Hey again, so I'm kind of bored at the moment. I just basically spent the day at home, except for church, because my host parents don't really like me staying out too long. Which is weird, they had no problem with this 2 weekends ago.
So my life this week: I don't know if I mentioned this in my last post, but I realied the source of all my frustration in Taiwan: public transportation. Before, this wasn't a problem, but now that I'm at my last host family, things are more complicated. And it's only because of one thing! The community bus. This bus comes to JingAn MRT station every hour at 20 minutes past the hour. This is annoying because if I miss it, I have to wait another hour for it to come again. Which happens quite frequently, but I'm downloading more apps for my iTouch to keep me busy. Actually, I have a story to tell, which I promise is true, or in Jamie Kelly's words, 'as true as it needs to be.'
Yesterday was the culmination of the Chinese classes. We had a speech competition that we had all been preparing for since February, or whenever the new semester started, which I guess was in January! So a long time, I had worked on mine (finding out who you are) for a few months now and had my Chinese teacher and my teachers at school go over it several times and practiced it a lot! I know there were other people who were taking this seriously because it counts as our final exam.
So imagine what a blow it was to everyone when 1st and 2nd prizes were awarded to the Australians, who have been here since February and weren't even in our Chinese classes. I mean, everyone else has been learning Chinese all year, and they've only been here a few months. A lot of exchange students think the Rotarians here are prejudiced and prefer people with blonde hair and blue eyes. Which seems really mean, but it's hard to deny. 1st and 2nd prizes along with the 2 runners up all had blonde hair, and I think most of them had blue eyes, I'm not sure. A lot of people have learned that if you wear short skirts and low cut tops, your odds are better at winning, which is also sad, but true. It sucks that things are this way, but that's the way it is here. I did my best, and dressed modestly, and that's all that matters.
After the contest, I went to the bus stop to get the bus to JingAn, but it took forever! I figured once I got on the bus, it would be half an hour tops until I got to my stop, then I would have to run to make my community bus. But we hit every possible red light! Then, at 5:13, I realized I missed my stop, and the bus was stopped anyway, so I asked the driver if he could let me off, and this always works, as long as you speak Chinese, even for Taiwanese people, but he just shook his head! It took all my self-control not to punch him in the face or scream. He let me off 2 blocks from where I wanted to go, and by then it was 5:17, so I decided that even if I could fly, I wouldn't make my bus, so I walked and ended up having to wait another hour for my bus. I hate that I'm becoming a slave to this bus!
On the more positive side, sort of, last Friday night was the St Peter's Formal, which I missed. But I did manage to talk to my friends on the phone at 8:00am on Saturday! It was so good to hear their voices, but I'm afraid it's made me a little homesick! But it definitely made my day and now I can survive the community bus because in just over a month, I'll be back in Peterborough where I never take the bus and my friends haven't forgotten me and have their G2s and can drive me around! Haha, but for now, I have to enjoy this last part of my time in Taiwan! It feels like Summer, and it rains at least once a day. I'm getting a little sick of carrying my umbrella with me everywhere.
Well, that's it for now. I'm exhausted, and it's only 8:00! Now to find something else to do...
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Weekends
Hey again!
So as some of you may know, this past weekend was my 2nd host cousin's wedding. It was the first wedding for her generation in her family, so it was a pretty big deal! She mentioned it the last time I visited with my 2nd host family in JiaYi (south Taiwan) and said that she wanted me to come.
Now, the first time I went to JiaYi, in February, I met her boyfriend. The second time, April, they were engaged and now they're married. I actually like him a lot. He thinks I'm so weird though!
We arrived on Friday night. Then one of the uncles, who likes to tease me!, started asking me when I was going to get married and I said I had no idea, so he decided I would get married when I'm 26. Then he offered to come and make stinky tofu at my wedding.
We had to get up early the next morning to help set up. It was only 8:00 and it was already so hot! And the wedding was outside! My host cousin wanted me to help her with her hair and makeup along with the other cousins and aunts. It's really hard to curl someone else's eyelashes without actually poking their eyes out. She only had one dress, unlike the traditional 3 dresses that most Taiwanese brides have.
After this, I went outside to help set up then more people started arriving. They are always shocked when they see foreigners in JiaYi. It's as if they're silently saying, 'what are you doing HERE? You should be in TaiChung or Taipei!' After a while, they told me to go inside and wait with the bride and groom because it's air conditioned inside. We ended up playing Uno until lunch was served, then I had to go back outside and eat hot food. It's so weird how Taiwanese people always complain about how hot or cold it is, but yet, when it's hot out, they eat fried chicken and soup and stuff and when it's cold, they eat shaved ice with fruit and DouHua (Most amazing thing ever! Tufu, jellied fruit and peanuts!! Iced, of course). So the food was really hot. But they served ice cream for desert, which was nice.
Shortly after this, and more visiting with the family, the uncle decided I'm going to get married when I'm 20. I made the mistake of giving him my business card the last time I visited, and he reminded me of this, so now he knows where I live. Oh well, at least I'll smell him coming if he brings stinky tofu.
This was my last visit to JiaYi. Everyone said they would miss me, I'll miss them too! But I'm just upset because when my 2nd host family dropped me off at my 3rd host family, my new host mom snatched me away so quickly that I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye! Hopefully I'll see them in USA, or even better, Canada next year!
Today was school, the 2nd last day of Chinese classes and tomorrow me and Julie are making cookies and crepes because the rest of the school has exams!! I'm so excited!!
So as some of you may know, this past weekend was my 2nd host cousin's wedding. It was the first wedding for her generation in her family, so it was a pretty big deal! She mentioned it the last time I visited with my 2nd host family in JiaYi (south Taiwan) and said that she wanted me to come.
Now, the first time I went to JiaYi, in February, I met her boyfriend. The second time, April, they were engaged and now they're married. I actually like him a lot. He thinks I'm so weird though!
We arrived on Friday night. Then one of the uncles, who likes to tease me!, started asking me when I was going to get married and I said I had no idea, so he decided I would get married when I'm 26. Then he offered to come and make stinky tofu at my wedding.
