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June 4,
2010
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大家好!
I’m so mad at myself. I vowed not to miss a blog while on my exchange!
Time seems to be passing quicker and quicker by the day. I’m so sorry!
So
much has happened in the past two months. I’ve had my good days and my
bad days. Living in my crazy city- Taipei- and with only a few months
left, I find it difficult to balance the time spent with friends,
family, school, studying Chinese and FLVS… And I realize that
sometimes I need to prioritize, but it’s not easy.
In some ways I’ve changed, but
I’m also the same Rebekka (listening to Vampire Weekend and eating
Easter chocolate). It’s hard to believe that I’m leaving in two
months! I have a friend leaving in a week! And then most of the
exchange students in my district are leaving in June. A lot of people
are ready to leave. Its not quite homesickness, well it’s hard to
explain. It’s just the fact that we face cultural differences on a
daily basis; which can make life very interesting but also be tiring.
I told my mom that July 15th will be the happiest and
saddest day of my life (so far). It’s such a strange feeling. I’ll
have to say goodbye to one life, but then rewind back to another. It
will be hard going back…
So why
have I been too busy to write a blog? Where to begin... Well, I left
off at the end of February. THE LANTERN FESTIVAL!
元宵節!
This was the most extraordinary thing that I have yet to
witness in Taiwan. In my opinion, it’s THE MOST INCREDIBLE Chinese
celebration out there. The Lantern Festival marks the end of the
Chinese New year (which lasts 15 days). Simply put, people write their
wishes for the New Year on a Chinese lantern, and then set it alight,
letting it fly throughout the sky. If you stay home, then you won’t
see much of anything, but I was lucky enough to have a host dad who
took me to 平溪Pingxi.
Other than the south of Taiwan, Pingxi is the best place to celebrate
it. So many people travel there; it seemed worse than New Year’s Eve
at Taipei 101. We literally had to wait 3 hours in line to take the
bus that brings you down from the mountain! (They don’t allow cars up
there during the festival). President Ma was there too. Anyway, they
light thousands of lanterns! It’s so amazing to see. And they have a
million different shops, so you can make your own too. It was a day
I’ll never forget.
We had our second YEP
3-day trip last month! Of course it was fun. We probably spent half of
the time on the bus though; we took the scenic route over the
mountains. Nevertheless, it was quite beautiful, especially for a
Floridian. We went to a beach in Yilan for a few hours and tried
“traditional Chinese fishing”! You never know what you’re missing
until you don’t have it anymore, that’s for sure. I have so much more
love for Florida, and understanding for my country, and appreciation
for my parents.
Let’s talk about
bizarre Chinese food (..again
哈哈)!! Last week,
I went to a friend Claire’s house for dinner (she’s Taiwanese; she
goes to my school). And her mom made the best black chicken that I’ve
ever had! Ok, it was my first time trying black chicken, but it was
delicious. Unlike most of the chicken here, this was “melt in your
mouth perfect”. Taiwanese people tend to prefer their chicken with a
rubbery consistency…
I’ve also been even more
obsessed with Traditional Taiwanese Desserts lately (such as Ice with
various chewy toppings and beans; or Douhua- a type of soy product).
Most of my 外國人朋友
(other YEPs) don’t enjoy them. But we have a few select people that do
:)
I changed host
families last month too! Life is emotionally and physically
exhausting! But don’t worry, I love it! “My life is brilliant, my love
is pure”
I love my new host family. Its
hard to say which family I like the best. I was pretty lucky to have
three amazing families who really care about me. I hope we never lose
touch. I’m so comfortable here. My host parents now can be strict with
some rules… but what can I do. I know they’re just worried about my
safety. Living in Taipei gives me so much freedom! It’s only expected
that rules should accompany that freedom… and I’ve never lived in a
big city; some days I have to remind myself how lucky I am to
experience this. But still, I’m not used to my parents wanting to
control everything. That’s a big difference between going on exchange
in Europe and Asia, they’re very protective here, and it’s hard to get
out, but I think it’s tolerable. I’m not always happy, but I accept
it. And acceptance is the key to happiness. Lately my host parents
have been much more open to me going out though! I think they trust me
so much more- we have a great relationship.
My mom came to visit
me last month!! 我的媽媽！This
is a bit of a long story, but… She was supposed to stay for a week,
and the plan was that she would travel to Finland first to visit my
grandma for her birthday, and then come to Taiwan from there.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature intervened, and a volcano irrupted in
Iceland- sending ash all over Europe. Heard about that? So she was
stuck in Finland, determined to get here (and she explored all
possibilities- haha such as getting a visa to get into Russia and then
flying from there, ahah I love my mom!) But anyway, she was finally
able to fly a few days after her original flight was scheduled, but
that only gave her 3 ½ days. A VERY short time to stay in Taiwan =(
BUT we managed to see a lot and spend time with my host families and
friends. They loved her; my rotary club gave her lots of tea! I think
we’ll be hosting a traditional Chinese tea ceremony when I get back.
