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!)