We had to get up early the next morning to help set up. It was only 8:00 and it was already so hot! And the wedding was outside! My host cousin wanted me to help her with her hair and makeup along with the other cousins and aunts. It's really hard to curl someone else's eyelashes without actually poking their eyes out. She only had one dress, unlike the traditional 3 dresses that most Taiwanese brides have.
After this, I went outside to help set up then more people started arriving. They are always shocked when they see foreigners in JiaYi. It's as if they're silently saying, 'what are you doing HERE? You should be in TaiChung or Taipei!' After a while, they told me to go inside and wait with the bride and groom because it's air conditioned inside. We ended up playing Uno until lunch was served, then I had to go back outside and eat hot food. It's so weird how Taiwanese people always complain about how hot or cold it is, but yet, when it's hot out, they eat fried chicken and soup and stuff and when it's cold, they eat shaved ice with fruit and DouHua (Most amazing thing ever! Tufu, jellied fruit and peanuts!! Iced, of course). So the food was really hot. But they served ice cream for desert, which was nice.
Shortly after this, and more visiting with the family, the uncle decided I'm going to get married when I'm 20. I made the mistake of giving him my business card the last time I visited, and he reminded me of this, so now he knows where I live. Oh well, at least I'll smell him coming if he brings stinky tofu.
This was my last visit to JiaYi. Everyone said they would miss me, I'll miss them too! But I'm just upset because when my 2nd host family dropped me off at my 3rd host family, my new host mom snatched me away so quickly that I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye! Hopefully I'll see them in USA, or even better, Canada next year!
Today was school, the 2nd last day of Chinese classes and tomorrow me and Julie are making cookies and crepes because the rest of the school has exams!! I'm so excited!!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
How to Bake Cookies When You're Surrounded by Taiwanese Teenagers
Step 1- The first step to making any cookies is to mix the ingredients. In most Taiwanese high school, the students will have to do this by hand. They will start, but get tired after approx. 8 seconds and ask if you would like to try. Once you, the foreigner and obvious reason why they even agreed to bake in the first place, start stirring, they will think this is cute and start taking pictures with their cell phones, then take turns posing around you and taking more pictures. The best way to endure this is to let them take one or two pictures then say, 'Hao le.' which means, okay, that's enough. You may have to say this a few times to get them to stop.
Step 2- Because the students know they are making cookies, they will bring a variety of different things to try to sneak in to the mix. This could include anything from chocolate cereal to almonds to fructose syrup (I wish I was kidding). The inportant thing in this case is to always keep your eye on the mixing bowl, which shouldn't be too hard because the Taiwanese people will be too busy taking pictures anyway.
Step 3- Pictures are a big part of Taiwanese culture. So don't be surprised if during the whole time you are baking, they have their cell phone pointed at themselves and are constantly checking their reflections in pocket mirrors. But you do have to be on the look-out for their combs, which they carry with them everywhere. About once ever half hour, every Taiwanese student, both male and female, get the urge to comb their hair out. When you see the comb appear, you must politely remind them to go outside and do it, otherwise they will get hair in the cookie dough. But they don't always listen. You will occasionally see tumbleweeds of hair rolling across the floor.
Step 4- When it is time to roll the cookies into balls, you can choose 1 from out of 2 tasks. You can either roll the dough into balls, or you can press them onto the cookie sheet. I'm sure you or I could do any of these tasks quickly and efficiently. So you really have to choose which task you want to assign the Taiwanese. If you decide to roll then they will spend about 5 minutes on each ball to arrange it into a cute shape. If you decide to press then they will spend five minutes on every ball to make sure they are all exactly the same size. It's up to you.
So if you ever feel the desire to bake cookies with Taiwanese people, you'd better set aside a rather large portion of your day as this could take a very long time.
Based on a true story.
Step 2- Because the students know they are making cookies, they will bring a variety of different things to try to sneak in to the mix. This could include anything from chocolate cereal to almonds to fructose syrup (I wish I was kidding). The inportant thing in this case is to always keep your eye on the mixing bowl, which shouldn't be too hard because the Taiwanese people will be too busy taking pictures anyway.
Step 3- Pictures are a big part of Taiwanese culture. So don't be surprised if during the whole time you are baking, they have their cell phone pointed at themselves and are constantly checking their reflections in pocket mirrors. But you do have to be on the look-out for their combs, which they carry with them everywhere. About once ever half hour, every Taiwanese student, both male and female, get the urge to comb their hair out. When you see the comb appear, you must politely remind them to go outside and do it, otherwise they will get hair in the cookie dough. But they don't always listen. You will occasionally see tumbleweeds of hair rolling across the floor.
Step 4- When it is time to roll the cookies into balls, you can choose 1 from out of 2 tasks. You can either roll the dough into balls, or you can press them onto the cookie sheet. I'm sure you or I could do any of these tasks quickly and efficiently. So you really have to choose which task you want to assign the Taiwanese. If you decide to roll then they will spend about 5 minutes on each ball to arrange it into a cute shape. If you decide to press then they will spend five minutes on every ball to make sure they are all exactly the same size. It's up to you.
So if you ever feel the desire to bake cookies with Taiwanese people, you'd better set aside a rather large portion of your day as this could take a very long time.
Based on a true story.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Earthquakes and Landslides
Well, I have officially switched to my last host family. They are so sweet! I have 2 younger host sisters, one is 16, she's going to Hungary next year, and one is 15. The dad is super nice and always asks for certain words in English and the mom has offered to teach me to cook Taiwanese food if I'll teach her to cook Canadian food. My room is so big! It's got foam on the floor, so it's really comfortable and a big window so I can see all of Taipei outside. I now live on a mountain, it's really beautiful, but a little inconvenient because the bus down the mountain only comes once an hour, so I'm eaither really early to school, or really late.
On Sunday, there was an earthquake, which is no big deal, I'm pretty used to earthquakes, they're really fun! But there was another one yesterday which was big enough that a mountain actually moved, I didn't see the before and after pictures on the news, but my friends were telling me about it. And it also triggered a landslide that lasted 52 hours and they believe that 4 people have been buried underneath. I saw people digging through it on the news. It covered a highway, so now there's lots of traffic.