我喜歡喝茶 ;)
In our district, we
had a big Chinese speech contest last week. I didn’t win, but I think
my topic was unique: The Bucket List. I talked about all the things I
want to do before I die, haha, including skydiving, riding an
elephant, and going to Italy to eat a HUGE bowl of spaghetti. Sounds
delicious?! The boy that one has been studying Chinese for over 3
years! My Chinese is nowhere near “fluent”, but I’m proud for all that
I’ve accomplished in only a year. Before I came here, I thought that
learning a new language would be the most important part of being an
exchange student, but I was wrong. There’s so much more. You can speak
someone’s language, but still not be apart of their culture. I feel
that I’ve learned so much here, and in the long run, I think I’ll have
no regrets. I can always continue studying Chinese in the future, if
that’s what I want, but I think I would like to discover other
cultures and languages as well.
I don’t think we give
enough credit to all the people that make Rotary Youth Exchange
Possible. Thank you! I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for all of the
Rotarians and volunteers here and at home.
謝謝.
我愛你們！
The Lantern Festival in Pingxi |
Fishing in Yilan (2nd YEP trip) |
Chinese Opera and Lion Dance |
Making homemade dumplings |
Japanese sticker pictures with my classmates |
Old man and the Sea |
My mom comes to visit |
Mom eating bamboo rice in Wulai |
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February 19, 2010
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大家好!
And I’ll say yet again新年快樂!
(Xin nian kuai le) Happy New Year! The Chinese New Year has arrived!
This is my 4th
(and last) week of my winter vacation. And just like in the U.S, I’m
dreading going back to school.
哈哈!
(‘Haha’)
My first two weeks of vacation,
were predominantly spent with friends. Well I spent a lot of time with
my host family too. But it was so nice just to be able to wake up
late, go meet a friend for coffee, and then do whatever. I’m going to
miss living in a big city so much! One day, a group of friends and I
decided to take a train to another city. We ended up buying the wrong
tickets and then being kicked off not too far from Taipei. But anyway,
we explored and found what looked like a scene from the aftermath of a
hurricane; it felt like we were walking through a ghost town. It was
fascinating, unfortunately it rained all day. Why is it always raining
here? I used to love the rain in Florida, but now I’ve grown to hate
it. Maybe it’s the combination of cold and wet.
The Chinese New Year, for the
most part, starts a week before February 14 and ends a week after (yes
I know- it’s the same day as Valentines Day! But the date is different
every year, since it’s based on the lunar calendar). The first week is
nothing but cleaning, grocery shopping, and cooking. No, I’m not
kidding. Well unless you have a housekeeper, that’s how it is (though
a number of families DO have maids). Ok, and the other exception is if
your family travels during the New Year (which many families do). BUT…
If you stay home, I think at some point you’ll be asked to clean
something; mainly because everybody visits everybody during the
“second week”. My host dad has 10 siblings! Do you know how many
cousins and Uncles and Aunts that is? A massive amount. So on Feb 14th
we had about 10 or 15 people over for dinner. Then on the 16th
I slept in, thinking that the celebrations were over, BUT we had
another 15 people over for dinner (different families)! And in the
past few days we’ve visited so many friends and fellow Rotarians. I’m
going to gain 10 pounds by the end of this week…
The New Year is much more modern
than that of the past. I’ve learned not to expect anything too
shocking. Then again, of course this all depends on where you’re
living. The countryside is probably so different from the city. And
maybe not as many things surprise me, simply because I’m more adapt to
the culture. I remember my first month here, everyday I saw something
new and unusual. But anyway, there still are some customs that only
take place during the holiday season.
One tradition during the New
Year is to give out lucky money. The older family members put
money in red envelopes and give them to the kids. I received quite a
few red envelopes myself! Which means I can treat myself to Starbucks
again, hoorah! Actually, I was surprised at how much money I got (I
wasn’t expecting anything). Ok, it’s not a lot compared to others, but
a lot by my standards ^_^
Red is the color for the Chinese
New Year (ex. Red envelopes). Everything is red. And it’s lucky to
wear red during the celebrations. They even sell red underwear, by
advertising its good fortune! Yep.
On the first day of the new
year, you’re supposed to wear all new clothes too. I wore my new
traditional Chinese dress that my host mom bought for me.
In my district here, we,
meaning all of the inbounds, have a “Culture Tour” (it wasn’t cheap).
But the Tour is actually divided into 3 smaller tours- 3 days each. So
last month we had our first trip to Central Taiwan. Money well spent.
It was so much fun! But I believe that whenever you get 40+ teenagers
together for 3 days, it’s bound to be fun :-)
哈哈!
And I made a new friend who neither speaks English or Chinese. His
name is Spencer. I proudly gave him this name after I fed him a
handful of um sheep food? (which looks like reindeer food- the kind
you leave for Santa’s reindeer at night, which I highly suspect is
just the healthy cereal that only old-people eat) So yes, Spencer is a
sheep, and a very feisty one at that.
