Its a beautiful day, world.
Celebrate, celebrate.
Make a happy noise,
And remember...
Reality is temporary.
Celebrate, celebrate.
Make a happy noise,
And remember...
Reality is temporary.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
The Outsider
...A refreshing laughter rose in me
It soared aloft like a soap bubble
and then softly burst
The golden trail was blazed and I
was reminded of the eternal
and of Mozart
and the stars
I could breathe once more...
~Taken from "The Outsider" by Colin Wilson (1956 - 2001)
I read this recently as I was playing around on the internet. Its a 52 page PDF online that takes bits and pieces of other people's poems (I think) and the work of Colin Wilson and compiles it. Its an interesting poem with many twists and bends. There are parts that I consider indecipherable because of my intellectual limitations. I thought I would share it with you.
Each entry that I post is titled, and appropriately so. My existence in Taiwan has recently evolved into realizing that no matter where we come from, we all have one thing in common - we are people. Regardless of the words we speak, regardless of the music we listen to, regardless of the color of our skin...we are people. I don't think of myself as an outsider often, but a friend brought up an important point.
She said that one thing that makes us foreigners (appropriately used word) is the language problem. I have a goal and that's to have a short conversation with my friends in Chinese before I leave Asia. I am developing a respect for the culture here. I recently asked myself..."Could you live here for more than six months?" Currently, there is no answer to this question. I find myself learning so much every day, including language and culture. Its different than the U.S. There's something about the fellowship amongst friends and respect of educators that is so wonderful. I know I will miss it after my time here ends.
. . .
FOOD! Yes, I have eaten many different things since I have been here and I need to talk about them a little bit. Americans - prepare to see a unique side of food because their food is traditional, wonderful, and quite different. I will ask my friends to help me update this appropriately if I make mistakes. Instead of focusing on the meals, I shall focus on some of the best foods I have eaten, and describe them.
火鍋 (pronounced huǒ guō; English - Hot Pot). Probably my favorite food in Taiwan. We went to a famous restaurant that evolved from a small shop in a night market. The name of the restaurant is 鼎王 (pronounced dǐng wáng), and I think my friend Chris described it the best. Its a cauldron, bubbling and steaming, full of spicy or sour broth, with tofu or duck blood jelly (like cubes of Jello) floating around in it. The pot is over a burner in the middle of your table, and you cook your own food. In the hot pot, you can add cabbage, mushrooms, blood cake (a mixture of rice and duck or pork blood), thinly sliced meats, seafood, meatballs (seafood or meat), dumplings, and some other parts of the animal. Even though the food is wonderful and comes with an endless supply of blood jelly, tofu, and steamed rice, its the atmosphere that a hot pot creates that is wonderful. Two of my friends - one named 張永長 (his English name is "Foreverlong", a literal translation of his given name Zhāng Yǒng Zhǎng), and the other is 陳正翰 (pronounced Chén Zhèng Hàn)- took me out for dinner on March 26, 2010 for hot pot. We talked for two hours, gradually eating, enjoying the atmosphere and learning from one another.
Yǒng Zhǎng is a very friendly guy that works very hard to speak English to me, and I work very hard to speak Chinese with him. There is a language barrier, but I KNOW he is one of the good guys. Last night, he exposed me to another cultural first last night - the Betel Nut Beauty. That will be part of another blog at another time. :-) Zhèng Hàn is an exceptionally nice guy as well, but I think he worries about speaking English. I should be worried about speaking Chinese with him.
I have developed quite an appreciation of blood based foods since I have been here. The duck blood jelly is ok, but the blood rice cake is excellent. I have also tried pork colon (its not bad), and tendons (it becomes jelly like and tastes pretty good) in the hot pot as well.
牛肉面 - (pronounced niúròu miàn; beef noodle, normally with soup) The link is old, but it adequately describes this Taiwanese staple. This is a wonderful mixture of beef pieces (normally with an adequate amount of fat), thick noodles, and seasoned beef broth. I am fortunate to have an excellent beef noodle restaurant just three blocks away from my home. They will pack your food up for you to take home, and at a whopping 70 NT (=$2.20 USD), this meal sits well for many hours.
