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.
Hello~
ReplyDeletefather~
^0^