Anyway, we went to Sun Moon Lake
for a day. That was nice. They have an amusement park that we got to
spend a few hours in (It was cool, but I brag that nobody can top
Orlando).
I had several cards and
birthday packages (for my best friends) to send home, but what? The
post office closes during the Chinese New Year!! Zut! So I shall
announce: Happy Birthday mis amigas! And Happy Valentines Day to
everyone else!
我愛你們!
I’ve been searching for awesome
Chinese music lately (I’m getting tired of Korean pop) and I found
some cool bands, but they’re all from Hong Kong, so I can’t understand
most of what they say! Darn. Anyway,
www.alljapanesallthetime.com is what influenced me into looking
for music. This guy is amazing. He taught himself Japanese and became
fluent in 18 months! I envy him. So now I’m trying to use some of his
tips. He once replied to a post by saying something like “Korean
people don’t know how to teach Korean, they only know how to be
Korean”. And I think the same applies for Chinese people. Its really
difficult when they try to tutor me and make me write characters over
and over again, BUT when I simply try to follow the conversation
(first by observing and then eventually by joining in) I learn so much
more.
My host parents now know
how much I love chocolate, so they’ve somewhat started to bribe me
with it, like they’ll give me some if I wake up before 9…
哈哈
yes I’m a late sleeper :) Japanese truffles are to die for! I’m made
an analogy- Japanese chocolate in Asia = Swiss chocolate in Europe. Or
in my eyes, I would say it’s about equal to German Kinder, but not
quite as brilliant as Finnish Fazer (the best). Wow, a paragraph about
chocolate. Feel free to skim this blog.
Last night, I had a dream that
my parents came to visit me in Taiwan and we went out for dinner one
night and guess what we had? Taco Bell! This is horrible. I can’t
believe I’m now dreaming about tacos and chicken quesadillas. I think
this signifies that I wish my life in the U.S (being my parents in the
dream) would come to Taiwan, rather than me having to go home at the
end of the year. BUT I miss the food! I miss my momma’s home cooking
:-)
May you’re new year be filled
with health, happiness, and money- which are all possible with a bit
of Chinese luck.
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January 18, 2010
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大家好!
The new year has arrived. It makes me a little crazy- thinking that
I’m almost half way done with my exchange. I wish I could pause time,
and at times rewind and fast forward it. But I have yet to find a time
machine or a magic remote, so I just accept it.
I changed host families last week. Leaving my first
host family was the hardest thing I’ve had to do since saying goodbye
to my parents four months ago.
四個月! I’ve
become so attached to my host parents, and starting over is so
difficult. Yet again, I’m on an emotional roller coaster. haha. But
overall, I understand why rotary has us change families. Every family
is different, special in its own way. And I think by my next journal,
I’ll feel completely at home here. It just takes time…
But anyway, I do like my new host family :) On the
first day of the new year, we went bike riding in a park off of
Xindian 新店
River. It was wonderful. I love the park!
新年快樂!
(Xin nian kuai le) Happy New Year! My New Years Eve was amazing. After
dinner with my family, I met up with some of my friends at Taipei 101.
There were so many people there! It was chaotic. But my friends were
there all day so they had a great spot near an ongoing concert and
with the perfect view of 101! I got to spend my first minute of the
new year watching fireworks burst out of the tallest building in the
world! Incredible.
太好了!
Getting home was a nightmare though, haha. Squishing yourself on the
subway with about a million other people is an interesting experience.
I even witnessed a guard pushing some extra people in so they wouldn’t
get hit by the MRT doors! I thought that only happened in Japanese
movies!
Christmas was a few weeks ago! I actually wasn’t too
homesick. Near the beginning of December I was, but well I felt that
there was no sense in being nostalgic. And I did have a good Christmas
in Taiwan. My friend Mariah came to my house and we made my favorite
gingerbread cookies and watched basketball movies (I think we both
miss being around people other than Taiwanese =P and I miss my melting
pot country) But anyway, although my host parents don’t really
celebrate Christmas, we had a little tree and to my surprise they gave
me presents! I got a few lovely packages from home too. I love getting
mail!
Oh I happen to go to a Catholic school too, so in every
hallway we had about 10 Christmas trees! The decorations were so
fantastic. And we went caroling!
“We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”
Ok, I wrote that part of my journal maybe two weeks
ago. So now I’m continuing here:
My new host family is really great. Ah but some of the
food my host mom cooks is very traditional. The other day we
had chicken hearts with mixed vegetables. It wasn’t so bad though.
好吃!
(yum)
Last week we went to Longshan Temple and the Lin family
mansion and garden. I’ve been to so many temples here. I guess if I
would be in France, I would be visiting churches and cathedrals every
month. But I think the difference is that although some of the temples
that I’ve visited are famous, for the most part I only see local
people around. Longshan was packed with people making prayers and
giving food to the Gods. They have tables where people put anything
from fruit to chocolate chip cookies, allowing the Gods to taste their
presents, and then when they go home I think they take back whatever
they brought. While we were there, my host mom went to the God that
helps people do well on tests and exams and asked for luck for one of
my host brothers Sam. He’s at school almost 24/7 like many Taiwanese
teenagers. Yes, on the weekends and at night, preparing for the big
exam that decides which high school you get sent to.
