Home at last November 25, 2008
We made it back safely! I’ll put a few more posts up with final thoughts over the coming week once I’ve had a chance to reflect a little. Thank you friends and family for following my journey and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Homeward Bound November 20, 2008
These last 10 1/2 weeks have flown by. It seems like I was just packing my bags to embark on this adventure. Now it’s time to relive the packing nightmare to return home.
Here’s the current state of my room:
Everytime it seems like I am situated with everything neatly packed in my bags, a new box of gifts arrives. A-bing and E-mah came today with a carload of presents to send back to my family (mainly food items). Faculty and students from Fu-Jen have made surprise stops to drop off additional gifts. They have been so kind and gracious throughout our stay. Every new gift, however, means a new luggage arrangement.
So much has happened over the last week. Here is a quick glimpse of some of what has been happening during our final days in Taiwan.
Students completing final class projects:
Class group pictures:
Farewell dinner with Emily and Dean Ivy:
Farewell OSU group dinner:
Ferris wheel at Miramar:
Hanging out in Ximen:
Saying good-bye to family at the Longshan temple night market:
Presenting for Jo-lin’s graduate class:
Farewell Child and Family Studies Faculty Lunch:
Celebrating victory:
Culture class farewell party:
Dinner with friends:
I’m finally packed and ready to go! We’ll be up early and off to the airport. Next time I post, it’ll be from the states. See you soon!
The Final Stretch November 18, 2008
It’s Tuesday of my last week in Taiwan. I’ll be sad to say good-bye on Friday morning, but at the same time, I’m really ready to come home.
Here are a few pictures of recent events:
My new graduate student friends. MinChien, Amanda, and Justin are psychology students at Fu-Jen. I was introduced to them through a professor in the Child and Family Studies department, who also supervises graduate students in psychology. She hooked us up to get together for a language exchange so we have been meeting once a week. I practice Chinese and they practice English. This particular day was Justin’s birthday and he skipped class for our meeting. He loves watching American movies and had been trying and trying to figure out one line in the movie, “Good Will Hunting.” We looked it up on You-Tube and for his birthday, I gave Justin the gift: “That boy’s wicked smart.” (Wicked was the hang-up word).
I have now been invited to be one of the investigators on a study they are conducting examining the parental and family influences on college student career choices. They have been interviewing Taiwanese students and wanted to make a cultural comparison. Two of our OSU students agreed to be interviewed and they were blown away! They commented on how well our students were able to express themselves logically and maturely. They were also amazed by our students’ lives. The graduate students (and the professor) all said that interviewing these two students was a life-changing experience for them.
You may remember pictures of straw flowers from a previous post. Since that time, I have graduated to dragons, seahorses, and shrimp. The “straw master” and his daughter, Donna (a graduate student here at Fu-Jen) invited Sharon and I to their home to see his artwork (he is one of the few traditional artists in Taiwan and creates incredible art, as well as painting drums, temples, etc).
As a thank you, we took Ivy (College Dean), Emily (Fu-Jen faculty in charge of our program), Pauline (Child and Family Studies faculty), and Jo-lin (Child and Family Studies Chair) to the restaurant with the lanterns. None of them had been there before.
Last weekend, I returned to Hsinchu to visit my mom’s three very close friends. They took me to many beautiful places that I had not yet seen , which was a pretty tough feat considering that over the last ten weeks, I have traveled the entire island and seen more than many locals. I should also mention that when I visit family or friends in Hsinchu, I experience complete Chinese immersion. No English. My comprehension is getting much better and I’m getting better at communicating in Chinese though sometimes I agree to things that I don’t realize!
Saying good-bye to family:
Eating a traditional Taiwanese breakfast:
I love the food in Taiwan. Not all of our students do, but most have found food that they really enjoy here. Those who haven’t, eat at Subway. I eat lots of mushrooms, leafy green vegetables, and other USUALLY healthy dishes. As always, there are exceptions. The picture above is a traditional Taiwanese breakfast. It is two deep-fried sticks, wrapped in a fried shell (notice the oil on the napkin). This is not my typical breakfast in Taiwan. I usually eat oatmeal and fruit in my room, but the friends wanted me to try their favorite breakfast!