Other than that, I'm okay. It's a cold and rainy day, ah! I miss hearing Dad say that! It's cold and rainy here pretty often. Tomorrow it's supposed to be warm and rainy and the inbounds are going to the zoo for culture class. It's weird. On Monday, the morning was cold, the it warmed up around noon, like warm enough that I thought I was going to melt then a few hours later, it got really cold again. The weather here is stupid, why can't it just stay the same?
Anyway, that's all I have to say for now! Still don't know my address, I keep forgetting to ask, sorry!
On Sunday, there was an earthquake, which is no big deal, I'm pretty used to earthquakes, they're really fun! But there was another one yesterday which was big enough that a mountain actually moved, I didn't see the before and after pictures on the news, but my friends were telling me about it. And it also triggered a landslide that lasted 52 hours and they believe that 4 people have been buried underneath. I saw people digging through it on the news. It covered a highway, so now there's lots of traffic.
Other than that, I'm okay. It's a cold and rainy day, ah! I miss hearing Dad say that! It's cold and rainy here pretty often. Tomorrow it's supposed to be warm and rainy and the inbounds are going to the zoo for culture class. It's weird. On Monday, the morning was cold, the it warmed up around noon, like warm enough that I thought I was going to melt then a few hours later, it got really cold again. The weather here is stupid, why can't it just stay the same?
Anyway, that's all I have to say for now! Still don't know my address, I keep forgetting to ask, sorry!
Friday, April 23, 2010
The Sky is Falling!!
Hey, I just have to tell you about this! So I was reading Holes today in school, and you know how Stanley ends up at Camp Green Lake because some shoes fell from the sky and he got blamed for stealing them? Well, walking back to the appartment from the bus stop, almost home from school and all of a sudden, this sandal lands right in front of me. I looked up and the other one was falling towards me, so I moved and it didn't hit me. I had to laugh. It was someone from the same building as me. But the sad thing is that this isn't uncommon here. I remember on some my first few weeks here how I'd be waiting at the bus stop with other people and they'd be eating or drinking something and when they were finished, they'd just throw their garbage on the gound! It's discusting! Just this morning when I was waiting for the bus there was a girl there drinking milk and eventually she decided she'd had enough and poured the rest of the carton out then threw the empty carton on the ground! These people are like animals, it's sad how I'm getting used to this. I've never done anything like this, either in Canada or Taiwan, I know better than that.
This is why we aren't allowed to eat or drink on the subway, because people will just throw their garbage on the floor. Betel nut is also really gross. It's basically this red gunk that people chew and store in their cheeks when they're not chewing it, then when they're done, they just spit it out on the sidewalk. It's amazing how much of this people can fit into their mouths. I've seen people spit their entire load out and it truly is discusting. This is why you'll see red smears all over the sidewalks and roads here. You're also not allowed to chew betel nut on the subway because it's discusting enough when you're not on the subway. It also stains people's teeth red, so you can always tell who's been at it.
I thought, Taiwan being an advanced country, that they'd have a little more manners than this. I can't wait to get back to human civilization in Canada!!
This is why we aren't allowed to eat or drink on the subway, because people will just throw their garbage on the floor. Betel nut is also really gross. It's basically this red gunk that people chew and store in their cheeks when they're not chewing it, then when they're done, they just spit it out on the sidewalk. It's amazing how much of this people can fit into their mouths. I've seen people spit their entire load out and it truly is discusting. This is why you'll see red smears all over the sidewalks and roads here. You're also not allowed to chew betel nut on the subway because it's discusting enough when you're not on the subway. It also stains people's teeth red, so you can always tell who's been at it.
I thought, Taiwan being an advanced country, that they'd have a little more manners than this. I can't wait to get back to human civilization in Canada!!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Biking in Danshui
Since Taekwondo is over (see movies on YouTube! 1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-CIFyS0IW4 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyV-ZknR9jY) we only have a few more culture classes left before the semester is officially over, even though no one actually leaves until June. So today we went to Danshui, or a few MRT stops away from it, rented some bikes and rode to Danshui.
It was so much fun! We should have been doing this a long time ago. I mean, pedalling down narrow street, trying to avoid the scooters and the lanterns hanging above us. It was so beautiful! Then we got to the ocean and for the majority of the ride, we were riding parallel to the ocean and had a nice breeze to cool us down. Most people got sunburned, but it was worth it! I'm not as bad as some people, but I still used quite a bit of aloe vera when I got back. Now I'm so tired!
One of the Rotarians owns a restaurant in Danshui, so we ate lunch there. He's so nice! He keeps telling us to go to his restaurant and he'll give us free food, and he doesn't lie! I think everyone ate for free and people were saying that they've been there before and have eaten for free. I wish all Taiwanese Rotarians were like this. But I only have 2 months left to survive. Tomorrow is my 8 month anniversary! Ahh! It's all going to quickly! I still have quite a few gifts to buy, so if you have any suggestions, email me: jazz_bond123@hotmail.com
See you in approx. 2 months!
It was so much fun! We should have been doing this a long time ago. I mean, pedalling down narrow street, trying to avoid the scooters and the lanterns hanging above us. It was so beautiful! Then we got to the ocean and for the majority of the ride, we were riding parallel to the ocean and had a nice breeze to cool us down. Most people got sunburned, but it was worth it! I'm not as bad as some people, but I still used quite a bit of aloe vera when I got back. Now I'm so tired!