I’ve seen vast improvement in my Chinese! I’m not very
good, but I’m better. I’m at the point where some things just come
naturally to me, but I just have to work on my vocabulary. Ok, for all
of the new outbounds- start studying now! I think the more you know of
the language, the easier it is to learn and become involved. (Oh… so
Rotary was right all along!) I can’t believe there are exchange
students for 2010 already! I remember when I was at orientation.
I’ve become such a worldly person. I’m proud to say
that I can now somewhat use the metric system. In reality, now I just
mix up Celsius with Fahrenheit all the time.
haha
I’m glad I get to experience this sense of
independence, but without yet completely being on my own. I make my
own decisions now, but I still have a host family to support me. I’m
like a freshmen in college though, poor and gaining the “freshmen 15”.
Its taken four months, but I’m finally starting to manage my money and
diet..
Next month- February- we have 4 weeks off for winter
vacation!! That’s when the Chinese New Year is. I’m excited, though
I’m not sure what I’m going to do for a whole month! We still have
Chinese lessons though, twice a week.
Oh and our YEP talent show went surprisingly well. We
danced and sung to Super Junior. In return to HOURS and hours of
practice, we got Certificates of Participation. Haha. Very impressive.
One group preformed a play about Harry Potter (‘Exchange student goes
to Hogwarts’) all in Chinese, so I admit that they deserved to win.
This past month has been amazing. Not everyday is
perfect, but that’s life. It can be difficult living in Taiwan
sometimes. Before I left, I told myself that even if I have a horrible
year, I will still take it as a learning experience. But despite my
worries, everything has turned out beyond my expectations. I love
Taiwan. And although I face challenges here and there, the important
thing is that I overcome them; I move on. Starting everyday with an
optimistic approach, has given me enough good days to keep me happy
for a very long time.
I think I could write for hours, but I recently taught
my host mom how to play BS (a card game), and she is very determined
to beat me. She’s going to attempt to teach my Chinese chess later.
Haha. Ok.
再見!
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December 3, 2009
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大家好!
That’s pronounced “Da jia hao”, which means Hello Everyone
Three
三
months have passed since I first arrived! The shock never
wears. Just the fact that I’m in Taiwan is still a dream. I feel
completely at home, but every once in a while I have to remind myself
that I have another life on the other side of the world. It’s a
strange feeling- having two lives :)
Nothing turns out how you
expect it to be. I’m so comfortable here, but then again at times…
It’s hard to explain. Sometimes I just wish I could fit in with
everyone. But I don’t blame people for starting at me or being curious
when a group of teenage foreigners walk by. I stare a bit too when I
see a “foreigner” –anybody other than Taiwanese. It’s so different
from the U.S, where we’re so diverse and yet I never really noticed
before.
I’ve learned that Taiwan台灣and
China 中國are
very different, and yet so similar. Don’t ever call Taiwan China! They
like their independence. Almost everyone speaks Taiwanese and Chinese.
Taiwanese was the original language, but when China occupied Taiwan
they made Chinese the official language. Anyway, now Chinese is still
the “official” language (they teach in Chinese at school), BUT so many
people speak Taiwanese (My host mom says 1. Just because they like it
2.To be more independent from China) You don’t know how confusing it
is when people speak half Chinese/ half Taiwanese! And a lot of old
people, like my host grandpa, speak Japanese, because 50 years ago
Japan ruled Taiwan! Very confusing... but anyway I’m focusing on
learning Chinese right now :-) It’s difficult.. so frustrating.. I’m
learning, but at a slow rate.
Ah another note, don’t read
other peoples’ blogs while you’re on exchange. I did at first and that
was a bad idea. It only made me more stressed to know that some people
are already fluent in their new languages. Or sometimes I’ll get a
little jealous of all the people in Europe who get to travel across
the continent. BUT, then I remind myself,
I’M IN TAIWAN! Some people
never even get to travel to Asia, and I’m lucky enough to live in such
an incredible country.
I’m looking outside my window
right now and admiring the startling green mountains. The perfect
backdrop; it makes me smile :)
我覺得很快樂
Next month I’m changing host
families. It’s depressing. Bittersweet, I suppose. I’m excited to have
host brothers and my next host family seems really nice, but I love my
current host parents! They take me to so many places and help me study
Chinese. Every Friday we have dinner with
阿公
‘akon’ (grandpa). And they know what I like and what I don’t
like. We’ve gotten to know each other so well! It’s hard to think that
I’m going to have to do this all over again. But they say it will only
make me a stronger person.
My second host family invited
me to go to a wedding last week. My host dad’s niece, I believe. They
have a HUGE family. The wedding was not what I expected it to be. They
called it a “Chinese wedding”, though it was modern, not traditional.
