell phones here are pay-as-you-go because the plans are soooo ridiculously expensive. When I use up the time on the current card, I just walk down the street to 7-11 and get another one. After we got the cell phone, and the number, my host mother and I went to KFC. I don’t remember having KFC in the states, but it was really good here! I had chicken nuggets and French fries and a pepsi. They also gave you soup (of course!!! It was yummy – with corn and potatoes and other veggies) as well as raw veggies in a gingery dressing.

Speaking of food – I had squid the other night. We were invited to go to the office of the Rotary club secretary for dinner. He is from one of the Pescadores Islands (over by China) and he just returned from a visit to his home. And, of course, he brought back freshly caught squid. Before we ate, though, he showed us his factory – he owns a factory where they make industrial shrink wrap…for instance, it would go around a tube of wrapping paper, or duct tape, or that sort of thing! After the office tour, we sat down for squid soup, fish, veggies (specifically seaweed), and little squid. The little squid were cooked in soy sauce – I was planning on trying one. They were hard to pick up with my chopsticks (and I almost dropped it in my soup!) because they are heavy. My host brother showed me how to tear it apart so you can eat it. I hope I don’t ruin anyone’s appetite here. ;) The squid was whole – tentacles, brain, eyeballs, and everything else you normally don’t eat. After ripping it in half (literally – the separation of the tentacles from the rest of the squid and the backbone!) I tried to take a bite. Tried being the key word…It didn’t work. Squid is very very chewy – almost like a rubber hose. It was soft in the soup, but not so soft by itself. I took a small bite while everyone was watching me (yes, they do like to see how I react to bizarre foods) and said it was delicious. Deliciously chewy!!!!

Other than that, everything is going well here! My host sister is in Taipei for a chunk of this week…she is at college orientation. When my siblings leave for college, I will go to Taipei with them – my host mother wants me to see the city, and take me to the top of Taipei 101.

Warmly,

Lauren

PS – My new Chinese name is Wang (surname, meaning king) Luoling (it means beautiful and something else…my host brother thinks it sounds like a name from a romance novel!)

Today was full of many new adventures and surprises. The drivers here are all very agressive...and the moped drivers are suicidal. There are soo many people that always seem to be out and about - the population of the city is over 1,000,000 and they are crammed into a relatively small area...the build things UP instead of out! I went with my host mother to a Suncake factory. Taichung is famous for several things - 2 of them being "suncakes" and tapioca (or bubble) tea. Both have their origins in this city! Anyways, we went to the suncake factory with a bunch of rotarian wives...we were taught how to make suncakes, and then we made them! Suncakes are the closet thing that the Taiwanese will come to eating a large amount of sugar. But they were delicious. And mine turned out relatively well...except for one that oozed the sugary filling onto the baking sheet. Everyone laughed at it, including me.

When we returned from the suncake making, we went shopping for shway guo (fruit!). I told my host mom that I like fresh fruit...she went ALL OUT - we bought enough fresh kiwis, lychees (they look like eyeballs), mangoes, apples, and bananas to last us for quite some time. It was really fun to go to the fruit market - everyone wants to meet me because I am like a celebrity - I am extremely tall in comparison to them...and I am "beautiful" and "tender"...many of the adults greet me by saying "hello beautiful" in Chinese. :)

In the evening, we went to dinner with the Rotary club president and secretary. It was a Japanese restaurant. Very very nice - we had sushi and fish stuff. Random parts of fish - innards, tentacles, and other pieces that are thrown in the trash in the US. Salmon sushi is nearly impossible to pick up with chopsticks. I dropped mine into the soy sauce (by accident) and it splattered onto the table and my host brother's leg. Oops. And they poured wine for all of us...and then every single person around the table (except for me) gave a toast in my honor. I toasted with tea. :) They told me how they worked very hard to get me in their district and club because I hace such a positive attitude.

After we finished the "adult" party, I went with my host siblings to a guitar club rendezvous. My brother, Jack, plays the guitar extremely well and sings. So I got to hear him play a song that he wrote. Absolutely amazing. I'm still getting used to the time change, so we left at about 10:30pm from that party. I came home with Jack (ON HIS MOPED...don't worry, we were wearing helmets - and he is not a suicidal driver) and called it a night.

