To pick up from where I left off, last Sunday I went to Ci Jin with my host family. The day began with our 9 am meeting where they picked me up near a park by their house. We drove to an art museum located not too far from the school where I teach. I found out that the day's events were planned for alumni of Dong Hua University, where my host dad earned his undergraduate degree.
The girls and I were tired from going to bed late and waking up early, and we weren't too thrilled to be at a museum at 9:30 in the morning, but it was a pretty cool place. We explored the gift shop for a half hour or so while we waited for the others, and chatted for a while. Things got even better once we entered the actual museum. The group had a tour guide who explained the significance of each piece and the author's motivation for the design. It was all in Chinese, so I didn't catch everything, but my family helped explain the important parts along the way. The first was this really cool digital screen on the floor with two very art deco-looking chairs at each end. One person sat in each chair and the attendant helped place a band with little monitors on their heads. They had to close their eyes, keep still, and keep their minds focused, and the band would monitor their strength of their brain waves. In the first competition, the screen showed a pond with Water Lilies. The person with the stronger brain waves would create more blooming Water Lilies on their side of the pond. In the next image, fish were swimming in a stream. Bamboo baskets were placed on either side, and more fish would jump into the basket of the person with the stronger waves. It was so cool!
Probably my favorite piece was something that reminded me a great deal of a Neolithic Museum I visited in Xi'an when I studied abroad in China. A few years ago when digging land for the building of a student dormitory, diggers found what turned out to be remains from an ancient civilization. Across the way was a piece of art designed to show highlight the progression of civilization and the tools we use. The artist designed cell phones, credit card machines, calculators etc. to appear as though if discovered in a dig. If someone was to uncover remains of our generation, what would they find left from us?
After the tour we drove to Ci Jin for lunch at a well-known seafood restaurant. My host dad's classmate drove with us, so my mom, sisters and I sat in the back seat together. We all fell asleep on the way there, leaning into each other as we dozed off. We go to the restaurant before the other since we drove, so my sisters took out there MP3 player, and gave me one of the headphones to use as they played their favorite songs for me. I found out that they like Leona Lewis too! Once the others arrived and the food started coming, it didn't stop! We had crabs (which reminded me of home!), shrimp (whole shrimp, shrimp rolls, shrimp with pumpkin and pasta, soup with shrimp), squid, fruit, and delicious sticky rice balls filled with crushed peanuts! After our feast we rode bikes around the island and stopped at the seashell museum. On the way back we stopped for some ice cream lemonade--delicious fresh lemon juice with three small balls of milk flavored ice cream--before heading down another path in the other direction. We rode through a dark tunnel and made our way around a winding path along the ocean, stopping for a view of the skyline and to watch a few men try their luck at fishing. After the last leg of the bike ride my host mom decided she wanted some shaved ice, so we found the last empty table at the ice shop, and the five of us shared a bowl of mango ice and a bowl of red bean with condensed milk ice (about 20 minutes after the ice cream). While my dad was ordering the ice, my mom reminded us not to eat too much since we would be going to my uncle's for dinner (!). I almost died.
After the ice we drove to the house of my uncle (who is actually my dad's dad). My mom had told me he was an amazing cook, and she was telling the truth! He had prepared a delicious meat dish that was incredibly tender, a cold sour cucumber dish (which might sound strange but tasted incredible), stir fried cabbage, and a bamboo and pigtail soup. Now, I know what you're thinking, I did promise to try everything once, but I just couldn't do it. I was already bursting from the seven meals I'd had that day, and I didn't think I could manage. Maybe another time...
After dinner we sat around the table on benches as we watched the news. At some point my mom put a pillow behind my back, and I leaned back and fell asleep. When I awoke, the American movie The Wedding Date was on, and my sisters were turning their heads away as the couple on screen kissed. We watched for a little longer, woke my dad, who had also fallen asleep, and made our way back home.
