For a week prior to this second most important festival in the Chinese Lunar Calendar, my host parents reminded me daily about the Rotary party on the night of October 3rd and there would be karaoke. So, naturally, I was excited. The karaoke was questionable, I mean, I like to sing, though I’m not very good, but I’d be singing in front of Rotarians and they love to party. Karaoke, I’m learning, is very popular here. At every party I’ve been to, there’s been a TV and a book of songs to choose from.
So, today finally arrived. I don’t know what I was expecting. Maybe lots of red, red being a lucky colour here, some lanterns, moon cakes, grapefruits and pineapple cake. I certainly wasn’t expecting what actually happened. I woke up as if it was any other day, had the same breakfast, where my host mom reminded me that today was the Moon Festival. Then she took me to Blockbuster and we rented some movies. When we got back, we watched Inkheart (it was really good, but I couldn’t take the bad guy seriously because he was the gay, editor-in-chief dude from 13 Going On 30!) Then my host dad came home and took us out to lunch (my host sister was at cram school). I was actually a little cooler today. Still hot, but tolerable. Lunch was probably the hottest noodle soup I’ve ever had! It was pretty bad, as soon as I’m comfortable, they have to heat things up again. I wonder what would happen if everyone in Taipei had a dehumidifier and had it on full blast all day.
On the way home, I saw some white people! The woman ignored me, but the man smiled at me. We’re like family here. Then we had moon cakes. They looked different from the ones I’ve had before. They were chocolate, but once I got to the middle, there was that stupid egg yoke! Why ruin such a good cake with something so completely random and gross? I’ll have to look that one up.
Now, at Rotary parties here, like in Canada, everyone dresses up. So I wore a skirt. When my host parents said it was time to go, they were wearing jeans and t-shirts. So I was a little confused. Even more confused when, instead of heading to the underground parking lot, we walked around the apartment building and right back into it via a little warehouse-like room. The party was there. My host parents had lied. It wasn’t a Rotary party! It was a party for everyone in the apartment building! I was overdressed, and I was very self-conscious about it. However, as promised, there was karaoke. They showed me the English selections. I had to laugh. There was Dancing Queen, 500 Miles, Twist and Shout, Spice Up Your Life, You are my Sunshine and My Sharona. Plus a lot more, but I can’t remember all the names. I definitely didn’t want to sing in front of a group of total strangers in a skirt while they were all in jeans! At least with the Rotarians, I know them and I wouldn’t feel overdressed. I told my host parents that I might next time. Still I couldn’t help picturing me singing Dancing Queen like in Mamma Mia or Twist and Shout like in Ferris Bueler’s Day Off.
We stayed for about an hour, then we went back upstairs. It funny what people will do when you put a microphone in their hands. I saw one boy who looked about 9 singing with his 4-year-old brother, but the little brother didn’t have a mic and was pulling on his brother’s hand to get one. He ended up throwing a fit and his mom had to intervene and the security guards gave him his own mic, which he promptly screeched into, then, scared by his own magnified voice, dropped it and started crying.
Anyway, it wasn’t anything special. I think I heard fire crackers a few minutes ago. I can’t see the moon, which apparently is orange tonight. There are too many clouds. Two typhoons are passing over Taiwan at the same time right now and have formed what my classmates call a ‘super typhoon.’ We haven’t had much rain, but it has been pretty windy.
My Chinese class in all Americans. We used to have a Russian guy and a French girl, but they left because it was too easy and now they’re in the highest class. Now it’s me, 9 Americans, a Brazillian girl and a German guy, but the German has joined the Americans. They can be mean! They told Ju They were better and smarter than she was because she made one mistake in her pronounciation. Then they proceeded to call Canada ‘America’s hat’ and Canadians ‘So cute, they’re like our little purse dogs!’ Of course, this is only most of the Americans. There are a couple that are nice. But still, I thought Matt would be wrong about the Americans, but he was right! There is one names Rebekka from Florida who has the same birthday as me! But she’s a year younger. Still, we’re friends. But the Hawaiian guy thinks he’s cooler than the rest of us because he’s from Hawaii. I played I’m Not American for Ju, and we both laughed at the part where it says Hawaiians shouldn’t be Americans because they’re nowhere near America. Ju and I enjoy our non-American time.
The French (and Belgian guy) are also pretty cocky. They think they’re better than everyone and always talk in French. I don’t think they know this, but I can understand every word they say. Most of the time, it’s stupid French people stuff, but sometimes, they say something mean about someone else. If I ever hear them say something about me, I’ll yell at them in their native tongue, they watch their faces. In culture class last week, we were learning how to tie a Chinese knot (which, incidentally, is exactly like hemp, so I’m pro at it) and we were divided into 3 groups and the Belgian guy was in charge of translating for us, but the dirtbag translated into French, so only me and the 3 other French people in our group could understand. I finished first though. I hope he noticed.
Anyway, I did have something else I wanted to share, but I can’t remember. Oh! This isn’t it, but Monsters Vs. Aliens! Watched it on the plane, I could not stop laughing! When Brenda and I were in Blockbuster today, they were playing the scene where the President is doing his crazy piano thing for the alien, but it was in Chinese! I don’t think my host mom knew why I was laughing all of a sudden. Anyway, great movie, I very much suggest you watch it!
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