I PROMISE I will put pictures up soon...my host parents are out at the market now, and I don't want to fiddle with the computer when everything is in Chinese.

Warmly,

Lauren

So, here I am at long last, in Taichung Taiwan. My host family was waiting for me the moment that I stepped outsof  immigration and customs. They had a HUGE banner with my name written on it. They were so warm and welcoming that I immediately felt at home. I have a mom, dad (both work jobs that relate to law!) a brother (he's 21) and a sister (she's 19). I also met my second host family at the airport...I'll move into their home 3 months from now!

We left the airport and drove back to Taichung. We hit some traffic, but for the most part, it was a very quick trip. And let me tell you...these drivers here are what Americans would refer to as "agressive." But, I guess it all balances out, because they have some pretty neat gadgets in their cars that we don't have. My host dad drives a Nissan...he had a phone built into it for his cell phone line and he would just push a button and the other end of the phone would come through the speakers. They also have reverse cameras - when you shift the car into reverse, you can look onto the dashboard panel and see where you are going! :)

Before we made it back here, to the apartment they live in, we stopped in a building (I don't know what else it is called!) for lunch. We had some sushi for an appetizer and then we walked down a line and picked out individual plates of what we wanted for lunch...I chose some tofu, fresh fruit (which is absolutely AMAZING), some egg soup stuff, and rice. It was all very good.

Now, that I'm here in their apartment, I am just trying to relax and rest up. I am still a little bit tired from the long trip. There is so much to absorb in Taiwan that is soooooo different than what we are used to in the states. And it would be impossible for me to condense it all into one posting. But, so far, I am learning more chinese and trying as many new things as possible. Next time I update you (which may not be for a bit of time...like a week or so) I will try and put some pictures up...but at this moment in time I can't find where the USB port is. They must be hiding it from me!)

If you have any questions for me - leave a comment and I'll try to answer them the next time around!

Lauren

Hello Everyone!

 I have arrived safe and sound in Korea. The plane ride was long - about 15 hours - but I was able to watch 2 movies ("Take the Lead", "She's the Man") and an episode of Friends. The people here are extremely friendly and the hotel we are in (a hyatt) is absolutely beautiful. I am paying to use the internet right now just so that everyone back at home gets the update that I am here. I am really enjoying what I have seen of South Korea - palm trees, mountains, good food, and people have beautiful personalities and speak a beautiful language. I'll try and post some pictures when I get to Taipei tomorrow afternoon!

Warmly,

Lauren

In the past month, I have been working hard to learn as much Chinese as possible. It is a tough language, in comparison to the French that I studied in high school, but the grammar is much easier! :) I had a wonderful time getting to know my tutor and her daughter - she helped me to learn lots that I wouldn't have been able to learn through the Rosetta Stone language program...practical, useful words and phrases that I can start using from the moment I step onto Taiwan soil. If you are interested in learning about her OR seeing a picture of the two of us on our last day of tutoring, visit: www.chingphoto.com

Lauren

 PS - Today is the day that I'm leaving for St. Louis. I'm going to ice skate one last time and then drive to our hotel close to the airport with my parents. Keep in touch, everyone! :)

For those of you would would like to learn more about where I am heading, I have put 2 web addresses below. One is for my high school in Taichung (a commercial and home economics school) and the other is for the city of Taichung (where I will be staying).

http://www.tchcvs.tc.edu.tw/english/indexe.htm

http://english.tccg.gov.tw/

 --Lauren

PS - There have been some questions regarding how to leave a comment. After fiddling with the system on my own, you have to click on the "Comments" button below the text that you are just about to finish reading! :)

So I just found out this evening that my hotel in Seoul will be paid for by Korean Airlines. I will get off the plane, go to the Korean Air desk in the international terminal, and they will check me into the hotel. YAY! Its really nice because I won't have to go through customs and immigration - so I'll be like Tom Hanks in "The Terminal"...not in my own country, but not in a different country either. It should be fun to be in Korea for one night. But I am MOST looking forward to everything in Taiwan. There are many nice people that have already e-mailed me and said they are going to meet me at the airport. I have also met the daughter in my 2nd host family - yes, it is soon! I can't wait! I leave next Tuesday evening for St. Louis. Hot dog - what an adventure!!!!!!! :)

 --Lauren