Two Months

Nǐ hǎo!

It’s hard to believe, but I have been in Taiwan for two months!  It’s crazy thinking back to all of the things that I have done and learned in what feels like such a short time!  What is even crazier is to think that I haven’t even begun to explore China!!  I’ve been on this island for two months, and haven’t once thought, “Well, I’ve seen it all.”  There is always something new to see or experience.  This only fuels my excitement for China!  If Taiwan can hold as many wonderful things as it does, even though it could fit into Texas 19 times and into China 266 times, then I am in store for amazing things over the next ten months!

                I will admit though, it has been hard at times being away from home.  Seeing all my teacher friends getting their classrooms ready, missing wedding, birthdays, babies, and wedding planning is tough to swallow at times.  One of the things that get me through is the knowledge that I have amazing people in my life who support me.  The biggest thing that gets me through though is my reliance on Him.  Knowing that He is directing my life and has a specific plan for me while I am here keeping me going and keeps me faithful. 

                It’s been a while since I have posted, so here are the Spark Notes for the past three weeks.

1.  I celebrated my 24th birthday in Taiwan.  The biggest difference, for me, was being at school on my birthday.  Having a birthday in early August, I NEVER celebrated my birthday at school.  Most people would think that having to work on your birthday wouldn’t be fun, but I loved it!  My kiddos even sang me “Happy Birthday”, which if you have never heard a group of Taiwanese 4 year olds singing, you are missing out!  It’s possibly one of the cutest things ever!
2. A group of us went to a Taiwanese baseball game on the 10th.  The only way to really explain it is to see a video and hear everything going on.  Instead of cheering /heckling when the other team is up at bat, you cheer THE WHOLE TIME your team is at bat.  Not just cheering though, there are people leading chants and everyone has noise makers.

   

   You should be able to click on the video in order to hear the audio.

3. We went on a trip to New Taipei in a charter bus with older Taiwanese couples on August 18th.  The “tour” started at a Dao temple.  From there, we went to Taipei and road the Ping Shi Railway.  We stopped in a few towns and explored the markets.  The main stop of the trip was the Shifen Waterfall.  It was absolutely beautiful!  Pictures don’t do it justice.  Also at the waterfall though was a mini zoo.  If a zoo at a waterfall isn’t strange enough, the animals there certainly are. They had rabbits, goats, chickens, and kittens!  They had kittens in a cage while cats roamed freely.  How bizarre is that!The most entertaining part of the bus ride though was karaoke!  We sang karaoke almost the entire time while we were in the bus.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Erin and I went to see Elysium on Wednesday at a theater recommended by a friend.  There were only 30 seats in the theater and this is why…..
   
   
   
   
   We sat in LAZYBOYS to watch a movie! 
5. Erin and I went to Taipei this weekend to visit her friend, Audrey,  from home.  Turns out, she went to High School with someone I went to College with!  Small World!!!  While we were there, we went to Taipei 101.  It is the tallest building in Taiwan and it was the tallest building in the world for 5 years after it was built.  It is still the world’s largest “green”  building though.We also got our hair washed.  This might sound strange, but it is great!   I stayed sitting in the chair where you would normally get your hair cut.  The hairdresser had a bottle of watered down shampoo and put a little on the crown of my head and started scrubbing.  She added more of the shampoo/water mixture and more hair until all of my hair was sudsy on top of my head.  She continued to scrub and massage for a while.  Then, she rinsed my hair and blow dried it for 10 minutes.  My hair has never been so soft!!The thing that made my whole weekend though was Audrey’s oven!  In China, ovens are very rare because they make the house hotter and it’s just much cheaper to eat out.  This has been hard for me because I LOVE to bake!  So needless to say, I made chocolate chip cookies!  I don’t know if the cookies were really as good as I thought or if I was just so excited, but they were some of the best cookies I’ve eaten!

   

   Taipei 101 from Audrey's rooftop

   

   Storm rolling in

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   Watching the rain from the top of Taipei 101

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

We are told that we will be going to Hong Kong soon to finalize and pick up our Visas.  As soon as that happens, we will be off to Mainland! 