幹麵 - (pronounced gàn miàn; noodles with some mixed meat sauce, without soup) I hate using Wikipedia, but I could not find a link that would describe what this dish is adequately. It reminds me of 意大利麵 (pronounced Yìdàlì miàn), but the sauce does not have a tomato base and the noodles are thick and have a different consistency. Its made well at one of the small restaurants on campus, and I do enjoy it about once a week. At 35 NT ($1.10 USD) for a more than adequate portion, 幹麵 is awesome.
水餃 - (pronounced shuǐ jiǎo, or the more encompassing term for this food is 餃子 - jiǎozi; dumplings) There are many different ways to prepare dumplings, including fried, steamed, and boiled. They can contain meat, vegetables (like leeks), or seafood. They can be covered in the mixed meat sauce like 幹麵, eaten with spicy soy sauce, or eaten dry. You can find them everywhere, and I have purchased eight dumplings for one meal for approximately 40 NT ($1.25 USD).
水果 - (pronounced shuǐ guǒ; fruit) This island is rich with fresh fruit. I love many of their fruits, which sell cheaply. I will list a few that I have eaten while here, including their Chinese characters and pronunciation.
. . .
Onto a quick bio. Since Zēng Yì and I will be having lunch with Xiǎo Dài tomorrow, I want to take some time to talk a little about her.
Xiǎo Dài - I hope I got her Chinese name correct. Her English name is Ruby. Xiǎo Dài's hometown is Chiayi, home of the 2010 Taiwan Lantern Festival from the Chinese New Year. She is very intelligent and majors in English. She speaks English fluently and is an excellent communicator. What sticks out in my mind about Xiǎo Dài is that she loves animals. As a matter of fact, her Facebook profile picture is of her dog. From the last blog entry, her dream is to help get the dogs off the streets in Taiwan. She's compassionate.
. . .
Next time, I will talk about the developing "Guys Night Out" ritual, including a 2-1/2 year old guy getting involved, why my Saturday night dinner stared back at me, my different face, and some information on three more men that have been influential during my time abroad.
I get paid this week. Time to buy a digital camera and fill this page up! :-)
It soared aloft like a soap bubble
and then softly burst
The golden trail was blazed and I
was reminded of the eternal
and of Mozart
and the stars
I could breathe once more...
~Taken from "The Outsider" by Colin Wilson (1956 - 2001)
I read this recently as I was playing around on the internet. Its a 52 page PDF online that takes bits and pieces of other people's poems (I think) and the work of Colin Wilson and compiles it. Its an interesting poem with many twists and bends. There are parts that I consider indecipherable because of my intellectual limitations. I thought I would share it with you.
Each entry that I post is titled, and appropriately so. My existence in Taiwan has recently evolved into realizing that no matter where we come from, we all have one thing in common - we are people. Regardless of the words we speak, regardless of the music we listen to, regardless of the color of our skin...we are people. I don't think of myself as an outsider often, but a friend brought up an important point.
She said that one thing that makes us foreigners (appropriately used word) is the language problem. I have a goal and that's to have a short conversation with my friends in Chinese before I leave Asia. I am developing a respect for the culture here. I recently asked myself..."Could you live here for more than six months?" Currently, there is no answer to this question. I find myself learning so much every day, including language and culture. Its different than the U.S. There's something about the fellowship amongst friends and respect of educators that is so wonderful. I know I will miss it after my time here ends.
. . .
FOOD! Yes, I have eaten many different things since I have been here and I need to talk about them a little bit. Americans - prepare to see a unique side of food because their food is traditional, wonderful, and quite different. I will ask my friends to help me update this appropriately if I make mistakes. Instead of focusing on the meals, I shall focus on some of the best foods I have eaten, and describe them.
