A Long Overdue Update

Wow, I have been so busy I haven't had time to even write this (wait, I'm pretty sure that's how the last entry started as well.) If I type about every single thing I have done it will be twenty pages long, so I will just talk about the highlights since my last entry.

My first day of school was... interesting. I had to give a speech in front of my whole school (two thousand people). I spoke the Chinese well, but I wasn't standing close enough to the microphone so no one could hear it. Then I spoke a bit of English, and apparently I spoke so fast no one could understand. I was kind of upset, but I high doubt by now anyone remembers it at all. When I went to my class room everyone got really excited and I have all ready made so many good friends. (The picture on the left is "Chillin night market")

On Thursday (Sept 5Th) was a special festival that symbolized the end of ghost month. It was really neat. I can home from school and my host mom, grandma and house keeper were standing outside with a large table full of food. We burned "ghost money" in a large metal canister and then light off fireworks on the street. It was the special time for my area to do this, so you could hear the firecrackers going off all down the street. It was pretty cool. Also after we got to eat all the food (even better).

On Saturday (Sept 7Th) my host mom, sister and I went to Taipei. We went shopping (some expensive upper end stores) and then went to the national palace museum. The national palace museum is such an amazing place (its in the picture on the right), you can get in for free and the architecture is truly amazing. Not only that, it is surrounded by a few other important places to Taiwan. We took the MRT at least twenty times that day. I love it, its so convenient and easy to use. We went to "Chillin" night market (the biggest night market in Taipei!), it was crazy. It was a normal street but full of people, stalls and excitement. You could hardly walk it was so busy, plus all I had to say is "I'm Canadian" and I can get anything for very very inexpensive. We had Korean Hot pot for dinner (which is so so so good) and stayed in the Sheraton hotel over night.

On Sunday (Sept 8th), the french exchange student and I did modeling. Wow, that was an experience. They spent hours just doing our make up and hair, then we got to try on all these beautiful dresses. It was so much fun, though I would only fit a few of the dresses.

Sunday (Sept 13th), was the Reunion of my host dad's fathers death. So we went to this large building (where they keep the urn's, which they keep all together in one building. You buy a place before you dye...) We prayed for his well being with in cents and placed a whole bunch of food out on a table. We burned more "ghost money as well." We went back to the grandmas house at that time and started watching "Finding Nemo". Suddenly a large noise came from outside, there was a massive religious parade just kind of going down the streets. God's sitting in the back of trucks, with drumming and really bright specially made vehicles that played really loud techno music. It was pretty awesome. My host grandma and I watched the whole thing together. It made me miss my grandma alot.

On Saturday (Sept 12th) I went to the neighboring town with my classmates. We took the train there (which is so convenient!) We walked to the shopping center, on the way we scared fish in the river. Hahahaha... we saw "the proposal", my friends thought it was hilarious. We caught a free bus back to the train station (after pasta for lunch) and I came home. My host mom and I went to my school that night and watched the country break dancing contest. That was pretty cool.

Sunday (Sept 27th), I went to Taipei with my classmates. We took the train (two hours... D : ) and went straight to the Pixar exhibit (which was a project for art class, ahahah) it was so much fun and very interesting. We took the MRT down town and had lunch (spicy rice and bubble tea) then went skating. That was pretty cool. I meet this little kid who could speak English, he though that I was the skating instructor (hahaha!). We are friends now, he is eight. We then went for some noodles for dinner and headed home.

The food here is so great. I have been out for everything from pasta, to a Taiwanese barbecue (where I dinned on pigs blood and chicken but. Surprisingly neither were as bad as I though they would be.) The main dishes are rice, noodles and dumplings. There all equally delicious. When you go out to eat here, everything comes so fast. The waitresses are great, the food always is to and you don't have to tip. I love Taiwan. I have had steak dinners and sashimi is normally. For breakfast is normally a sand which (with eggs and some type of meat) or some other type of burrito or bread. I haven't had any breakfast food I haven't liked. Since I decided I would try everything the only things that I have come across that I don't like are soy milk and red bean paste.