One of the Rotarians owns a restaurant in Danshui, so we ate lunch there. He's so nice! He keeps telling us to go to his restaurant and he'll give us free food, and he doesn't lie! I think everyone ate for free and people were saying that they've been there before and have eaten for free. I wish all Taiwanese Rotarians were like this. But I only have 2 months left to survive. Tomorrow is my 8 month anniversary! Ahh! It's all going to quickly! I still have quite a few gifts to buy, so if you have any suggestions, email me: jazz_bond123@hotmail.com
See you in approx. 2 months!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
3480 District Conference
This weekend was the district conference for my host Rotary district, 3480. The exchange students had to be there the entire time, which was a bit of a waste. We had to be at the Taipei Grand Hotel at 9:00 on Saturday morning, so I, once again, did not get the chance to sleep in. We had to set up another country fair, so Joe, the guy in charge of the inbounds, told us to bring everything we brought from our countries to give away, so I filled my backpack with stuff and when I got there realized that we had 2 tables that were supposed to be enough for every country represented here. Once we had set up, we sat around for 3 hours until lunch, then the outbounds arrived and we talked with them for a bit. There's one boy, out of 40, going to Canada, and he's going to my sponser district! I'm so excited!
After that, we waited around some more until 6:00 when we changed into our Taekwondo uniforms and warmed up for our presentation. Again, another miscalculation by Rotary, there was already a band on the stage, so we didn't have enough room to do the routine we had planned, so we had to change it around a bit. Long story short, the person holding the wood I was supposed to break accidently broke it before I had the chance. One of the French boys fell when he swung his leg forward to kick his piece of wood and another French girl broke her wood with her head. I didn't take a video because something is wrong with my camera at the moment, but I'm waiting for someone else to, so many people took videos! After the demonstration, we all had to pose in the fighting pose and wait for people to finish taking pictures, then the district governor and his wife came onto the stage and they took some more pictures! My legs were sore after that.
For the Kung-Fu, all the exchange students did that. Only the people who were willing to put the time and effort into Taekwondo did the first performance. There wasn't enough room on the stage for all the exchange students, so people ended up falling over and it didn't go well. But, of course, the district governor and his wife came up afterwards to take more pictures.
After Kung-Fu, the people who did Taekwondo had to change back into our uniforms (they have our chinese names on the from and say Taiwan in Chinese and English on the back!) and pose for more pictures with our coach and in groups. Then we could go home.
This morning, I actually ended up skyping my parents and sister and cat before going to the second part. Actually, no, that's a lie, after I skyped my family, my host dad took notice o my coughing and dragged me to the doctor's office where I got mediation for a cold. I told him that a cold is no big deal, every Canadian gets at least one cold per winter, but he was freaking out!Justgive me kleenex, and I'm pretty sure I'll make it. On the plus side, I got weighed and realized I lost 5 kilos since December!
District conference wasn't so bad, we didn't have to be there until 1:30 and I went with my host sister this time. Then we just had to listen to rotarians talk for about 2 hours, clean up and then it was over.
My host family took me out for dinner because I switch to my 3rd and final host family on Saturday. I gave them their gifts and they gave me money to buy clothes, because apparently, I don't buy enough Taiwanese clothes! Then they signed my memory book. I'm going to miss this family. A lot. Then we watched the National Geographic channel and now I think I'm going to take a shower. The bathroom is free, which is rare!
Stay in touch, I'll let you know my new address as soon as I do!
After that, we waited around some more until 6:00 when we changed into our Taekwondo uniforms and warmed up for our presentation. Again, another miscalculation by Rotary, there was already a band on the stage, so we didn't have enough room to do the routine we had planned, so we had to change it around a bit. Long story short, the person holding the wood I was supposed to break accidently broke it before I had the chance. One of the French boys fell when he swung his leg forward to kick his piece of wood and another French girl broke her wood with her head. I didn't take a video because something is wrong with my camera at the moment, but I'm waiting for someone else to, so many people took videos! After the demonstration, we all had to pose in the fighting pose and wait for people to finish taking pictures, then the district governor and his wife came onto the stage and they took some more pictures! My legs were sore after that.
For the Kung-Fu, all the exchange students did that. Only the people who were willing to put the time and effort into Taekwondo did the first performance. There wasn't enough room on the stage for all the exchange students, so people ended up falling over and it didn't go well. But, of course, the district governor and his wife came up afterwards to take more pictures.
After Kung-Fu, the people who did Taekwondo had to change back into our uniforms (they have our chinese names on the from and say Taiwan in Chinese and English on the back!) and pose for more pictures with our coach and in groups. Then we could go home.
This morning, I actually ended up skyping my parents and sister and cat before going to the second part. Actually, no, that's a lie, after I skyped my family, my host dad took notice o my coughing and dragged me to the doctor's office where I got mediation for a cold. I told him that a cold is no big deal, every Canadian gets at least one cold per winter, but he was freaking out!Justgive me kleenex, and I'm pretty sure I'll make it. On the plus side, I got weighed and realized I lost 5 kilos since December!
District conference wasn't so bad, we didn't have to be there until 1:30 and I went with my host sister this time. Then we just had to listen to rotarians talk for about 2 hours, clean up and then it was over.
My host family took me out for dinner because I switch to my 3rd and final host family on Saturday. I gave them their gifts and they gave me money to buy clothes, because apparently, I don't buy enough Taiwanese clothes! Then they signed my memory book. I'm going to miss this family. A lot. Then we watched the National Geographic channel and now I think I'm going to take a shower. The bathroom is free, which is rare!
Stay in touch, I'll let you know my new address as soon as I do!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Whoa, how time flies!
Okay, so I just typed up this ridiculously long post then for some reason that I cannot fathom, I think I can preview my post then be able to go back and edit and it will still be there. No such luck. So I'm going to start all over again.
So, it's been about a month since my ode to sushi a few weeks ago. Actually, Sushi Express is apparently having a NT$10/plate day on Wednesday, which is like a third of what we usually pay, so we're going to have to check that out!
Two weeks ago was the second Inbound Culture Tour. We went to Eastern Taiwan which included Hualien and Yilan. We had to be, not awake, not getting ready to leave our homes, but at Taipei Main Station at 6:30 am. In the morning!! We were all dead when we met up and everyone fell asleep as soon as we got on the buses. Of course, travelling with the Taiwanese, we had to stop every hour to buy more food and use the washrooms. So it took us a lot longer than it should have to arrive in Hualien on the first day. We visited Taroko National Park, which is actually huge and so pretty! But specifically, we went to a gorge. That's the first picture up there. I've been blogging here for 7 months, no, more then 7 months! and I'm only just figuring out how to upload pictures here! Isn't that sad? Hopefully I can make up for lost time in the next 3 months.
