I really missed my mom today and my whole family for that matter. Mom, no one could ever replace you in my life and I am so thankful for you. But since I'm here, I did my best to make my self-proclaimed "Taiwanese mom" feel appreciated. Janice got a flower, which made her beam and talk about it for the rest of the day.
TAICHUNG NIGHT MARKET. Last weekend I went to visit my Taiwanese friend Erin at her university in middle Taiwan. First we went to a night market in Taichung, the third largest city in Taiwan. It was packed with people. We looked up numbers for the average attendance at Taichung night market on the weekend-- 100,000! In a space that I'm sure is less than a few square kilometers. You don't have to walk, the crowds push you along. I don't think I've ever eaten more of a variety of things before in my life, from grilled squid to sweet potato balls to lime jelly to green tea ice cream to durian, a very stinky fruit.
DURIAN. My friend bought some durian before we hopped on the bus. She said, "better eat it fast, I don't want to get in trouble." I was thinking, what's wrong with this fruit? I soon discovered its immense stink. We sat in the back of the bus and ate our durian-- Erin in giant bites, me in little nibbles. A few minutes later the bus stopped and the driver looked furiously around the bus. "What's so stinky in here??" He yelled in Chinese. No one answered, and Erin in and hid in our seats. After staring everyone down, he gave up and started driving again, and I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. Never underestimate the stink of the durian!
ERIN. That night Erin and I slept at her church. She is the first Christian in her family and I enjoyed time to talk and hearing some more of her story. She is able to stream a Christian radio station from St. Louis through her phone and listens to it all the time. She's a great tour guide and a very sweet girl!
SUN MOON LAKE. The next day we went to a beautiful lake in the mountains called Sun Moon Lake. It's smaller than Lake Geneva but very popular as one of the bigger lakes in Taiwan. There we enjoyed the view, the pineapple, and also visited some indigenous shops. There are something like 12 different indigenous groups in Taiwan, and I don't know too much about them yet. Being at Sun Moon Lake made me miss home and made me realize how much I love the water. It's easy to take the beauty of Lake Michigan for granted.
Professional engagement photos in Taiwan are extravagant and a bigger deal than wedding photos.
Sunset at Sun Moon Lake
TUTORING. It's the work week again and now have three students that I meet once a week to help them learn English. I really love working with kids one-on-one and getting to know them. Teaching Spanish is exciting for me but also very difficult as there is no curriculum. It's very freeing because I can choose what I want to teach, but also difficult knowing how it all fits together and how to time the lessons within a schedule. This week we are having a Cinco de Mayo party, complete with piñatas that I am making! It should be a fun cultural experience for the kids. I am transitioning between English teachers right now, so I'm back to observing for a week.
THIS WEEKEND. On Saturday I had the opportunity of visiting a public school. I was invited to teach them a song, so I taught them Amazing Grace and the meaning behind it. Then I went out with my friend and her family to try some duck soup, which is pretty good. We visited a temple dedicated to Matsu. Matsu is the goddess of the sea and the protector of fisherman. I read on a sign that the original temple built for Matsu was destroyed in a flood... ironic. I took a video of the ceremony that we saw which was for bringing gods into and out of the temple so they can travel.
Thirty-five public school 8th grade girls got to hear the Gospel today. An opportunity I didn't even ask for but am so blessed to have had!
Duck soup. It's pretty good.
My friends Tina and Antonio.
"Changing of the gods".
That's it for now folks. Enjoy the pictures and the video. I hope and pray you all had a very blessed Mother's Day. My placement is halfway done and I'll be home before I know it!
"Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales, hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship! They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it, they set it in its place, and it stands there; it cannot move from its place. If one cries to it, it does not answer or save him from his trouble.
“Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,'
Isaiah 46:6-10
Anna
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