School is interesting. It can get pretty boering since I really don't have a clue what is going on most of the time. But the weeks are going by so fast. I cant believe I have all ready been here for five weeks! Everyone wants to be my friends, Im more like a superstar then an exchange student. My classmates are so kind to me, they always help me with my Chinese to. I stayed after school a couple days to decorate the classroom (snoopy style). The students also have to clean the class room, which I really appreciate (not that gardening is a hard job...)

Chinese lessons are plentiful. I have fifteen hours average a week. Eleven hours in school and four hours out of school (with the exchange students.) The late lessons are my favorite, being with the other exchange students is just so much fun. They know what I'm going through, and the can compare. They are my best friends.

Well, that's probably enough for now :

-Rachelle

Fish Have Feelings Too!

Hello!

Wow, I have been keeping so busy I forgot about this! I have been so busy! School is so much fun. My speech in front of the whole school was so bad, but everyone is so nice to me! They give me candy and stickers and always invite me places. All of them want to make friends with me and everyone stares, its crazy! I love all my teachers, and nap time is the best! We went to a night market tonight, it was probably the highlight of my life! I caught goldfish, played carnival game type things and tried chicken but ( which is very very tasty!). It was so alive and full of colour. I bought the first of my presents to bring home with me as well! Also now I am looking at my goldfish in my room, but I realised that if you leave them in the bag to long they start to die of…


At the inbound orientation I had a lot of fun! There are only eleven exchange students in my district and most of them are very very nice! We did a traditional tea ceremony and I got a beautiful tea set and tea. Also we did calligraphy which was so fun, a mast of it came to teach us. I was so bad at it, but it was awesome! We also reviewed the rules and such, it was a lot of fun! I look forward to the Taipei trip coming up with the other exchange students.The language is going very well, I am learning so fast. I can already catch at least 1/8th of the words flying around.



My lessons start soon, though I am not sure exactly when. Plus, I was invited to model wedding dresses! How cool is that! Im going on Saturday with Constance (the exchange student from France) and my host sister. Im starting to get used to the times and the food is still very delicious! Also, I have taken more pictures but my camera is in my host dad's car and he went to bejing for ten days D :

Lots of love to Mom, Dad, Sisters, Nieces and my Grandma!!!

-Rachelle

PS: First picture is a party because a golfer got a whole in 1! Second is what I won that day (a gold bag!), that I sold later! Third is Japanese raw fish and this -> is a normal dinner for four or five people (three more plates came after this picture!)

Day 3, Taiwan

Wow! Where do I start?

How about the plane ride? It actually didn’t seem to long at all! After watching a movie I slept for seven hours (as the flight was only twelve hours it went very fast!). After arriving in Taiwan, I hustled though customs and to get my luggage. Then into another room and my host family was waiting for me. They had a massive sign and everything! It was really exciting, even my district president and youth exchange officer came. So, I got changed and then we went on our way.

As soon as I got out of the airport the humidity hit me. Its really hot here, but all stores, homes, restaurants and car’s have air conditioning. In my host family I have an older sister and a mom and a dad. There house is very nice! It has six floors, only the bedrooms have air-conditioning. My host sister and I have an adjoined room type thing, Its kind of hard to explain. My school is right across the street, we went there yesterday and its massive (at least two or more times bigger then my school in Canada!) School starts on August 31st, before that I have to get a school uniform.

The first day here I kind of took it easy, we went out for every meal. I decided to try everything at least once. There are defiantly some different flavours, but I have only come across a few things that I don’t like. It was my host mom’s mothers birthday, and we went for a big dinner. There was probably about eight courses in that meal, I became so full! It was funny, at the end the staff of the restaurant came and sang happy birthday. First in Mandarin and then in English, and then they brought her a hat that said “happy birthday” in English with a whole bunch of candles on the top. Everyone in the family loved it.

Yesterday, I slept in very late and Emily’s (my host sister) friends came over and brought KFC and pizza. It was all very good, the KFC tasted just like it does at home! We watched Talladega nights, everyone really loved it. They left and then we went to a rotary tea. All the wives of the men in the rotary club get together and drink tea and gossip all the time. It was actually really fun! We went to a building in the country side, which was actually and art gallery. We went home after that and proceeded to the my host dad’s mothers place for dinner. I tried stinky tofu as well, it was actually very good! The whole family speaks Taiwanese, so it kind of gets confusing. We ate a massive dinner, the grandma was very nice and very good at cooking. After, I played two games of Majong (which is a really fun game!) To my surprise, I won both times (with a little bit of help of course!) After watching a bit of TV we came home and watched more TV and stayed up until twelve.