The second day, we were supposed to go to a cliff, but, due to the small bladders of some of the natives on this trip, we didn't have enough time to make it. So we went paddle-boating instead. That's the second picture up there. It was pretty fun, but Mariah (Canada) and Rebekka (Florida) took it a little too seriously and I was surprised no one ended up in the water. This picture is amazing, they actually look insane!
The last day we went to a beach where Rotary make a mistake: they forgot to mention before everyone got off the buses that we aren't allowed to swim because it's nor swimming season yet. Can you believe that? It's actually illegal to swim before May here. Well, in the ocean that is. But as soon as the doors opened, almost everyone was in the water. We were supposed to be learning how to fish, and we did get to that eventually.
Fishing, in this case, meant pulling on a net for half an hour. there were 2 sides, so we had 2 teams pulling this huge net out of the ocean, it was pretty hard work! We thought we had a whale or something. So you can imagine out disappointment when we finally saw our catch and it couldn't have been more than 30 small fish. Oh well, it was kind of fun. I had fun at least. The picture for this actually isn't mine, I took it from Lisa (Texas). Hopefully she won't mind. She takes so many pictures, maybe she won't even recognize it. I'm in the top right hand corner in the orange shirt. I actually bought that shirt the night before at a night market for NT$100! Which is like $3 Canadian! I could take Dad on, I'd end up spending less money on clothing, probably much to his delight. Which reminds me, if you're reading this Dad, check out the latest Vinyl Cafe Podcast! I was listening to it at the gym and I could not stop laughing!
In other news, for the first time in 7 months, I'm allowed to stay home from school while my classmates write tests all day! They write exams every month and it lasts 3 days. All the other exchange students get to stay home, but not me, Imme and Julie. They started on Friday, so tomorrow's the last day. We were supposed to go to the cooking classroom and make food from our countries. We had permission from the library director and the principal, we just had to ask the cooking teacher for the key. But she wouldn't give it to us because it's too dangerous for us in there with all those ovens and frying pans. Um, okay. We are 17 (and 18) years old, we're not taiwanese so we don't spend out time studying and buying all our food from street vendors, so we do know how these machines work. Imme said that it wasn't as if we were going to stuff Julie in the oven to see what happened, one of the librarians was going t accompany us, but no! She didn't have any experience. No worries. I can sleep in tomorrow! But I am very disappointed with this. I miss being able to come home and say, I feel like making cookies, and actually being able to do it.
My host dad and I enjoy watching the Discovery Channel together. I like it because it's pretty much the only channel in English (with Chinese subtitles) and my host dad and I can bond with this. Sometimes more people join if it's interesting. Tonight was warriors around the world. It was a little weird, a little blood, but it was pretty interesting. Better then the Japanese cartoons and Taiwanese soap operas that my host siblings normally watch!
At the gym, there are 2 people that are usually there around the same time as us. 1) Tiny-Shorts-Guy (yes, I stole that from Made of Honour, but it fits) Pretty self-explanatory. He always uses the treadmill, he gets on and off during his hour there, always the same one. And he goes on an incline! He's hardcore. 2) Sweater-Girl: She's always wearing the same long-sleeved, green wool sweater whenever we see her. And she carried her huge white bag around with her. I wonder if she sweats, she must be dying inside that sweater. But she's always walking on the treadmill, never running. She's what I'd call a typical Taiwanese girl.
Well, that's pretty much it for now. I want to get a head start on sleeping in tomorrow!!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Sushi!!
Hey, so I think I'm falling in love with sushi! Well, maybe not faling in love, but I'm definitely addicted! Which in a way is good because it's healthy, but it's also really expensive. Well, 30 cents Canadian each, but it adds up because t's so good! I hope I can find some good sushi in Canada, I have to limit myself here, but when the home parents are buying, that's a dofferent story! Sushi Express is the best, and probably only, sushi place in Taiwan, there's so many of them, so I can get my fix whenever I have money.
How it works: (restaurant) The sushi comes in pairs and it revolves around the restaurant on a conveyor belt so when you see something you like, you'd better grab it or you'll be waiting about 10 minutes for it to come back unless someone else takes it. You can sit at a counter if you're alone or you can sit in a booth if you're in a group. I'm usually in a group. Each table (and a regular intervals on the counter) has a tap where hot water comes out and tea bags next to it plus a box of chopsticks, soy sauce and little bowls to pour soy sauce into. Plus wasabi. I can't eat rice now without soy sauce and wasabi! I hope I'll be able to find wasabi in Canada! At the end, someone comesto count how many plates you have (which means how much sushi you ate) and multiply it by NT$30 then you pay.
MRT station: At a lot of MRT stations, there are sushi take-out places where you can pick individual sushi which is either NT$10 or NT$15 depending on what you want. Then you put it in a box you get packs of soy sauce and wasabi and chopsticks. It's okay, but I like sitting down and scrambling to grab sushi off the conveyor belt before someone else does or it passes.
My favorite sushis: Well, at first, I was kind of hesitant to try sushi. But now, as you can tel l, I love it! My favorites are fish eggs (big fish eggs, rice and seaweed), corn (corn, rice and seaweed), cucumber (small sushis, you get 6, with cucumber rice and seaweed) and the salmon sashimi. It's weird. I can't stand cooked salmon, but I love salmon sashimi and sushi!
On another note, today there were 2 pretty serious earthquakes in Tainan, which is pretty far from Taipei, but we could still feel them here. One was at about 8:00am so I was at school and everyone started screaming. Weird, I would have thought they would be used to it. The second was at about 3:30ish, so I was at Chinese class. It's strange to have 2 in one day! Apparently people died in Tainan. I hope Taiwan isn't the next Haiti or Chile. But I'm okay. I'm just not allowed to go hiking for a few days because some rocks could have come loose during the earthquakes and we don't want any rockslides.
Well, 118 days until I'm back in beautiful Canada! Miss you all!