火鍋 (pronounced huǒ guō; English - Hot Pot). Probably my favorite food in Taiwan. We went to a famous restaurant that evolved from a small shop in a night market. The name of the restaurant is 鼎王 (pronounced dǐng wáng), and I think my friend Chris described it the best. Its a cauldron, bubbling and steaming, full of spicy or sour broth, with tofu or duck blood jelly (like cubes of Jello) floating around in it. The pot is over a burner in the middle of your table, and you cook your own food. In the hot pot, you can add cabbage, mushrooms, blood cake (a mixture of rice and duck or pork blood), thinly sliced meats, seafood, meatballs (seafood or meat), dumplings, and some other parts of the animal. Even though the food is wonderful and comes with an endless supply of blood jelly, tofu, and steamed rice, its the atmosphere that a hot pot creates that is wonderful. Two of my friends - one named 張永長 (his English name is "Foreverlong", a literal translation of his given name Zhāng Yǒng Zhǎng), and the other is 陳正翰 (pronounced Chén Zhèng Hàn)- took me out for dinner on March 26, 2010 for hot pot. We talked for two hours, gradually eating, enjoying the atmosphere and learning from one another.
Yǒng Zhǎng is a very friendly guy that works very hard to speak English to me, and I work very hard to speak Chinese with him. There is a language barrier, but I KNOW he is one of the good guys. Last night, he exposed me to another cultural first last night - the Betel Nut Beauty. That will be part of another blog at another time. :-) Zhèng Hàn is an exceptionally nice guy as well, but I think he worries about speaking English. I should be worried about speaking Chinese with him.
I have developed quite an appreciation of blood based foods since I have been here. The duck blood jelly is ok, but the blood rice cake is excellent. I have also tried pork colon (its not bad), and tendons (it becomes jelly like and tastes pretty good) in the hot pot as well.
牛肉面 - (pronounced niúròu miàn; beef noodle, normally with soup) The link is old, but it adequately describes this Taiwanese staple. This is a wonderful mixture of beef pieces (normally with an adequate amount of fat), thick noodles, and seasoned beef broth. I am fortunate to have an excellent beef noodle restaurant just three blocks away from my home. They will pack your food up for you to take home, and at a whopping 70 NT (=$2.20 USD), this meal sits well for many hours.
幹麵 - (pronounced gàn miàn; noodles with some mixed meat sauce, without soup) I hate using Wikipedia, but I could not find a link that would describe what this dish is adequately. It reminds me of 意大利麵 (pronounced Yìdàlì miàn), but the sauce does not have a tomato base and the noodles are thick and have a different consistency. Its made well at one of the small restaurants on campus, and I do enjoy it about once a week. At 35 NT ($1.10 USD) for a more than adequate portion, 幹麵 is awesome.
水餃 - (pronounced shuǐ jiǎo, or the more encompassing term for this food is 餃子 - jiǎozi; dumplings) There are many different ways to prepare dumplings, including fried, steamed, and boiled. They can contain meat, vegetables (like leeks), or seafood. They can be covered in the mixed meat sauce like 幹麵, eaten with spicy soy sauce, or eaten dry. You can find them everywhere, and I have purchased eight dumplings for one meal for approximately 40 NT ($1.25 USD).
水果 - (pronounced shuǐ guǒ; fruit) This island is rich with fresh fruit. I love many of their fruits, which sell cheaply. I will list a few that I have eaten while here, including their Chinese characters and pronunciation.
- 鳳梨 (pronounced fèng lí) - First food I was able to successfully order in Chinese. Pineapple.
- bá là - Guava
- lián wǔ - There is no English equivalent. I found a great description of the fruit, but the name does not translate correctly. Its Chinese translation is NOT water apple.
- 楊桃 (pronounced yáng táo) - Starfruit. Wonderful, beautiful, big, and cheap! :-)
- 西番蓮 (pronounced xī fān lián) - Passion fruit. Fresh, and makes the tea taste awesome.
- 芒果 (pronounced máng guǒ) - Mango. Best. Fruit. EVAR. And its not in season currently. :-\
- 香蕉 (pronounced xiāng jiāo) - Banana. Fresh bananas are excellent. And dirt cheap (like $0.22 USD per pound).
- 草莓(pronounced cǎo méi) - Strawberries. Fresh, and available year around. Vendors send them with a light sweet cream OR chocolate syrup.
. . .
Onto a quick bio. Since Zēng Yì and I will be having lunch with Xiǎo Dài tomorrow, I want to take some time to talk a little about her.