The bride had 3 dresses- a big pretty white one, a fluffy pink one,
and a green one (western style dresses). And… there was no ceremony!
That surprised me. I knew I wouldn’t be sitting in a Church, but
still! We just had dinner. And during dinner they had a few special
rituals, but overall it was short and sweet. I guess I like that.
I finally got a little homesick
during the holidays. Halloween is one of my favorites, but the Rotex
here threw us a fun Halloween party. Ah and Thanksgiving just passed.
I mostly miss the food. Haha. On Thanksgiving my school
cafeteria/restaurant happen to throw us a little feast. They said it
was for our school anniversary, but that was 2 days before, so I’m
pretending it was my Thanksgiving feast. Not too great, but we did
have cake :-]
School anniversaries are
incredibly important here. I went to my friend Corinna’s school a few
weeks ago. They had a carnival, with performances and of course way
too much food.
Last weekend, we had a Culture
Fair! All the inbounds represented their counties and we talked to the
future outbounds. I’d say the U.S did well. :) We handed out peanut
butter and jelly sandwiches. Haha. I think I convinced some people to
come to Florida too. The Canadians built an igloo out of Styrofoam and
handed out hot chocolate! Germany won though, but I think it’s just
because they had Kinder Chocolate. Everyone loves chocolate!
In my first blog I wrote about
how the weather is sooo hot. In my second blog I wrote about how the
weather is fairly cool. Now the weather is just crazy... I finally
understand. Extreme is the only word that can describe the climate in
Taiwan. One day it’s hot, the next day its cold and it rains every
other day! Haha, oh my crazy
台灣.
The things I miss most about
home are the things I took for granted. And mostly food. Oh how I miss
food. But you know what? When I go back home, I’m going to miss Taiwan
so much! I’m going to miss the shrimp and the dumplings and the creamy
conch soup! I’ll miss noodles and bread and tea and sweet potato
leaves. Taiwanese food has become a part of my life, without me
noticing! And I’ll even miss using chopsticks :] The other day my host
mom made soup and she gave me a spoon, and I actually found it harder
to eat with, so I grabbed some chopsticks instead.
Oh and did I say that when we
eat shrimp here, it’s very fresh. They serve it hot and with the
shells on. So you have to pull the head off and peel them yourself. I
thought this was a bit gross the first time I did it, but it’s so
normal now.
And I love eating shrimp. Mmm
好吃
Hmm, I can’t think of too many
interesting places I’ve been to this month. Life has just been fairly
normal, which is wonderful. I go out with my classmates and other
exchange students. We went ice skating recently and had lunch at IKEA.
I love Ikea! Then we always go to the night market. Clothes are SO
cheap here (a shirt for 100NT = $3)
That song by Super Junior M
that I mentioned in my last blog- It’s called Super girl. Rotary is
having a Chinese Talent Show for all of the inbounds and my group is
going to perform to that song. Hahaha. My friend Josie is actually
going to sing the song (which to me is near impossible), and a few
other girls and I are dancing to it. It will be… interesting
:-)
我要冰淇淋
(Wo yao bing chi ling) {I want Ice Cream}
My favorite Chinese phrase this month :D
Fun Fact of the Day: Red is the
best color. Red means health and prosperity. If somebody gives you a
red envelope it usually has money in it O_o (especially during the
Chinese New Year)
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October 14, 2009
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大家好!
Hello from Taiwan :)
A month has passed by since I last sent in my blog! I’m
shocked… Time passes by so quickly. But I’m so busy here!! There’s
never a day when I’m bored with nothing to do. I’m always out with
friends and family, and when I’m home I’m studying Chinese
J
So I finally forced myself to sit down after dinner and
write my blog haha. I’m tackling a HUGE Belgian hazelnut chocolate bar
at the same time. Mmm
好吃!
Time. I’m not sure how I feel about it. I guess I don’t
really pay attention to the date here. It’s October really? Haha- the
mind of an exchange student.
I absolutely love it here. Did I say that all ready? At
times I miss my friends and family at home, but I know I’ll see them
again. I’m already getting sad at the thought of leaving Taiwan! Well…
I’ll worry about that in 9 months.
I’ve gained so much independence here. My parents
would be quite surprised. I never went anywhere alone in Florida. I
travel across the city here =D On the bus and the subway. Sometimes I
grab lunch somewhere or go to Starbucks. And I used to hate being
alone, but it’s actually rather peaceful. Who would’ve known?
Haha, I wrote before how I love public transportation…
well though I still think it’s awesome, I’ve managed to miss my bus,
miss my stop (by a longgg time), and even take the wrong MRT (subway).
The subway system here is SO easy though; I made that mistake on one
of my first trips to language class. And once I missed my bus and had
to wait an hour, but I turned a negative into a positive. I explored
my city! Now I know that there’s a small park and a pizza hut
nearby! Mariah (the other exchange student at my school) and I go to
pizza hut maybe once a week now :) ah it’s such a special treat for
us. I haven’t stepped on a scale since I got here… But I have a
feeling that I’m gaining weight. Taiwanese people eat SOOOO much! I
guess we walk a lot, so maybe the burns away the calories… haha we’ll
see…
I love school! I love my classmates!
