Lauren's Adventures in Taiwan

Hi Everyone!

Life has been busy, but fabulous. Chinese New Year was one party after another. Before the celebrations officially started, I went with my 2nd host family to Kaoshiung and Kenting (both in the south of Taiwan). We had 3 days to see a few sights and mostly enjoy soaking up the sun. Actually, I was the one to soak up the sun...the Taiwanese are scared of the sun and prefer to have white skin because it is much more fashionable.

When we got home from the south, Chinese New Year began. On Chinese New Year eve, I went to my host dad's parents' home...we ate dinner and got red envelopes. I would have to say that Chinese New Year is the MOST important time of the year for being with family. And then when you are with your family, you just eat lots of food. It all begins to taste the same after awhile. Red envelopes are AMAZING...I hope that maybe then will become more widespread in America someday! Red, symbolizes luck and other good things. So, the elders give out red envelopes to the teens/young kids as a symbol of giving them good wishes for luck, prosperity, and happiness in the year to come. With all of my host families, Rotary, and other acquaintances, I got about $14,000NTD in red envelopes. I'll let you do the math to figure out that it is quite a significant amount of USD, as well.

Every night during Chinese New Year, there were fireworks going off in the streets until maybe 2 or 3 am...they would then start back up around 6 am. It really was like a week of non-stop parties. On the 3rd day of the lunar new year, all married daughters return to their mother's home...so that's what we did! All of it was really fun, but I would have to say that having the chance to observe this new year in person was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The first day of Chinese New Year, EVERYTHING on the entire island was shut down (except for 7-11). It made buying lunch really tough because nobody was selling food! After that, stores and restaurants gradually started to open again.

Last friday, I moved to my 3rd (and final!) host family. It was quite an exciting move. Their home is outside of Taichung city a bit, but not in the countryside...definitely still in the city! I take the bus to and from school now (about a 30-40min commute one-way). Unlike my other two host families, this family lives in a house. I guess it would actually be considered more of a 5-story walk-up. I'm very happy in their home amongst my 2 siblings...a brother that is almost 18 years old (and busy studying to get into National Taiwan University) and my sister who is 16.

Now I'm back at school...life at school is great. I feel refreshed and relaxed. Tomorrow (2/28) is a holiday in rememberance of a rebellion that started in Taiwan between the Taiwanese and Chinese immigrants where many people died/were injured. Don't worry, though, its not all fun-and-games. I'm making up for my holiday tomorrow by going to school on Saturday.

Sending my best wishes! I'll be home in early July! And then I will need someone to speak Chinese to!

Lauren

Hey everyone!

My winter/chinese new year vacation is in full swing - so far I've had about 2 weeks of it. Still another 3 weeks to go! I spent the first week in Taipei. I stayed with a Rotarian and basically walked my legs off every day. The other two Americans from my school came to Taipei, too...they like to sleep in late, so I left early most mornings and came back around midnight every night! There is so much to do and see in Taipei. And with the amazing MRT (subway!) and my MRT easycard, it is all easily accessible. Its too difficult to think about what I did day-by-day, so here's a general overview...Snake/Turtle street, foot massage (more painful than relaxing!), Longshan temple (a temple that survived 2 earthquakes), Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall (he founded the Republic of China), Danshui, Banciao (2 cities out of the city!), lots of exploring places that aren't normally explored, night markets, hanging out with other foreigners, TONS of shopping, fancy dinners at the Grand Hyatt hotel, dancing to live music until 2 am, meeting famous people (I was mistaken as the South African president's daughter)...the list goes on and on and on! So if you want to know specifics, e-mail me or leave a message! But, I was always safe - and always having lots of fun!

When I got back to Taichung, I had to go to a Rotary Youth Leadership conference. It was basically 3 days of sitting and listening to people talk in a mixture of Chinese and Taiwanese. Taiwanese is a very special language, but for the Chinese-speaking foreigners...its not always fun to listen to because it doesn't resemble Chinese at all. What I did understand was usually interesting or thought-provoking. I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet lots of people my age...that was, in my opinion, the best part of the 3 days.

I got back from that on Monday, and today is Thursday. Tomorrow is groundhog's day! Its "winter" here now...temperatures are getting "cold" maybe around 7 or 8C. But it is very windy, so it can be cold. And all the buildings have NO insulation or central heating and are made purely of concrete. So yes, there is potential for winter-like weather. But no snow...it rarely snows in Taiwan's highest mountains!

Tuesday, I went to the National Science Museum. I got to see an exhibit featuring 50 or so of the Terra Cotta soldiers that were discovered in Xi'an, China. I always thought that they were historically important, but after seeing them up close, I've come to the conclusion that they also artistically important! Yesterday (Wed.), I did a bunch of house-stuff and went for tea time with my host mom in the mountains. It was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the city. And today, I went to the Botanical Gardens and caught up with some classmates for lunch and tea. I'm going to miss not having tea shops everywhere in America. Yes, America is the land of starbucks, but that just isn't the same. :)

Next Monday-Friday, I'll be with the other foreigners AND Taiwanese kids that will go to other countries in the summer. We are taking a 5 day trip to Taipei and to Hualien. It should be fun! I love Taipei!!!!!!!!! Its just like in America - I love the thrill of big cities. So, maybe, I'm a big city person. Oh...Hualien isn't really a big city, but we will get the chance to visit Taroko Gorge (a marble gorge) and see the beaches! Hualien is on the east coast and is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in Taiwan. When I get home, it is practically Chinese New Year. For the new year, we will visit family...and get red envelopes filled with money! And then back to school on the 27th and moving host families sometime in early March. Time is going by toooooooo quickly!

Best wishes to all!

Lauren