Today we are doing to apply for my visa and get my school uniform! Im excited about that. Also I posted a picture of my host family waiting for me at the airport and the view of my balcony.

Three facts about Taiwan, there are seven elevens everywhere, the fruit only comes fresh and its very hot and humid!
I think that Ill post again soon.

-Rachelle

10 Days Untill Departure !

I cant even believe it! I can still remember applying for this is September, and now all the paperwork and interviews are over! So I leave in ten days : )

Im already fully packed, though I am sure that I will end up repacking again. All my presents for my host family’s are in order and all I have left is to get a new pair of shoes. I don’t know if its hit me yet, the whole leaving thing. But I think Ill just take each day as it comes and hopefully that will work out. My parents are having breakdowns about there last born leaving the nest. Its going to be strange not being at home and with my friends and family. I especially got nervous after hearing about that mudslide that covered six hundred people, it rained one hundred inches in a day! That’s insane, and I live on the west coast! It wasn’t anywhere near the area that Im staying in, so im sure it will be okay.


Im still talking to my host sister over msn and face book, she is so nice! Im so excited to meet her! She sent pictures of the house I will be living in, it looks so nice! Also its right across from the school I attend (big bonus for my first host family!) The school is so big! It has one thousand eight hundred students, that’s at least six hundred more then my school at home. I’ve been looking pictures of it, it looks very clean and nice. My host sister told me that they have uniforms, which I am really excited about! Then I don’t have to worry about what to wear to school every day! My sister was also talking about hot springs and how Taiwan is famous for them, that sounds so exciting! I have never been to a hot springs.


I have my Visa and plane ticket now, which is a relief. They worked out my Visa and I give my travel agent credit for pushing it to go as fast as it could. The Visa is like a sticker in my passport with my picture in it and a picture of Taipei101 in the back ground, its so neat looking! I have all my travel papers and health insurance in order now. Im so happy everything is coming together!


As for the language, its still going pretty rough. I did a few more lessons, and I have a whole lot of things that I still have to memorize. I think I should be able to get by. I say all the greetings (such as “good morning” or “good noon”), dates, numbers, days of the week, colours and just a bit more basic vocabulary. Im sure that my host sister will also be able to help me with this so I guess Im not as stressed about it now.


So anyways, the countdown begins already! This time I put a picture of my highshool and some of the surronding area near where I live.

Catch you later:


-Rachelle

33 Days Untill Departure !

Wow!

I cant even believe it! Its already getting so close to my exchange!

I have my plane ticket and it leaves August 21st, at 1:50AM in the morning. After a lot of problems with my Visa its almost done now. The Taipei people sent it to Toronto for some reason, instead of the Vancouver Cultural office. It was strange and luckily the travel agent noticed before it was to late! I was pretty stressed out about my whole Visa. There was a lot to do to sent it in, but I am sure it will be worth it!


I have already started packing and its about half full. My host sister told me to bring a lot of summer clothes and no big jackets or anything because the weather is sub tropic! I cleaned out my room and got rid of all the clothes I don’t wear anymore which felt pretty nice. My Taiwan essay is almost done, all I have left is the editing and the bibliography. Next week (I think), I will be going to a local rotary meeting to see the presentation put on by my club’s sponsored student who is just coming back to Canada. It should be interesting and hopefully I will get a good idea on what I am supposed to do for my presentation.



I haven’t been taking language lessons for a few month’s now, but I am going to start again soon. Learning the language has been stressful and I am not even there yet! I hope that I will learn quickly when I get there, because right now I am getting pretty nervous about it. I decided to make small gift bags for presents for my host family’s. In each I am going to put, a box of maple cookies, maple syrup, Canada pens, scenery books and a dream catcher. Hopefully my host family will like that! I have had a lot of contact with my host sister and she has been telling me a lot about what life is like there, hopefully it will ease the culture shock a bit.

That’s all for Today, also because I am testing out the blog functions I will throw in a picture of Taiwan (inst Taroko gorge beautiful?)



-Rachelle