我的學校是崇光女中.我的同學們對我很好
It took a month to get used to them and how different
everything is, but I’m fairly accustomed to the culture. Last week, 4
girls in my class had fevers, and the rule here is if more than 3
girls get sick the whole class has to stay home for 5 days. Right when
I was starting to somewhat enjoy school!
L I didn’t mind too much
though. I went to a few museums and walked around Taipei with some
friends. There’s still so much of the city I haven’t seen!
I could write a novel about I’ll that I’ve done in the
past month. Two weeks ago, we went on a weekend trip to Yilan with our
rotary club. Yilan is on the east coast of Taiwan; Beautiful and
famous for its hot springs. I even hiked a bit…
Yehliu Geopark is my new official favorite place here!
Crazy shaped rocks, the chilling ocean waves, the mountains, and the
atmosphere. I took a million pictures.
Oh last month we had a ceremony at the Confucius
Temple, beginning our educational drive to learn Chinese and
introducing us to the Chinese culture. We have Mandarin classes twice
a week (Monday and Thursday) and culture classes every Wednesday. They
are a lot of fun. So far: marital arts, learning how to make Chinese
knots, and a visit to the president’s office. Oooh
You know sometimes I feel Taiwanese, and I see a
foreigner and I’m like “whoa”, wondering why they’re here. Then I
remember I’m a foreigner! Darn. People never stop staring. But you get
used to it.
I’m going to have to buy a bigger purse, because there
are certain things you don’t leave home without here. An umbrella, for
instance. No matter how old you are, or where you’re going, you carry
an umbrella (preferably an awesome purple polka dotted one). I always
wear a watch now. My Ipod has become a necessity, for the days when
you end up sitting alone on the bus. My phrase book :) My wallet. My
camera. And all of the cute pointless Taiwanese things I cant resist
buying. haha
I want to be able to speak Chinese so bad! It’s so
frustrating. The language is exceptionally difficult. And I’ve begun
to see that every language has its difficulties (like English grammar!
I feel so bad! I never realized how hard it is), BUT I really think
Chinese is one of the hardest languages. The tones kill me every time.
There are up to 4 different tones, like pronunciations, for the same
word! It’s funny, because I’m used to not understanding people now.
It’s become normal for me to hear Chinese all around me and never know
what’s going on. Though I’m getting much better! And I’m so happy that
I’m starting to pick out words (like I hear the word Saturday or
school) and I know at least what they’re talking about! And I can
reply back to them J A few
days ago, I had to make a speech to my rotary club in Chinese. It went
pretty good. And they were so proud of me. My rotary club is like one
giant family. I’m very lucky.
Chinese characters are no picnic either. Taiwan is like
a giant puzzle. And whenever I’m out, I point to random characters and
say what they mean “Look! That says Taipei!
台北Look! That
says I love you! 我爱你”
haha. But I can’t always fit the pieces together. There are so many
characters I still don’t know. I study and practice sooo much, I know
it takes time.
My experience (The language! The culture! Everything)
is so different than let’s say an exchange student who is in Europe.
Not better or worse. I think we all have unique experiences. I picked
Taiwan a bit spontaneously when I first decided I wanted to be an
exchange student. My other choices were all in Europe, and at the time
I really didn’t know much about Taiwan, or even Asia. But OMG I’m so
happy that I’m here. And I think wherever you go, you’ll enjoy your
year, but if you’re thinking about traveling abroad, don’t hesitate to
go to Asia, definitely don’t hesitate to come to Taiwan
J
Hmm besides Chinese, I’m learning other languages too!
I can say HI in Korean and successfully curse in about a million
different languages… haha. Maybe the Rotarians didn’t want to hear
that. I love making friends from all around the world though! Now
whichever country I visit, I’ll have a friend to stay with!!
Karaoke is sooo popular! It’s called KTV. At almost, no
at EVERY rotary party we karaoke. Last weekend, they insisted I sing a
song, so I picked out the first English song I knew: Dancing Queen,
ABBA :) yeah! I think my friends at home would approve
J
Ah but my taste in music is already changing. Korean
boy bands are just so popular here; you can’t help but love them!
Super Junior has this one song in Chinese, and I understand one part:
“看我看看我” Look
at me, Look look at me” ha-ha Yay!
Oh! I complained how extremely hot it is here! But that
was summer, and now its fall. J
It rains all the time, but it’s fairly cool and I love it! Our house
is especially cool, since we live on a mountain. Oh I wish I brought
my awesome rain boots from home. I could wear them everyday!