How it works: (restaurant) The sushi comes in pairs and it revolves around the restaurant on a conveyor belt so when you see something you like, you'd better grab it or you'll be waiting about 10 minutes for it to come back unless someone else takes it. You can sit at a counter if you're alone or you can sit in a booth if you're in a group. I'm usually in a group. Each table (and a regular intervals on the counter) has a tap where hot water comes out and tea bags next to it plus a box of chopsticks, soy sauce and little bowls to pour soy sauce into. Plus wasabi. I can't eat rice now without soy sauce and wasabi! I hope I'll be able to find wasabi in Canada! At the end, someone comesto count how many plates you have (which means how much sushi you ate) and multiply it by NT$30 then you pay.
MRT station: At a lot of MRT stations, there are sushi take-out places where you can pick individual sushi which is either NT$10 or NT$15 depending on what you want. Then you put it in a box you get packs of soy sauce and wasabi and chopsticks. It's okay, but I like sitting down and scrambling to grab sushi off the conveyor belt before someone else does or it passes.
My favorite sushis: Well, at first, I was kind of hesitant to try sushi. But now, as you can tel l, I love it! My favorites are fish eggs (big fish eggs, rice and seaweed), corn (corn, rice and seaweed), cucumber (small sushis, you get 6, with cucumber rice and seaweed) and the salmon sashimi. It's weird. I can't stand cooked salmon, but I love salmon sashimi and sushi!
On another note, today there were 2 pretty serious earthquakes in Tainan, which is pretty far from Taipei, but we could still feel them here. One was at about 8:00am so I was at school and everyone started screaming. Weird, I would have thought they would be used to it. The second was at about 3:30ish, so I was at Chinese class. It's strange to have 2 in one day! Apparently people died in Tainan. I hope Taiwan isn't the next Haiti or Chile. But I'm okay. I'm just not allowed to go hiking for a few days because some rocks could have come loose during the earthquakes and we don't want any rockslides.
Well, 118 days until I'm back in beautiful Canada! Miss you all!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Chinese New Year
As some of you might know, Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year as it's referred to here in Taiwan, was last week. My host family went to ChiaYi, which is in south Taiwan, it's strange, we basically drove across the entire country and it only took an hour. Taiwan is so convenient. You can go anywhere in the country no problem, by bus or train or high-speed rail and it's so cheap and fast. anyway. We drove down last Friday after we had dinner with my host dad's family. My host family has a house in this tiny village where people only stay during Lunar New Year and they all have he same ancestors, but they have no idea who anyone is. On New Year's Eve morning, we had to get up early to burn paper, which apparently represented money, and incense and get our food blessed. We hung out with my host mom's family later on. All day and night people were setting fireworks and firecrackers off. Yes, during the day when no one can even see them. It was kind of annoying. At midnight, this bell was ringing and people set off even more explosives.
New Year's Day we went to the temple to burn more stuff and pray for luck and fortune. Then we went back to Ama's (Taiwanese grandmother) for the day. My host little brother (Didi) and one of my host cousins took me out to buy fireworks and frecrackers then me and Didi had fun setting them off. They had these stick like things that you put into a tube and you can hold it when you set it off. I told Didi he looked like Harry Potter and he laughed. Now, I'm learning some stuff about guys. One of them is that they have 2 different laughs. One they use when another man, possibly a superior, says something and they think 'oh, he thinks he's funny, I'd better laugh or I'll get pounded.' This laugh is usually lower pitched. The second laugh they use when they can't control it, in other words, when something actually is funny. This one is usually much higher pitched. Didi has this. The difference between the two is ridiculous. When I told him he looked like Harry Potter (in Chinese, of course!) I thought a cat just got run over. It was that high pitched. Other examples of this laugh include M. Breton and my own father. (the real one, that is)
We spent the rest of the week hanging out at Ama's. Activities included Karaoke, motorcycle riding, Bingo and playing the Sims 3. I think I'm addicted!
I also learned, in the words of the Arrogant Worms, everyone has an Uncle Lou. He's kind of crazy, a little annoying and always around! I met one of these guys in my host family. He kept singing the Mo-Li Hua song (the same Mo-Li as my name. If I knew my name came with a song, I would have picked something else) and he was saying he wants to come to Canada with me to sell stinky tofu. I told him good luck with that. People would smell it and run away. It's not called stinky tofu for nothing. But he was hooked on the idea, which is why I didn't tell him where in Canada I come from.
We were supposed to come back to Taipei last night, but there was too much traffic, so we ended up spending another night and leaving this morning.
I miss indoor heating. I never though I'd say this, but Taiwan is cold in the winter! I guess the no indoor heating thing is a huge contribting factor. It's actually colder in the apartment then it is outside. Maybe some of it is because I'm now on the 27th floor of an apartment building. Speaking of which, I'll give you my new address:
Jasmine Haemel (or 茉莉 if you're feeling brave)
27F-1 No. 251 ZhongQing Rd.
Banciao City, Taipei County
Taiwan R.O.C. 220
Well, I think that all I wanted to say, until next time!
Ah!!! Tomorrow is my 6-monthiversary!!!!
New Year's Day we went to the temple to burn more stuff and pray for luck and fortune. Then we went back to Ama's (Taiwanese grandmother) for the day. My host little brother (Didi) and one of my host cousins took me out to buy fireworks and frecrackers then me and Didi had fun setting them off. They had these stick like things that you put into a tube and you can hold it when you set it off. I told Didi he looked like Harry Potter and he laughed. Now, I'm learning some stuff about guys. One of them is that they have 2 different laughs. One they use when another man, possibly a superior, says something and they think 'oh, he thinks he's funny, I'd better laugh or I'll get pounded.' This laugh is usually lower pitched. The second laugh they use when they can't control it, in other words, when something actually is funny. This one is usually much higher pitched. Didi has this. The difference between the two is ridiculous. When I told him he looked like Harry Potter (in Chinese, of course!) I thought a cat just got run over. It was that high pitched. Other examples of this laugh include M. Breton and my own father. (the real one, that is)
We spent the rest of the week hanging out at Ama's. Activities included Karaoke, motorcycle riding, Bingo and playing the Sims 3. I think I'm addicted!
