literacy

Hello!   Here are some more updates!

School and sleeping in have been keeping me busy.  I've also found that I'm out of shape for going to school -- heavy backpacks and sitting and looking down  = aching back!  Ak! :)  PS  The first day I did my homework writing characters, my entire arm was so sore!  My auntie and uncle laughed at me while they massaged my arm hahaha.  I'm happy that I'm becoming less illiterate!

Tada! ;)

And now -- what's been going on the past few weeks.

My adorable cousin Liang Chen

We went to Jade Bay and Yehliu Geopark north of Taipei to see really neat rock formations and ride horses.

I see an elephant, hippo, and snowman head.  What do you see?

Found one that looks like a shoe...I guess not from this angle...

Most well known Queen's head formation.

 Ring once for peace and success this year--here you go!

Brazilian school mates Ineya and Wen

American schoolmates Tiffany, Josh, Roy and Winston

Ballroom dance lessons every Wednesday with A-yi and A-dieu.  Teacher Hsu learned ballroom when he was 50 and is now teaching us at almost 70 years!  Wow!

Learning the Jive!

 

Looks frightening but it didn't hurt!  I went to a chinese medicine lecture at school.  The topic was Gua Sha--a method of releasing negative chi - I hadn't heard of it before.  Using a smooth piece of bone, jade, coin, or spoon just rub the shoulders and neck, using slight pressure being careful not to break the skin (you can probably find a video on Youtube).  And it didn't feel like bruising either.  The Chinese medicine rationale is that the negative chi is coming to the surface and is being released and can be used to relieve colds or tension.  If you are healthy, then it wouldn't be as deep a red....so I'm not healthy!  The redness went away after 3 days.  I just felt really sleepy afterwards.  It's easy to do -- another student treated me just after that lecture!  We may not have seen it in the US because it looks gruesome.  There was a story of a child who was taken away from his family because his grandpa treated his fever with gua sha and the doctors thought the marks were evidence of child abuse.  Indeed - it would look that way! 

No little pugs allowed :p

 Shaved ice on Yong Kang street.

 Too much Tang Yuan with sesame and peanut powder!! (translated "soup rounds"--basically boiled mochi)

Went to XieMen (West Gate) Ding -- more shopping with lots of young people and shops.  (Back before Japanese occupation of Taiwan, there was a wall enclosing official offices with 4 gates.  A-yi lives near Dong Men (East Gate)  The gate, or replica/remodeled gate is still up.

Dong Men (East Gate)

I'm a picture. (at one of the fashion jewelry stores in XieMen Ding)

So is A-yi.

In Dan Shui with Melanie from Denmark.   There is Dan Shui river

 Fried Curly Potato on a stick (crispy like chips) with Cas from Belgium.

 Danshui old street.

 I've been lucky to attended 3 weddings already since I've been in Taiwan.  Traditional weddings start in the afternoon.  The ceremony includes escorting the bride from her parent's house to the groom's house with only very close family invited.  Then there is a big wedding reception at a banquet hall that evening that I can attend (groom's father's student's niece ;) for the 3rd wedding).  The couple usually has already taken their wedding pictures beforehand and they are shown during the reception. Banquet's are usually pretty extravagant with ~10 course dinners.

A-yi is in Shiseido's VIP club  so we got to go for facials and fancy cookies.

After makeover -- how do I look?  Too bad it was Sunday night and I just went home ;)

 Veggie restaurant with Ineya and Roy.

 Bimibap with Wen!!

Practicing Taiwanese poses....

 Me and Wen at school-- it is that cold here! well..I guess only I look bundled up...

 Me and Peggy with a salad crepe at one of the multiple shopping centers near Taipei 101.

 Near Taipei 101.  There are so many department stores in that neighborhood.

 Mall with really posh stores, -- it's one place in Taipei that I found not to be crowded -- too expensive!

 At Haagendaz -- how do I eat you?