Ok, My official name in Chinese:
江柔佩
Pretty awesome! =D
…Wow, I wrote this a week ago, but I’m SO BUSY that I
haven’t had the chance to send it in. Last weekend was awesome. One of
my YEP (exchange student) friends, Josie, invited me to go with her
and her rotary club to Sun Moon Lake. It was gorgeous. We celebrated
Double Tenth Day (10/10), which is Taiwan’s independence day- they’re
birthday, J BUT it also
happens to be the New Year for the aboriginals that live around Sun
Moon Lake. So we celebrated their New Year mostly. A big group goes
around to all the little stores and does a sort of ceremony around a
table of food. We tried the traditional dance and it was fun, until my
flip flop broke and was dangling from my foot and the circle dance
kept going faster and faster, and eventually my shoe just fell off,
but actually I was laughing so hard I don’t think I noticed for maybe
a minute. =) haha
And then last night, my friend Rainbow (a Rotarian’s
daughter) invited me to see her school orchestra play at Chiang Kai
Shek memorial. And it was the most amazing thing to see and hear. I
think it was my first time seeing an orchestra, or at least such a
professional one. They were perfect. It was so good, I almost cried.
It makes me a bit sad that I can’t play an instrument though.
EVERYBODY can play something here, and no I’m not exaggerating. I
guess it’s mandatory. They teach music in school! I’m so jealous. I’m
promising myself that when I go home, I will take piano lessons.
Fun Fact of the Day: In Taiwan, the number 4 is very
unlucky, because “suh” sounds like the word for death. For that
reason, tall buildings and nice hotels don’t have a fourth floor! 1,
2, 3, 5, 6… funny huh? O_o |
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September 5, 2009
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Rebekka's recent pictures
Hi Everyone! Nimen Hao. Friends, Family, Rotarians,
future exchange students! So, here it is. My adventure in Taiwan.
J
8/20/2009
The day has finally arrived. My journey begins. I’ve
NEVER been more terrified in my life! I woke up feeling nauseous. My
stomach was in knots. I’m not even sure why. This whole year of
planning has been nothing but exciting! And every time someone asked
“Are you nervous? Are you scared” I laughed! No! Why would I be
scared? Well… I am now. It finally hit me. This is real. Today I will
be getting on a plane and leaving home. The only thought going through
my head was “I am crazy.”
Saying goodbye to my parents was hard. Too hard. I
wanted to cry, but I was afraid if I cried it would be even harder on
them, and my dad might not want to let me go. So I sucked it up, and
told myself that I would wait until I got to my own room in Taiwan and
then I could cry as much as I wanted to... I think I was actually more
scared of traveling alone, than leaving home for 1 year. At that
moment, I just wished my mom could’ve dropped me off in Taipei ;)
So the plane ride to LA took about 5 or 6 hours. I was
worried I would get lost or something in the LA airport, but it was
really easy! I found Eva Air, printed my boarding pass, and found
security and the gate. I’m actually quite proud of myself. Haha
J And Eva Air was amazing!
(I would recommend them to anyone). I got a kick out of probably being
the only non-Chinese speaker on the entire flight! I just said Xie Xie
a lot (thank you) and spoke English the rest of the time ^_^
12 hours later, I was in Taiwan! I went through
immigration and then got my luggage (and managed this all by following
people around. I really had no idea what I was doing). =P I walked
into another room and was very surprised to see a big group of people
shouting out my name “Rebekka!” and holding up a sign with my
name and another with the Rotary logo. As they approached me and
greeted me, I immediately felt at ease. I felt completely welcome and
loved.J I wasn’t scared. I
wasn’t even nervous. I was happy. I was home.
8/22/09
Why did I ever doubt myself? I am crazy, because I had
no reason to be afraid. Traveling was really easy AND I LOVE it here
already! I haven’t cried once. I haven’t felt homesick at all
actually. I really feel like this is my new home.
Ok, so enough with that. I’m here. I’M IN TAIWAN! Can
you believe it?
On our drive back from the airport, my host mom wanted
to buy some milk so what’s the FIRST store that I go to in Taiwan?
Hahaha. 7 Eleven! Yes! They’re everywhere! But it was way more
Oriental than the ones in the US ;) Convenient stores are very popular
here. I have yet to see a Wal-Mart or Publix
J
My host sister, Yufang, left for Germany today! It’s
funny how different things are here. I think in Asia, people consider
it very much a privilege to go on foreign exchange. And of course so
do I, but my parents and I couldn’t help feeling sad when it was time
to say goodbye.
8/23/09
It’s SO HOT HERE!! Is it possible that there is a place
that is hotter than Florida? Well welcome to Taiwan. My note to self:
-
Never
leave the house without a water bottle
-
If
possible, carry a small towel to wipe the sweat off of you (ew. but
true)
-
Use
proper sun block: such as sunglasses (big ones are popular here
right now) , a hat, or an umbrella
A lot of people actually walk around with umbrellas to
block out the sun!! Yep.
Maybe I’m over exaggerating, but it really does feel
like 100 degrees outside. But perhaps the temperature IS the same as
in Florida, but since so many buildings are not air conditioned it
feels even hotter? Our house isn’t air-conditioned either. But we live
on a mountain, so I guess it’s not as bad as the city. I rely on the
big portable fans that we have around the house.