More adventures to come soon!

Love, Jodi

"The ground in Taiwan is sticky"

I've done it!! I finally found my "car" in Taiwan!!

I've always wanted a Jeep and by "always" I mean over the past 5 or so years. (I needed this disclaimer because I can already hear my mom saying that this isn't true, that the car I've always wanted is a red mustang convertible...I had pretty lofty dreams as a kid.). Now I just need to learn Chinese enough to buy it (just kidding, but how cool would that be!)

Yes, I did say that I found my Jeep in Taiwan which means that I am still in Taiwan.  We are still playing the waiting game with our Visas and approval from the government over there.  As much as I would like to settle in to the place where I will be for the remainder of the year, I am glad to be Taiwan longer. 

If you missed Father's Day back in June, have no fear!  You can redeem yourself because Father's Day in China and Taiwan is August 8th.  Here's why: 
    -  the number 8 in Chinese is ba
    -  August 8th (8-8) is ba ba
    -  ba ba is the word for daddy
So Happy Father's Day on August 8th!!

In the two weeks since I wrote last: 

1. Some of the other teachers and I played volleyball with some Taiwanese people at the high school near school.  
2. I went on a Costco trip(Yes, Costco has made it to Taiwan!).
3. I had dumplings at a restaurant where Tom Cruise has been.
4. Watched a puppet show being put on in the street.
5. I have written tons of postcards!  Not all of them are sent yet, so don't despair!  Also, if you would like a postcard from my travels this year, email me your address.  I won't promise anything more than you'll get one before I come back home if you send me your address.
6. I went on a weekend trip to the beach in Kenting.  It was a great mix of crazy, relaxing, and fun.  We got invited to use the facilities at a resort, one that we were not staying at so they could take a picture of us to look like a "foreigners paradise."  We also got tattoos...and they match. There was a Taiwanese guy on the beach in a Cowboy Hat!! It was also fun to see everyone genuinely enjoying themselves. The Taiwanese people were so happy and content to just play in the waves. It was so fun to watch. Pictures are at the bottom.

Over the past two weeks, I've said goodbye to some pretty great people that I was only just getting to know.  They taught me a lot in the short month that I was able to spend with them. They not only showed me around Taichung, took me from place to place, taught me useful words or phrases in Chinese but also made it possible for me to eat some days! Haha They shared their travel and teaching experiences, as well as their friendship with all of us daily.  For that I am so thankful.  One even said that the reason it was so hard to leave was because "the ground in Taiwan is sticky."  I've only been here a month (technically 5 weeks now), but I can already feel the ground getting stickier each day.

All of the adventures that I am going on and will go on, as great as they are, make me very grateful of home.  As I go on and plan for trips, I remember all of the amazing places and people that await when I come home. There are so many amazing places right in my backyard that I have taken for granted for so long. I've not only began a MUST SEE/DO list for Asia and the rest of the world, but also for the USA.  Some of those include, but are not limited to:

• Drive from across Route 66 start (Chicago) to end (Santa Monica)
• Revisit the Grand Canyon
• Finish the items in Josh Abbott's song "My Texas" that I have not done
• Take the Coast Starlight from Los Angeles to Seattle
• See the Northern Lights in Alaska
• Two-step (anywhere really.  I'm not picky)
• Polkafest.  Nothing makes you appreciate your heritage and your home like being away.  

Here are all the pictures!  I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading! 

Love, Jodi

Beautiful DOUBLE rainbow and view from my apartment

COSTCO!!

Best dumplings...well Asian dumplings.  I can't count my grandma's out.

Tom Cruise thought they were pretty good too!

Puppet show randomly set up in the street

Erin, Brittany, and Steph on the way to Kenting

Random building in the middle of the road

Quite possibly the best burger I've had in a while.  Maybe it has something to do with the presentation...

Lead singer of a band we sang along with Friday night

Our matching tattoos.  Yes, they are koalas.  Yes, they are real, but will only last a week.

I should have become his friend!