Xiǎo Dài - I hope I got her Chinese name correct. Her English name is Ruby. Xiǎo Dài's hometown is Chiayi, home of the 2010 Taiwan Lantern Festival from the Chinese New Year. She is very intelligent and majors in English. She speaks English fluently and is an excellent communicator. What sticks out in my mind about Xiǎo Dài is that she loves animals. As a matter of fact, her Facebook profile picture is of her dog. From the last blog entry, her dream is to help get the dogs off the streets in Taiwan. She's compassionate.
. . .
Next time, I will talk about the developing "Guys Night Out" ritual, including a 2-1/2 year old guy getting involved, why my Saturday night dinner stared back at me, my different face, and some information on three more men that have been influential during my time abroad.
I get paid this week. Time to buy a digital camera and fill this page up! :-)
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Mothers and Fathers
I listened to my mother cry tonight. As we were talking about all the changes in our lives, I heard my mom's voice quiver with unconditional love . I can imagine all the people that say goodbye to their children as they leave their home forever. I miss my family and friends in the United States, but I have found happiness in my second home.
Mom - 我愛你. (Wǒ ài nǐ.)
I find it very odd...I am a father figure in this stage of my life. Andy and Kelsey, my two godchildren, are two of the best people in my life. I suspect they miss me, but like teenagers, they will never tell you that they do. Well, I miss both of them and wish that they and their mother - one of my best friends, Marianne - could come to Taiwan this summer. However, I realize that can not happen. Marianne made a great decision to purchase a house in Decatur closer to work and closer to the kids' school. BUT, I still think about them every day.
Guan Ru said I reminded her of a father figure this week. I took it as a compliment. Between her, Yi Xin, and Zeng Yi, not only is my Chinese improving, but I feel younger. I learned about Zeng Yi and another friend - Ruby's - career dreams this week. I am proud to know both of these women.
Ruby (who I will talk about later) loves animals and wants to help all the street dogs in Taiwan. Unfortunately, there isn't any animal control in Taiwan and dogs sometimes are abandoned by their owners. The Taiwanese government does not have the funding to support animal control. Ruby's dream is to help some of the dogs get off the street.
Zeng Yi worries about the people in China. There are many people in China that are poor and she wants to help them. Her father is part of the Chinese government. He had a dream for his daughter - to go abroad and study in different parts of the world. Zeng Yi states she is very fortunate because her father has supported her and has helped her travel. Even though I have never met him, I believe her father is a good man!
. . .
A couple of comments tonight, then a brief description of two more of the people that have been very important since I've been in Taiwan.
1. Today's activity was going to the Taiwan National Art Museum. I have become very good at conversing with people I do not know. One was a volunteer at the museum who explained some modern abstract art to me. It was part of an exhibition called Special Exhibition of LI Chun-Shen Modern Painting Award Winners. He discussed the origin of a painting that was about the winds of change. In the picture, there was a net, with six or seven red long figures flowing through it. A ghost-like face was near the net and long figures on the left hand side. The volunteer explained to me that the "red worms with light-bulb shaped heads" were most likely sperm. The ghost was blowing...That means that change was coming. And that the net did not catch the sperm. I took it to mean that this person experienced an unplanned pregnancy.
The second person was a middle aged English teacher at a high school just south of Taichung. She was visiting her brother and shared some of her experiences with me as well. The teacher (or 老師;pronounced lǎoshī) told me about learning how to do artistic calligraphy. She worked on learning how to do this beautiful art and continues to learn it to this day.
Even though the modern art is way out there, the calligraphy and the hand-carved stamps (and I can not find a link I like) are wonderful. The art museum is a MUST SEE while in Taichung.
2. Tonight's activity was hanging out with Paul at The Fish, a local bar that was about as American as I've ever seen. I had two beers...a Corona and a Belgian beer (I forgot its name) and enjoyed some fried salted red beans. It was great. As I was sitting at the bar, chatting with my friends, I heard this very American voice come up from behind us (Paul, our friend Solomon, and myself) say "Hey Paul!" This sounds like the beginning of a funny joke. "An American, a Korean, and a Taiwanese man are sitting in an American Bar. The American had just won a carnival game and the businessman gave him a small rabbit shaped mirror with 'LOVE' written on its ear. The Taiwanese barmaid asked..." Ok...This is a real story. Since this is a family-friendly blog, I will not finish the story, but it was funny! The night out with Paul and Solomon was great!
