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.