Oh yeah! I have the most amazing view! I go on
to my balcony and all I see is green. Everywhere. Mountains! And
trees! It’s beautiful. And once I talked to the other exchange
students, I realized I’m very lucky to live in a house. Most, almost
all, exchange students in Taipei live in apartments. My community
however is situated on a mountain, so I have to take the community bus
for about 20-30 minutes to get into the city (I live in Sindian City,
in the very south of Taipei County). You know how much they love
convenient stores though? Well there’s even one in my community! So if
I’m ever craving a snack, maybe a Kinder Egg, I just walk about 10
minutes to get there…
My brother and I have an obsession for Kinder eggs and
they don’t sell them in the US (they’re actually illegal there,
because of some health codes- choking hazard?) Anyway, I bet he is
sooo jealous that they have them here
J
At night, we went to the highest part of the mountain
and saw the most incredible view of Taipei. Everything was lit up. I
saw Taipei 101 too!
8/24/09
The food here is soo different. I guess there are
certain things I like and don’t like, but it’s not like “American
Chinese food” haha. I do miss the food we eat in Florida. We eat a lot
of rice here; and noodles are very popular in Taiwan. And lots of
tofu. When my host mom cooks dinner, she always makes soup, rice or
noodles, and vegetables, and something else. They don’t drink anything
with meals!! Instead, they eat everything in the soup with chopsticks
and then drink the broth.
Ah.. Chopsticks. My chopstick skills are not great, but
they get better everyday. Yes we use them with every lunch and dinner!
I’ve had things I’m not used to eating here. Oh and I had noodles with
pig intestine once! That was interesting. Ooh I love bubble tea
though! And milk tea! It’s very popular here. It’s a lot like Iced
Coffee, but better! Oh but when we do go out for dinner, we drink
Chinese tea, which is unsweetened and very hot. The food and drinks
are always served hot here, because according to my host dad, the
Chinese belief is that food is better for you when it’s hot (extremely
hot). People look strangely at me when I have to blow on my tea to
cool it down. Haha> I’ve burnt my tongue several times already.
My host parents gave me my Chinese name today! Chiang
Ro Pay. I can even write it in characters
J
Driving in Taiwan is a bit chaotic. And there are
motorcycles or mopeds EVERYWHERE! I’ll have to remember to take a
picture of a parking garage.
8/27/09
Actually we went to McDonalds for lunch. I had a double
cheese burger, fries, and a coke for $3 (less than 100 Taiwanese
dollars)! So cheap and it tasted the same?! Hmmm
They have KFC here too! I thought that was funny.
I got an Easy Card today. My host mom, Auntie Anna,
puts money on it and I use it to travel on the subway (MRT) or bus.
Public transportation is amazing! I wish we had this in Florida! And I
have a certain freedom here! I can use the bus or subway to get
anywhere in the city! Its sooo different than in Florida.
My first night market! It was a lot of fun! It’s pretty
much a collection of little stores and stands, wish lots of stuff to
buy and a lot of food! We ate and played games. I won a little toy dog
in a ring toss. Ah and I had my first contact with the very famous
Stinky Tofu. I actually didn’t try it. But I promise next time I will.
It really does smell horrible after all! When we were walking past it,
I actually thought we must be walking over a sewer! The odor! It’s
hard to describe… think of a very unpleasant Porto potty.
9/1/09
My first day of school! It might have been the
strangest experience of my life. Well it certainly made top 10.
Outside of school, well I feel like I fit in. I feel Taiwanese,
besides the whole language thing. Haha. People don’t really stare or
point at me, but they do look twice when I walk by. In school is a
whole other story. The girls are so surprised to see me and Mariah
(she’s another exchange student from Canada). It’s kind of like we’re
famous or something. Everyone says Hi and smiles at us. Some people
get really wide-eyed and point and then other girls are too nervous to
say hi. It’s definitely different. But the girls are nothing but nice,
and I think I’ve made some new friends.
Oh I go to Our Lady of Providence All Girls High
School. Yes, it’s an all girls private school XD They put Mariah and I
in the easiest classes (music/art/aerobics)… and guess what else? We
have nap time at 12:30! Its pretty awesome and I think we should adopt
this routine in the US… then again, there school day doesn’t end until
6:00pm!!! Crazy!
Questions my classmates asked me about a hundred times:
-
Why did
you want to come to Taiwan?
-
Do you
like the food here?
-
Do you
like Twilight?
-
Do you
have a boyfriend?
HAHAHA
Hmm. Today someone told me my ears were fat. I laughed
and nodded “mmhmm”… not quite sure how to respond. But the woman
beamed back at me- very happy with the “compliment” she gave me. Well
apparently it was a compliment. She explained that her ears were also
“fat” and big ears = good luck. Hahaha. So I guess my year here will
be very lucky huh?
J
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