On Monday morning I was feeling the few hours of sleep I'd had the day before, and sleepily got ready for school. I usually fall asleep on the bus, which isn't a problem since it takes me straight to my stop, the last one on the line. Normally I wake up just before we arrive at the station, but I was totally conked out that morning. I had brought the pillow I bought over the weekend for nap time at school, and fell asleep holding it against my chest. The driver came back to wake me and asked if I wanted to go to the Zuoying station. When I said yes he said, "we're here," and asked me if I was comfortable. I was so embarrassed, but he was very nice so I just answered yes shyly, apologized, and thanked him for waking me.
This week went by pretty fast, with classes running smoothly and late nights from Monday to Wednesday. I agreed to do some tutoring to help out a friend for the first three nights this week, and didn't get home until around 11 or so. Although they were long days, it was fun to mix up my routine. On Tuesday night I went straight to the MRT stop after dancing since the school is much closer to the station than my apartment is, so I had some time to kill while I waited. I stopped in a movie store and browsed the shelves for a few second hand DVDs I could buy. After asking the poor girl working the counter numerous questions and picking movies up and putting them down multiple times, I decided on P.S. I Love You, Priceless (a French movie that she recommended), and The Most Distant Course (a Taiwanese movie). She told me I could choose one more for free, which confused me even more, but I eventually decided on Failure to Launch. The irony? I found out yesterday I can't watch it on my laptop because of the country code. Guess I made the wrong choice... With my movies purchased I stopped into McDonald's since I'd been craving a cheeseburger. It was nice to have some alone time out and about and do something for myself.
That night my mom walked me to the MRT station and we passed by a clothing store having a big sale. It was late so we didn't stop, but I made a mental note. On Wednesday I finished a bit earlier, so I thought I'd just take a quick peek on my way back to the station. I went in and actually found a really cute black cotton jumper with cute buttons and pair of hot pink leggings to make it pop. While I was considering whether or not to buy the metallic purse (and I did), the worker's little girl kept walking past me talking on her mom's cell phone. She was really cute and not shy like many other children who see me, and once she hung up, we started talking. She complimented my Chinese, which was one of the nicest compliments I've gotten yet (it's not often that children think to do so on their own), and told me her English name. She likes the color pink so she chose Tinky, what she thought was a form of the word for pink. I told her I thought it was really creative and cute, but if she wanted, I could help her choose an English name that she could use forever whenever she met a foreigner. She was very willing, something not common, even among kids with names like Chocolate, Boss, and Mars (all boys, I might add), so I asked which English letter she liked best. She told me she likes the letter A, so I suggested the name Ally. She seemed happy that I thought it was a very cute name that was popular but not overused, but I could tell she wasn't 100% sold. I asked her for her Chinese name, and then chose some English names that have similar sounds. Her Chinese name is Ting2 Ya1, which sounds much like Tina, but tons of little girls choose that as their English name. I offered Trini (that's right, the yellow Power Ranger), Tara, Tiffany, and Tammy, and she was sold on Tammy.
While we chatted, her mom had packed my purchases up in a bag and was helping a very pretty woman find a fancy dress. Tammy pulled up stools for us and we sat talking about what I was doing in Taiwan, what I liked to do, etc. She asked if I could come visit her this weekend, and although I really wanted to, I told her I had plans to go to Tainan (the plans have now been moved to next weekend). I promised I would come by after I got back, but she was very concerned that I would go back to America directly from Tainan. I assured her I had about another 10 months here, gave her my cell phone number, and told her I'd teach her how to swim. I stayed until after 11, when her mom pulled down the front gate and locked up. She insisted on taking me to the MRT station, and I tried to refuse, but after she offered repeatedly I agreed. They happen to live by the Zuoying station so she told me she could take me straight there, which meant I wouldn't have to transfer lines. I just assumed they had a car, but when we walked out front I saw that we three would be taking their scooter. With Tammy standing in front and me sitting on back behind her mom, we drove through the empty streets. The night had become cool and I felt very really free and content with the wind blowing my hair. I took one of the last trains home and got home really late, but it was totally worth it. I'm really looking forward to seeing them again.