On one afternoon, we ate lunch in a monastery (and Buddhist education center). I wish I had taken a picture of the “No non-vegetarian food” sign, but it was posted right next to the “No pictures” sign.
An aside: There are many different types of vegetarians in Taiwan. The strictest (usually Buddhists) do not eat meat, garlic, or onions. I’ve been told this is because of the smell, but I’m not sure how that relates to vegetarianism. Others do not eat meat, but will eat vegetables or tofu out of meat dishes or even pick it out of chicken stock soup. My preference is not to do this, but many non-vegetarians do not realize this is even an issue. “Just pick out the tofu!” I have to say, I have broken this rule once accidentally. While eating dinner with family one night, they put dou-gan (tofu cakes) on my plate and it wasn’t until I was finished eating that I realized the dou-gan was coming out of a large vat of pigs feet. At that point, there wasn’t muchdo about it, but smile externally and throw up a little internally. 
Lunch at the monastery: You walk into the dining hall and pick up a bowl of rice porridge with an assortment of vegetables. Quietly, everyone walks in line and sits at long row tables. They are narrow so people only sit on one side. To your front, you see the back of the people sitting at the next row of tables. People put their hands together in prayer before eating and then sat looking down in their bowls while eating silently. I imagined this is how the monks ate everyday, though I didn’t see any monks in the room. After finishing, we wiped out our bowls and put money in the donation box (there was no charge for lunch, only donation).
Making tea in a Hakka village:
Manchu and her sisters:
Saying good-bye at the highspeed rail station:
Karate Class! November 10, 2008
Last Wednesday, our Karate clothes arrived! The master did well in bringing clothing that fit my length. Width-wise, however, my outfit could probably wrap around me three times.
Here I am attempting a failed headstand:
Kim and I:
Kim, Sam, and I:
Hualien November 9, 2008
We had our final group trip over the weekend. We left on Thursday to spend three days and two nights visiting Hualien and Taroko Gorge.
Here is the view from the bus as we left Taipei. Notice the smog and Taipei 101 towering over the rest of the city.
We drove down the east coast highway (famous for it’s curves!) and passed through Hsuehshan tunnel, which was 12.9 km long!!!
Here are a few pictures from our viewpoint stops along the way. The view was breath-taking!
Collecting rocks on the beach in Hualien:
The ocean waves were accompanied by the sound of rocks clattering over one another. It really was amazing. Unfortunately, swimming was not allowed on this beach (there was a very strong tide). The students were very disappointed!
Paths made of marble were everywhere!
Pictures from Taroko Gorge:
“Visitor Warning: In the interest of personal health and safety, please do not purchase any medicinal liquors or other merchandise of dubious origin. Exercise caution in all purchases so as to avoid being duped by unscrupulous vendors or stores.”
Being the three vegetarians on the trip, Kayla, Carly, and I always had our own table. I’m usually content eating whatever food is put in front of me (as long as it’s vegetarian), but we had some “questionable” meals on this trip. Hair and bugs seemed to be standard issue with this trip’s cuisine.
The sign posted at the entrance of our hiking trail:
“The trail is in an area where there is potential danger from rockfalls which can cause death and injury. Please do not enter unless necessary…”
Taroko Gorge was stunning. Our two-hour hike through the gorge on Saturday morning was the highlight of our trip!
Chinese/American Culture Class November 9, 2008
Our students’ favorite class during the week is the Chinese/American Culture Class. The Fu-Jen students who are enrolled in the class come from different departments within the Human Ecology College (e.g., Nutrition and Exercise, Child and Family Studies, Fashion Design, Hotel and Restaurant Management). Every week, students from a different department are in charge of presenting something from their major. You may remember pictures in previous posts from a cooking class led by the Hotel and Restaurant Management students and a fabric dying activity led by the Fashion Design students. In addition to Fu-Jen student presentations, our students (who are all HDFS majors = Human Development and Family Sciences) have been put into groups and each week one or two groups present on aspects of American culture.
