第二十個星期：The Halfway Point

星期二：Today I decided to spend the afternoon wandering around the arts district and port area. I first stopped by the old railway museum and then wanted to head on the arts district area, though I got lost and ended up at the port area, which was not where I meant to be, but it was also cool. I then eventually did find the arts district and wandered around the shops and galleries for a bit before deciding to head to my favorite pineapple cake bakery where I got my favorite free sample and then awkwardly left because I can’t afford to buy a whole box every time I go. It was a nice afternoon of exploring, even though I did get decently lost for a while, though I suppose that’s part of exploring.

(gate leading to the arts district and the port)

(the old railway tracks)

(I just liked this bike and the flowers)

星期四：Today we had our finals in our elective classes which for me was aerobic dance and calligraphy. In dance, Mackenzie, Becca, and I had paired up with two girls to form our dance group. We had to take a dance we had learned in class and the add our own flair, which didn’t seem too hard, but the two girls, even though they were very nice, were never really in class and then I can’t dance to save my life, so we ended up being the absolute worst group that performed, but oh well. In calligraphy, Heather and I had to turn in two works of calligraphy and, once again, I was the worst in the class, but the teacher is always super nice about it because we’re foreigners and haven’t been writing characters our whole lives. He pretty much thinks Heather and I are just funny and always tells us that our work is “cute” which is not the best, but oh well.

星期五：Today we went to the elementary school for volunteering. We first helped out in their English class where we taught them about New Year’s in America, and then played a very intense game of tic tac toe using vocab they had learned. Becca, Anthony, and I were teamed up against all the kids, and we ended up winning which made us feel kind of bad, but we figured they are in sixth grade so it’s probably fine. We then went to their PE class where they played badminton. I was pretty concerned because I can’t ever handle sports, but two exceptionally nice sixth grade boys were determined to teach me. I felt pretty bad because they spent about an hour trying to teach me to no avail, but they were so nice about it the whole time. Lastly we went to their music class where they taught us a song, and we then all learned how to do the cup part of The Cup Song, which was interesting.

星期六：Today I spent the day with Anthony, Mackenzie, and Anthony’s host dad. Anthony’s host dad decided to take Anthony to Nantou province right in the middle of the island, and since it was just the two of them, he let Anthony take some friends along. We all got up at around 5 in the morning to head out, and then drove for about 2 and a half hours. We then reached an aboriginal village where we decided to drive up a mountain on a pretty sketchy dirt road to look at plum blossoms. The plum blossoms are the first flowers to bloom every year, and they often cover the mountain in white flowers. Since this year has been warmer, fewer flowers were in bloom, but it was still nice. After taking photos for a while, Anthony’s host dad pulled out a camping stove and tea set and made us all some tea; we then proceeded to have a very Taiwanese picnic of tea and oranges while chilling on a mountain. The only downside to it all was that there were so many bees in the flowers, that they created a pretty load constant humming noise that sounded worryingly like a horror movie.

After that we headed back into the village where we bought some grilled sausage and corn, and then got back on the road to head to a famous large temple. We drove out into the middle of a mountain valley, where a giant, and pretty newly built, temple sat. The temple is the wealthiest in all of Taiwan, so we decided to take a tour. Even though it’s not as historical as most of the other temples since it’s so new, it was really beautiful inside. You weren’t allowed to take pictures, but they had giant Buddha statues everywhere, meditation rooms, a beautiful view of the valley, and even a full seven story wooden pagoda inside the temple itself. The temple also supports a school and a giant art museum.

Once we finished looking around the temple, we grabbed some beef noodles at a nearby restaurant, and then started on the drive back home.

(plum blossoms)

(the wealthiest temple in Taiwan)

(I liked this purple tree)

(temple garden)

(looking out at the mountains)

星期天：Today my host family all had stuff they had to go and do, so it was just me at home for most of the day. I first took the opportunity to sleep in really late, then I went out to a really nice café by the park where I had an incredible smoked salmon sandwich and a very gorgeous latte. I then decided to head to the stationary store, walk around the park for a bit, then head home to actually be productive and do some homework. In the evening my host family all returned and took me to a Japanese barbecue restaurant for my birthday dinner. It was super delicious an we ended up staying there for two and a half hours. Since it was my birthday, the waiters came and sang happy birthday to me and then gave me a birthday crown, which was pretty fun.

(eating at the cafe, a nice Sunday brunch with myself)

(Japanese barbecue)

(my family celebrating my birthday)