. . .
Let me introduce you to two more people that play a regular role in my life!
Mom - 我愛你. (Wǒ ài nǐ.)
I find it very odd...I am a father figure in this stage of my life. Andy and Kelsey, my two godchildren, are two of the best people in my life. I suspect they miss me, but like teenagers, they will never tell you that they do. Well, I miss both of them and wish that they and their mother - one of my best friends, Marianne - could come to Taiwan this summer. However, I realize that can not happen. Marianne made a great decision to purchase a house in Decatur closer to work and closer to the kids' school. BUT, I still think about them every day.
Guan Ru said I reminded her of a father figure this week. I took it as a compliment. Between her, Yi Xin, and Zeng Yi, not only is my Chinese improving, but I feel younger. I learned about Zeng Yi and another friend - Ruby's - career dreams this week. I am proud to know both of these women.
Ruby (who I will talk about later) loves animals and wants to help all the street dogs in Taiwan. Unfortunately, there isn't any animal control in Taiwan and dogs sometimes are abandoned by their owners. The Taiwanese government does not have the funding to support animal control. Ruby's dream is to help some of the dogs get off the street.
Zeng Yi worries about the people in China. There are many people in China that are poor and she wants to help them. Her father is part of the Chinese government. He had a dream for his daughter - to go abroad and study in different parts of the world. Zeng Yi states she is very fortunate because her father has supported her and has helped her travel. Even though I have never met him, I believe her father is a good man!
. . .
A couple of comments tonight, then a brief description of two more of the people that have been very important since I've been in Taiwan.
1. Today's activity was going to the Taiwan National Art Museum. I have become very good at conversing with people I do not know. One was a volunteer at the museum who explained some modern abstract art to me. It was part of an exhibition called Special Exhibition of LI Chun-Shen Modern Painting Award Winners. He discussed the origin of a painting that was about the winds of change. In the picture, there was a net, with six or seven red long figures flowing through it. A ghost-like face was near the net and long figures on the left hand side. The volunteer explained to me that the "red worms with light-bulb shaped heads" were most likely sperm. The ghost was blowing...That means that change was coming. And that the net did not catch the sperm. I took it to mean that this person experienced an unplanned pregnancy.
The second person was a middle aged English teacher at a high school just south of Taichung. She was visiting her brother and shared some of her experiences with me as well. The teacher (or 老師;pronounced lǎoshī) told me about learning how to do artistic calligraphy. She worked on learning how to do this beautiful art and continues to learn it to this day.
Even though the modern art is way out there, the calligraphy and the hand-carved stamps (and I can not find a link I like) are wonderful. The art museum is a MUST SEE while in Taichung.
2. Tonight's activity was hanging out with Paul at The Fish, a local bar that was about as American as I've ever seen. I had two beers...a Corona and a Belgian beer (I forgot its name) and enjoyed some fried salted red beans. It was great. As I was sitting at the bar, chatting with my friends, I heard this very American voice come up from behind us (Paul, our friend Solomon, and myself) say "Hey Paul!" This sounds like the beginning of a funny joke. "An American, a Korean, and a Taiwanese man are sitting in an American Bar. The American had just won a carnival game and the businessman gave him a small rabbit shaped mirror with 'LOVE' written on its ear. The Taiwanese barmaid asked..." Ok...This is a real story. Since this is a family-friendly blog, I will not finish the story, but it was funny! The night out with Paul and Solomon was great!
. . .
Let me introduce you to two more people that play a regular role in my life!
- Pei Chen - All the Americans that know her call her Nora! Her faith in herself and her religious beliefs are outstanding. She also has a great commitment to her job. I understand her job to be an administrative assistant to Patricia Lin at the Office of International Education & Programs. She also spearheads many projects, specifically the Buddy Program, and the TVT (Taiwan Visiting Tutor) Program to help Tunghai University students work on their second and third language skills. (Pei does a lot more than this in OIEP as well!) She is one of my Chinese tutors and is kind of like a mother. She is very active and works hard to help all the international students that Tunghai has. One thing she has trouble doing is teaching me the four tones in Chinese. But that is not her fault. My English speaking mouth is rebelling against the sounds made when speaking Chinese.