 I think Taiwanese people love to shop, eat and Karoke.  This is not the lobby of a luxurious hotel -- it's a KTV where people go to sing into the night.  There multiple floors of private rooms with big flat screen TVs, leather couches, disco balls...serious karaoke.  We didn't get to go in because the it was too full!  I had fun setting a deal with youngun 17 yr old school mate, Josh so it's ok ;)

 Chandeliers too!

And mirrors

Fuyang Natural Ecological Park

From one of the metro stops, walk 10 minutes and you go immediately from busy streets to this much green at Fuyang Natural Ecological Park!

At the top of this hill there are some random tombs.  As we ran away, we saw Taipei 101 in the distance.

Scary Spider

After our hike in the rain, enjoying hot Doe Hwa (flower tofu--- sweet snack silken tofu with beans or tapioca pearls or taro)

MOVIE alert

I liked this Taiwanese movie called "Hear Me"--chick flick but I think everyone can enjoy it :)  Well, I saw it at school with chinese subtitles...and there's lots of sign language..so I did miss some parts but I was happy I could recognize some characters and follow along more or less :).   The actor Peng Yu Yen (Eddie Peng) is such a cutie! Part I with English subs 

Caught Cherry Blossom Fever

My Mandarin class started last week-- most of my classmates are like me -- we spoke a bit of Mandarin growing up with our families but can't really read or write.  Also, half of my classmates are Californian's and went to Cal!  I've met nice French folks, Japanese folks, and Belgians so far, too.  I have class M-F for 3 hours and we are supposed to study 4 hours each day too....

Anyway, here are some more pictures!

(Guang Hua) Bright Flower Digital Electronics Plaza -- I think it was about 4 floors of booths -- takes cash only and is cheaper than going online and you can haggle if you know how.  My auntie helped me get a little tripod included and a discount on a memory card, too.   Each store is just a little booth -- so many!!  One of Taiwan's major industries is manufacturing electronics.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial -- He was the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 1950 to 1975.

National Theater Hall - Haven't had a chance to see a performance here yet.

Street in Taipei

Everyone loves Cherry Blossoms it seems like.  There are always people taking pictures of the blossoms/with the blossoms.  They sure are pretty indeed.  Prepare for many cherry b. pictures.

Wedding of my Uncle's brother's daughter.

2010-2011 International Flora Expo

Too many people! We just went in, followed my Auntie around a bit and pretty much only saw people, no flowers...haha -- we'd have to wait in line for too long.  I did get to see this building envelope of reused plastic bottles...

Uncle (A-dieu) and more cousins (male = biau guh and female = biau jie and his wife = sou sou) and cousin's kids!

Heading up Guanyin Mountain on a beautiful Peace Day.  Cherry
Blossoms!

On top of Guanyin Mountain, named after Guanyin Bodhisattva because the mountain range is said to look like her laying down.  I couldn't see it...Here's a view from the top of Dansuei River - too bad it was foggy that day.
This trail we took was called Yinghan (strong man) trail.  The army used to train here.

Elaborate temple in Lin-Ko (just west of Taipei).  Temples take years and years to complete.  There are many many carvings and statues surrounding the temple and each are a little different.

 

Blue Dragon Horse- cool!

Cherry blossoms

Pictures from YangMingShan (YangMing Mountain).  Taipei is in a valley surrounded my mountains except for the Danshui river to the West.  YangMingshan National Park is a bus-ride away to the north of Taipei.

There are cute dogs lounging around all over Taiwan.  I've also seen them riding scooters (with their owners haha) and wait for the crosswalk.

Signs in Taiwan are so cute but take them seriously if you can :).  Definitely is slippery - Taiwan is humid and wet -- the rocks/steps are covered with slippery moss.

Favorite lunch was on the mountain in an old greenhouse -- the mountain veggies were so fresh and delicious! Tiny bowls in Taiwan...

I liked seeing the pink blossoms scattered in the green mountainside.

Fumaroles at Xiauyoukeng.

Everybody loves Cherry Blossoms!