On Friday after work the ETAs went over to a dinner reception at the home of the branch chief of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) office located in Kaohsiung. His apartment is stunning, and his staff had prepared a wonderful buffet with both American and local dishes. What I remember most: the incredibly rich, cheesy lasagna, and the chocolate chip cookies! We all went crazy over the cookies (ovens are pretty much nonexistent in Taiwan), and I was especially lucky because Shana gave me the chips she picked out of her cookies--she's all about the dough. We talked with Chris, the branch chief, about all the things we want to bake together for Thanksgiving, and are anxiously awaiting the next occasion to eat homemade baked goods!
Today was the most perfect lazy Saturday. I slept in, finished watching the movie I started last night, and got ready for the day. We finally decided to hire a cleaning service, and today was the first day the two women came to clean. They are really sweet and made our apartment so clean! Since it was the first time, Shana and I stuck around to answer questions, and I lounged on my bed, reading a book and listening to music. I wandered out for a late lunch, and came back with just enough time to do some more reading, take a cat nap, and make it on time for my first spa appointment.
Just as I was almost home on Friday, it started pouring. It was also thundering and lightning like crazy, and my umbrella wasn't doing much good, so I looking for a place to stop. I wasn't having much luck, but I when I passed by a spa that I had walked right by before and never noticed, the woman at the desk gave me a really friendly smile. I thought it couldn't hurt to ask about their services, so I went back and she greeted me very warmly. She brought some tea and told me about their massages and facials. Another woman came out and they were both eager to chat--I learned later that it was their first time meeting a foreigner who could speak Chinese. At this spa a massage and a facial costs only 1400NT (about $50 in the U.S.), and lasts three hours. This is much cheaper than the 5000NT the nearby Aveda spa charges for a facial, so I asked if they had a spot for Saturday, deciding I could afford to treat myself.
I arrived today and was greeted by just about everyone who worked there. I was taken into a beautiful serene room with a private bathroom where I showered before the massage (a first for me!). The shower in the apartment isn't bad, but this was great! The woman who I had met yesterday sweetly told me to dry my hair with the hair dryer so that I wouldn't catch a cold, and then started chatting as she gave me the massage. She gave me a really great massage that focused on my shoulder and back muscles, and was just the right blend of relaxation and medicine. She was also a lot of fun to chat with. She asked if I would give her an English name, and when I chose Jessica and explained why I thought it matched her personality, she said she was impressed at how well I seemed to know her from talking to her just a short while. She asked if I would be her friend and go out with her to eat after work.
After the massage and the facial that included an awesome massage that covered my face, my head, and my shoulders; a face mask; and a half hour of relaxing with a warm pillow under my neck, I felt great. They created a special package for me that includes a number of free treatments with a lump sum paid up front, and agreed to let me pay for today's visit with two payments for the package price starting from my next visit. I am so looking forward to treating myself every other week (and taking those amazing showers...).
This weekend my sisters and dad are gone to a science camp in Taipei. My mom spontaneously asked me to go see the new Taiwanese movie Cape No. 7 that everyone is talking about last Wednesday at about 11 at night, but I was way too tired and asked if we could do it this weekend instead. She told me to invite my friends, so tomorrow Shana, Lynn (a student teacher who I work with at Wen Fu), and I are going to meet my mom and her sister for the movie and lunch at a restaurant of our choice. One of the options she mentioned is a buffet that serves all-you-can-eat hot pot, seafood, and Japanese dishes, so I'll let you know about that.
There's a big typhoon scheduled to make landfall in Taiwan tomorrow, and many people have been asking me about it. Please know that we're well-equipped with enough food, water, and candles/flashlights in case the power goes out, and we receive plenty of warnings and tips from the foundation about staying inside and how to keep safe.
More soon!
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