- Chao Yong - My colleagues and students at Millikin know him as John. Like Pei, I have known him since August 2009. He's a good friend and has helped me do many things since I came to THU. He helped me move into my apartment, gave me my first scooter ride, and took me to my first breakfast on Dongbei. He also organized the fantastic trip to Taiwan National Art Museum yesterday and is a very active member of the Buddy Program at THU. Chao Yong is a great young man that has been very helpful since I came to Tunghai.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Parts of Change.
I am stunned. This may have been one of the highlight weeks of my adult life. Seriously. This week has been so positive, I need to share some major news with all my friends.
1. My colleague and good friend George was promoted to full professor at Millikin University. If there ever was a scholar that should be a full professor, George certainly earned that title. Congratulations, my friend.
2. My friend Marianne, and my godchildren Andy and Kelsey, now own a house in Decatur. I am excited for my family and believe they will be happier now that they are closer to work and school. They currently live in Lovington...approximately a forty-five minute drive to Decatur one way. The kids will not have to get up so early every day and one of my best friends will not have to drive so much to and from work. Congratulations to my friends!
3. Students at Millikin got their MCAT scores. No matter what they scored, I was extremely proud of them all. Almost all of them have a great shot of going to medical school and I believe they will be excellent physicians. Congratulations to them! There's a small part of me that likes to believe I was influential in their success, but I really know it was their drive to be their best that allowed them to destroy the MCAT.
4. Three students that will be coming to Taiwan to participate in my research class were awarded scholarships from Millikin University. I am extremely glad that three of the seven earned financial aid to learn in Taiwan. Congratulations to them! However, I believe that the six that applied could have all won the monetary awards. I am lucky to have a great group of kids coming over to Tunghai University this summer.
5. One of my research students, Dian, was awarded a Summer Research Undergraduate Experience fellowship at Washington State University working on air quality chemistry. They had over fifty students apply, and Dian was one of the elite eight chosen for her position. Congratulations Dian! I am so proud of you! :-)
6. The Board of Trustees at Millikin University has granted me some faculty development funds to help with the financial burden associated with coming to Taiwan. This was great news and all I need to do is submit receipts to the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs to have my Chinese courses partially covered. I consider myself very fortunate to receive this extra monetary award from Millikin. My friends in the Chemistry Department and in the College of Arts and Sciences really stuck their neck out and supported the idea, and I greatly appreciate it. Thank you Anne, Clarence, Marianne, Randy, Jen, etc.
7. Last, but not least, I got the opportunity to make lots of new acquaintances and feel that I am developing friendships with several people. The one thing I can never express in writing is how friendly people are. To strip the idea down to its roots, I live in a city. Yes, I can not read the signs, and I have difficulty purchasing the items I want because I do not speak the language. However, it is still a city, still with many businesses, many cars/scooters, and many people. The people I've started calling friends are wonderful people. I'll mention a few by name and give a little bit about what we did this week.
Will. He's part of the Tunghai's Buddy Program for the International Exchange students through the Office of International Education Programs (OIEP). In English, he is very quiet spoken, but when with his friends, Will is very animated and very funny. He is an International Business major (I believe) and is taking calculus right now. Will says he is not good at math, but I believe he is very good. He and I had dinner together on Tuesday night, and he introduced me to a wonderful noodle place that serves a wonderful spicy noodle.
Guan Ru. Her English name is Linda. She is a fifth year student at Tunghai University and is about ready to graduate. She seems to love life and enjoy helping people. She has been one of the nicest and most helpful people I've met. Much like Will, Guan Ru is also one of the buddies from the OIEP program. She introduced me to many people, including some of my other friends. She is very extroverted and has quickly become a great friend. I do not think my third week would have been as wonderful if Guan Ru was not part of it.
Lizzy. I am so sorry that I have forgotten Lizzy's Chinese name. I think she's the funniest of my new friends. I love her facial expressions and enthusiasm in her voice. She is part of the OIEP's Buddy Program as well, and does a wonderful job with it. Lizzy, Guan Ru, and my friend Zeng Yi all went to the Féng Jiǎ night market together on Wednesday. Even though Guan Ru and Zeng Yi love to shop and look around at the markets and stores, Lizzy and I just enjoyed walking.