OSU students giving presentations:
The OSU topic of the week was diversity and individualism. Our group of 13 students is incredibly diverse. Two students are Hmong, three originally came from Mexico, one is from Taiwan, and seven are from various European-American backgrounds (German, English, Czech, etc.). The group presenting on diversity was comprised of Kim (Hmong), Nancy (Mexico), Winnie (Taiwan), and Camille (Czech/European-American). They each shared a little about their own families/cultures/religions to make the point that the U.S. is comprised of people from all over the world – very different from Taiwan!
This week, the Child and Family Studies (CFS) department from Fu-Jen also presented. In general, the Taiwanese student presentations are very interactive – filled with songs, dancing, and games! We have a great time together! Our students are always happy to get in on the action. The CFS students taught us songs, dances, stories, and games that they play in the child development center.
Learning a song and dance:
Guessing the mystery fruit (Even Sharon joined in!):
Demonstrating Chinese yoyo:
At the end, they put up a picture similar to this and told us it was in Oregon:
“Can you guess where this is?”
Our students shouted out, “Newport,” “Yaquina,” and “Lincoln City.” Nancy and Doris kept saying, “No… no…” We kept guessing and finally Kayla said, “Well, it’s a lighthouse…”
Doris and Nancy started jumping and down: “Yes! Yes! That’s it! Lighthouse!” We all had a good laugh.
Family Wedding Dinner November 3, 2008
I spent Sunday with family in Hsinchu. A-shong had invited me to attend his eldest son’s wedding dinner.
When we arrived, they were preparing the cars for the wedding procession.
Traditionally, money is given as a wedding gift. Upon arriving at the restaurant. Aunts were collecting red envelopes with money and writing down the names of guests and amount given.
Here is a picture of the restaurant banquet room. Mei-Hsin aiyee told me that this was a “simple” wedding. I counted over 21 tables. Each table seated 10 people.
The entry of the bride and groom (notice the bride’s white dress):
After the meal started, the bride and groom and their immediate families came to each table for toasts. Notice that the bride’s dress is now pink.
Mother of the groom:
Father of the groom:
Notice anything unusual about this picture? I’m not the tallest.
At the end of the dinner, the bride’s dress was red:
The dinner lasted about two and a half hours. In that time, the bride wore three different dresses. Throughout the multi-course meal, the room was filled with the sounds of relatives and friends singing karaoke. The songs were about family and friends coming together in celebration. Though often discordant, they were expressed with deep feeling and usually drew great applause and calls of “encore, encore!”
Culture Class Field Trip: Juming Museum November 3, 2008
On Saturday, our Chinese/American Culture class took a fieldtrip to JumIng Museum on Jin Mountain.
The adventure started with karaoke on the bus. As usual, Jean led the way! Most of the songs were in Chinese, but when they turned on “I Just Called to Say I love You” I had to join in. I might have been the only person on the bus who knew the words (hopefully not!), but I wouldn’t be surprised!
Juming Museum was primarily outdoors and consisted of sculptures made from rock and metal. It was amazing how the artist was able to create people and movement using the natural contours of both.
I was drawn to this grouping of sailors because it was very obvious that these were women!
Cultural Exchange November 3, 2008
I was asked to give a presentation on U.S. culture and bring a few students to answer questions for a cross-cultural class at the medical school. The class consisted primarily of nursing students, many of whom had never met a “wai-guo-ren” (foreigner). Taiwan has high numbers of immigrants and this class is designed to help students learn about cultural perspectives so that they can better serve immigrants and visitors in the health care system.
The professor asked me to talk about:
1. What are we proud of in our culture.
2. What are our first impressions of Taiwan.
3. What you MUST know about our culture.
4. Surprises we have faced in Taiwan.
Kayla and Carly joined me and they did a fantastic job of sharing their experiences and answering student questions.
At the end of our presentation, the class had a surprise for us! In groups, they were asked to present something that we MUST know about Taiwan.
All four groups brought food. Two groups brought dou jiang (soy milk) and breakfast pastries. And two groups brought mua-gi (sticky rice). In addition, they brought their favorite candies for us to try, gave us Fu-Jen shirts, and painted our Chinese names.
A picture with the entire class (as usual, you know where to find me… tall one in the back):
A student volunteered to paint each of our names:
The finished projects with the artist:
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