I also learned, in the words of the Arrogant Worms, everyone has an Uncle Lou. He's kind of crazy, a little annoying and always around! I met one of these guys in my host family. He kept singing the Mo-Li Hua song (the same Mo-Li as my name. If I knew my name came with a song, I would have picked something else) and he was saying he wants to come to Canada with me to sell stinky tofu. I told him good luck with that. People would smell it and run away. It's not called stinky tofu for nothing. But he was hooked on the idea, which is why I didn't tell him where in Canada I come from.
We were supposed to come back to Taipei last night, but there was too much traffic, so we ended up spending another night and leaving this morning.
I miss indoor heating. I never though I'd say this, but Taiwan is cold in the winter! I guess the no indoor heating thing is a huge contribting factor. It's actually colder in the apartment then it is outside. Maybe some of it is because I'm now on the 27th floor of an apartment building. Speaking of which, I'll give you my new address:
Jasmine Haemel (or 茉莉 if you're feeling brave)
27F-1 No. 251 ZhongQing Rd.
Banciao City, Taipei County
Taiwan R.O.C. 220
Well, I think that all I wanted to say, until next time!
Ah!!! Tomorrow is my 6-monthiversary!!!!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
The Big Switch
Hey, so as some of you might know, I finally swithed host families today. I was away last week and got home yesterday afternoon, so I had to do laundry really quickly and try to fit all my stuff into 2 suitcases. I ended up filling both of them to their expanded size, my IKEA bag, my backpack and my carry-on. As I was packing, I was fiding all this stuff that I brought and have no idea why. I'll be sending stuff home for sure! I still have 5 onths left and there's no way I'll be able to bring everything home otherwise.
Anyway, y new host dad came to pick my up this morning with my new host BROTHER!! Finally, I have an older brother! I also have a younger brother and a sister who's the same age as me. On the ride over here, my host brother said more to me than my old host sister ever said in the 5 months I lived wth her. So I'm really happy! My new host sister kept offering to help me unpack, but after a while she realized that I was okay by myself and brought me water instead. The younger brother is a little shy, but he's so cute! I hope he'll open up a bit after a while. The older brother went to USA a few years ago, sorry, I don't know any names yet, they haven't told me. I guess I never knew my old sister's Chinese name. anyway, he went to Indiana and they showed me pictures of when they went to visit him.
At lunch, we were watching this documentary about this french guy who went to Japan and ate lots of food, it was kind of funny, but I don't think it was supposed to be. It was in French with Chinese subtitles, so we could all understand, or not understand. he spent a lot of time laughing and we had no idea why most of the time. Anyway, my host dad told me that everything's very relaxed in this house and everyone has lots of freedom, which is great! I think i'm going to like it here, it's just too bad I won't have a whole lot of time.
I don't know my new address yet, all I know is that I'm in Banqiao (used to be Yonghe) and on the 27th floor of an apartment building. But I'll let you know as soon as I do! And I'll try to get it right the first time.
Well, I have a Rotary thing in 3 hours, so I'd better get started on my speech. maybe they'll increase my allowance if it's any good! Then again, the probably shouldn't because then I'll buy more stuff.
Anyway, y new host dad came to pick my up this morning with my new host BROTHER!! Finally, I have an older brother! I also have a younger brother and a sister who's the same age as me. On the ride over here, my host brother said more to me than my old host sister ever said in the 5 months I lived wth her. So I'm really happy! My new host sister kept offering to help me unpack, but after a while she realized that I was okay by myself and brought me water instead. The younger brother is a little shy, but he's so cute! I hope he'll open up a bit after a while. The older brother went to USA a few years ago, sorry, I don't know any names yet, they haven't told me. I guess I never knew my old sister's Chinese name. anyway, he went to Indiana and they showed me pictures of when they went to visit him.
At lunch, we were watching this documentary about this french guy who went to Japan and ate lots of food, it was kind of funny, but I don't think it was supposed to be. It was in French with Chinese subtitles, so we could all understand, or not understand. he spent a lot of time laughing and we had no idea why most of the time. Anyway, my host dad told me that everything's very relaxed in this house and everyone has lots of freedom, which is great! I think i'm going to like it here, it's just too bad I won't have a whole lot of time.
I don't know my new address yet, all I know is that I'm in Banqiao (used to be Yonghe) and on the 27th floor of an apartment building. But I'll let you know as soon as I do! And I'll try to get it right the first time.
Well, I have a Rotary thing in 3 hours, so I'd better get started on my speech. maybe they'll increase my allowance if it's any good! Then again, the probably shouldn't because then I'll buy more stuff.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
This Weekend
Hey, so this weekend was pretty... exciting. I thought you might like to hear about it.
So yesterday, I had planned to go shopping with Aurelia from France, but then Josette, from USA, called an asked if i could hang out with her and the Korean exchange students staying at her house. I've wanted to meet these boys, so I arranged with Aurelia to have lunch with Josette, some other exchange students and the Korean boys at IKEA then we'd go to Xi-Men.
That went okay until during lunch, I got a phone call, from my teacher's number, from someone who wasn't my teacher telling me that I left my wallet at a hotel that I had never heard of before in my life. While the guy was trying to explain the situation to me, the phone went dead, so I hung up and forgot about it, probably a prank, but why from my teacher's phone?
I went into my bag to look for my wallet and realized I didn't have it! So that guy was telling the truth! He called back twice and Cory, from USA, helped me find the hotel, where, sure enough, they had my wallet.
Okay, weird, so we all headed off to Xi-Men. When we got outside of the subway station, we realized we were short a Korean. Josette went back inside to look for him and Aurelia and I went shopping. About 20 minutes later, we got a phone call from Josette. She still hadn't found Kimdayhuan and she wanted us to come back and help her look. When we got there, we found out our only clue was that the other Korean thought he sa him get off the train. Josette had been to the stations before and after Xi-Men and all over the station and all the exits. We had 6 people looking for him and she called her host mom and got in really big trouble for losing him. About an hour later, her host mom called back and told her he had come home and she wanted Josette and the other Korean boy to come home. I still don't know what happened, Josette was worried she'd get sent home, but I don't think that'll happen.