Zeng Yi. This is my friend from China. Her English name is Sophie, and when I think about it, her given name sounds a lot like her English name. She is a fantastic person. Like the other two women I've mentioned, she has become a wonderful new friend and is very caring. She has been an exchange student in Japan and Taiwan. She hopes to come to the United States, possibly next year, in another international exchange. Much like Lizzy and Guan Ru, she has been so helpful, especially with my poor Chinese. She has also taught me a significant amount about mainland China and has suggested some places to visit while I'm there. She is very creative and is thoughtful in her ideas and questions.
Collectively, the three ladies I just mentioned spent an evening on the Féng Jiǎ night market talking, including a serious discussion about cultural differences and pre-conceived ideas that the Asian and Western Cultures have about one another.
Lizzy, Zeng Yi, Will, and I went to Lukang, an ancient Taiwanese city with many different temples and an active market scene. We had a great time and I hope to post videos and pictures of this today.
Paul. One of the nicest guys I have ever met. He is older...part of the my Chinese language class. A fantastic person from Korea. He is easily one of the best learners in our class (and does not give himself enough credit). This last week, he and I went to a famous tea house (Rose Tea House), then a Korean restaurant that is out of this world. I had my first taste of Korean wine (which was excellent). Paul is a genuine, real person that misses his wife and kids back in Korea, and found a new friend in me. He also introduced me to Solomon, another gentleman in the semiconductor industry that drank fabulous tea and ate dinner with us.
There are more people as well. Rebecca (an American) from Chinese class...Nora (and all the people that came to Taiwan back in August 2009 know her)...Lulu, who I am just getting to know.
This world is small. Adventure is out there waiting to happen. If you ever have the opportunity, make it happen. Even though places and sites associated with certain parts of the world make it unique, its the people that create the experience.
I am different. Changed. Significantly.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Shaking...
Its about 8:18 am on March 4, 2010. You've just woke up, and picked up your Chinese book to review the 56 new words you need to learn for today. As your sitting there trying to decipher the pinyin, you feel a ripple along your bed...but it seems to go away quickly. Seconds after, you see things moving around and feel the earth quake beneath you. Frightened, you sit and wait, praying that this isn't a repeat of the recent Haiti and Chile disasters. You hold your breath.
On September 12, 1999, Taiwan suffered a major earthquake (measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale) that killed over 2000 people and injured an additional 8000 citizens. The epicenter was located near Guangfu Elementary School. Luckily, the earthquake occurred at 1:47 am, or hundreds of children would have contributed to the death toll.
The picture above was taken when I, along with a group of Millikin faculty and students, visited the 921 Earthquake Museum in August 2009.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
2010 Taiwan Lantern Festival - Year of the Tiger
On Sunday, I traveled along with my fellow international classmates to the National Lantern Festival held in Chiayi City. WOW WOW WOW WOW...and WOW! It was the last day of the Chinese New Year Festival. We saw numerous different lanterns, including many of the traditional red spherically shaped ones with "zi" (Chinese characters) on them. There were thousands upon thousands of people there, and our trip included a very scary taxi ride through a sea of people walking and riding around on scooters. Every side of the taxi was surrounded by locals and visitors.
Shortly after 7 p.m. that evening, all the electricity to the festival site went out. The organizers lit the most artistic lantern. This ceremony was quickly followed by an enormous fireworks display. Even though it was short (by American standards), the sky was as bright as the day filled with beautiful colored light that was generated by the combustion of many different chemicals.
That night also brought some wonderful food. We ate at a local restaurant and had minced turkey (a meat that is very unusual in Taiwan) in sauce with rice, soft tofu (also in a sauce), pidan (which I didn't like), some soup, and some vegetables. We capped off the night with some mango-flavored milk (absolutely awesome) and a pineapple cake.
I loved the Chinese New Year and wish I could have seen more. The picture posted with this blog entry was taken by Linda Yao.
To check out some videos, click on the following links:
Lanterns
Fireworks
Riben-ren
The dancers from Okinawa University that performed at Tunghai University deserve some love! This group was wonderful. I can still see their artistic performance in my mind. The young man on left in the front row was extremely charismatic.
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