Today, I got on a bus that cost me just over $4 Canadian that took me to Taoyuan Airport where I met one of my mom's old coworker's husband who was in Taiwan on business. I gave him stuff to bring home to my family then proceeded to meet some more Canadians who had an 11 hour layover until their flight to Malaysia. I was proud to suggest some places to go in Taipei and help them order bus tickets in Chinese. I don't know who was more surprised that I could speak Chinese, the Asian Canadians, or the Taiwanese lady behind the counter. Getting home was under $3 Canadian, so that wasn't bad.
I'm pretty tired now, back to school tomorrow. But at least our 1 MONTH VACATION starts on Wednesday!
So yesterday, I had planned to go shopping with Aurelia from France, but then Josette, from USA, called an asked if i could hang out with her and the Korean exchange students staying at her house. I've wanted to meet these boys, so I arranged with Aurelia to have lunch with Josette, some other exchange students and the Korean boys at IKEA then we'd go to Xi-Men.
That went okay until during lunch, I got a phone call, from my teacher's number, from someone who wasn't my teacher telling me that I left my wallet at a hotel that I had never heard of before in my life. While the guy was trying to explain the situation to me, the phone went dead, so I hung up and forgot about it, probably a prank, but why from my teacher's phone?
I went into my bag to look for my wallet and realized I didn't have it! So that guy was telling the truth! He called back twice and Cory, from USA, helped me find the hotel, where, sure enough, they had my wallet.
Okay, weird, so we all headed off to Xi-Men. When we got outside of the subway station, we realized we were short a Korean. Josette went back inside to look for him and Aurelia and I went shopping. About 20 minutes later, we got a phone call from Josette. She still hadn't found Kimdayhuan and she wanted us to come back and help her look. When we got there, we found out our only clue was that the other Korean thought he sa him get off the train. Josette had been to the stations before and after Xi-Men and all over the station and all the exits. We had 6 people looking for him and she called her host mom and got in really big trouble for losing him. About an hour later, her host mom called back and told her he had come home and she wanted Josette and the other Korean boy to come home. I still don't know what happened, Josette was worried she'd get sent home, but I don't think that'll happen.
Today, I got on a bus that cost me just over $4 Canadian that took me to Taoyuan Airport where I met one of my mom's old coworker's husband who was in Taiwan on business. I gave him stuff to bring home to my family then proceeded to meet some more Canadians who had an 11 hour layover until their flight to Malaysia. I was proud to suggest some places to go in Taipei and help them order bus tickets in Chinese. I don't know who was more surprised that I could speak Chinese, the Asian Canadians, or the Taiwanese lady behind the counter. Getting home was under $3 Canadian, so that wasn't bad.
I'm pretty tired now, back to school tomorrow. But at least our 1 MONTH VACATION starts on Wednesday!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Haircut
haha, got a sort of funny story for you. So these past few weeks, I've been having trouble keeping my hair under control, which is pretty bad because it's winter and my hair is still frizzing out at me. Last night, I was looking at the mirror and wondering if anyone would understand 'thinning out' so I asked my host mom if anyone could make my hair 不太胖, which means not so fat. Then she asked if I wanted it cut and I said sure, then she got her coat and said let's go. Um, okay, sure, we cxan get my hair cut this very minute. In Canada you sort of have to make an appointment, but I guess this is Taiwan.
Now, it was a about 6:30 at night, but a lot of places here are open until at least 9:00, except the post office, which closes at 5:00 which is when i get out of school and this really bugs me! Anyway, the place we ended up at was playing Poker Face, which was my first sign that this couldn't end well. When we walked in, people were freaking out because there was a 白人 or a foreigner, that wanted to ge her hair cut. Everyone was asking everyone else if they spoke English, but in Chinese and the girl who ended up washing my hair kept asking what the word for hair was in English, but in Chinese, to the girl cutting hair next to her. It was pretty funny, I like playing dumb, I could understand them and they had no idea that I could!
A different lady cut my hair, she kept saying to my host mom that it was 很漂亮 which means very pretty. She actually did sort of thin it out, at least I can deal with it now, then she cut it. Then she pulled out a hairdryer and I wanted to say 'you really don't want to do that' but I didn't know how to in Chinese, so I let her find out that hard way that my hair isn't so 漂亮 when it's blowdried. She ended up wetting it again, then someone else found a diffuser (I was so surprised to find that they even have diffusers in Taiwan) and they managed to make it look a little better.
On th way home, my host mom was freaking out because my hair still looked fat. When I got home, I fixed it up a bit and assured her that it was a lot better now. I certainly gave those hairdressers an experience they won't forget. I'll probably end up getting it cut again before summer, then I'll run back to Janice as soon as I get home.
Now, it was a about 6:30 at night, but a lot of places here are open until at least 9:00, except the post office, which closes at 5:00 which is when i get out of school and this really bugs me! Anyway, the place we ended up at was playing Poker Face, which was my first sign that this couldn't end well. When we walked in, people were freaking out because there was a 白人 or a foreigner, that wanted to ge her hair cut. Everyone was asking everyone else if they spoke English, but in Chinese and the girl who ended up washing my hair kept asking what the word for hair was in English, but in Chinese, to the girl cutting hair next to her. It was pretty funny, I like playing dumb, I could understand them and they had no idea that I could!
A different lady cut my hair, she kept saying to my host mom that it was 很漂亮 which means very pretty. She actually did sort of thin it out, at least I can deal with it now, then she cut it. Then she pulled out a hairdryer and I wanted to say 'you really don't want to do that' but I didn't know how to in Chinese, so I let her find out that hard way that my hair isn't so 漂亮 when it's blowdried. She ended up wetting it again, then someone else found a diffuser (I was so surprised to find that they even have diffusers in Taiwan) and they managed to make it look a little better.
On th way home, my host mom was freaking out because my hair still looked fat. When I got home, I fixed it up a bit and assured her that it was a lot better now. I certainly gave those hairdressers an experience they won't forget. I'll probably end up getting it cut again before summer, then I'll run back to Janice as soon as I get home.
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