Soooo... McAllen is great! I'm really enjoying my family! They are so nice =) I met Alexa, my host sister, this morning. She's really fun and I can tell we'll get along really well. Roberto Jr, my host brother, is kind of quiet, but I'm sure he'll come out of his shell soon. Roberto and Raquel, my host parents, are so friendly! They are so concerned with making sure my room is perfect and that I have all the space and things that I need. So sweet! Roberto made pancakes ("hotcakes") and scrambled eggs this morning. Good stuff! We're having about 10 of Raquel's family members come over for Mother's Day lunner (lunch/dinner) soon.
I've only been here for about 16 hours, and I was sleeping for about 9 of those... but still, McAllen rocks!
Oh, and Happy Mother's Day to all of you Mothers out there! Being a Mom is hard work, and whether your children say it or not, they appreciate you and all you have done for them =)
Special Happy Mother's Day to my own mother, who I love, admire, and adore more than she could ever know <3 <3
Monday, May 11, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Back in Business!!
So the reason I haven't been able to blog is simply lack of availability to internet. I think I wrote in a previous entry that I didn't have wireless at home in Taiwan and that my host family didn't spend a lot of time on the computer.
So now, Where in the World is Cheryssa?
McAllen, TX!
I arrived in McAllen about two hours ago and I already love it! It's a beautiful town with lots of palm trees. It has many stores, but enough room between them so it doesn't look too commercial. My host parents are so nice! Roberto Carranca is an UWP alum from the 70's, so he knows all about UWP. His wife Raquel didn't travel, but she's been incredibly welcoming! I have a host sister, 16 years old, who is out at prom tonight, haha, and a host brother, Roberto, who is 14.
I got back to Denver on Thursday after a heartbreaking goodbye to Taiwan! At the end of a long 24 hour travel day, I was happy to see my wonderful Denver host parents, Jen and Reed Thompson! We had a relaxing evening, and Terry Woods came over for a quick visit. On Friday I had a Skype meeting about McAllen with Cathy DeGraff in the office and with Matt Erley and Luis Petzhold, the two people I will be setting up McAllen with. At night I went with my host parents to an UWP Alumni Reception. Denver alums, office staff, and the new CEO attended. It was really good to see Steve Woods, the Kinder's and the Aboussie's! My host brother, Drew, came there to see me and I ended up going back to the University of Denver with him to see my other host brother, Will. (Drew is traveling in UWP Cast B 09! Woot!) The Thompsons are such thoughtful, kind, and welcoming people! I feel so lucky to have had them as my staging host family, because they have become more like real family to me!
So after a very short but much valued visit with the Thompsons, I went back to the airport, back on two planes, and arrived here in McAllen.
This is going to be a great city! I am going to have to put my Chinese on hold and switch gears to learn Spanish! Having wireless internet in my room is really fantastic, and I am excited to blog again!!
Miss you all <3 <3
~Cheryssa
So now, Where in the World is Cheryssa?
McAllen, TX!
I arrived in McAllen about two hours ago and I already love it! It's a beautiful town with lots of palm trees. It has many stores, but enough room between them so it doesn't look too commercial. My host parents are so nice! Roberto Carranca is an UWP alum from the 70's, so he knows all about UWP. His wife Raquel didn't travel, but she's been incredibly welcoming! I have a host sister, 16 years old, who is out at prom tonight, haha, and a host brother, Roberto, who is 14.
I got back to Denver on Thursday after a heartbreaking goodbye to Taiwan! At the end of a long 24 hour travel day, I was happy to see my wonderful Denver host parents, Jen and Reed Thompson! We had a relaxing evening, and Terry Woods came over for a quick visit. On Friday I had a Skype meeting about McAllen with Cathy DeGraff in the office and with Matt Erley and Luis Petzhold, the two people I will be setting up McAllen with. At night I went with my host parents to an UWP Alumni Reception. Denver alums, office staff, and the new CEO attended. It was really good to see Steve Woods, the Kinder's and the Aboussie's! My host brother, Drew, came there to see me and I ended up going back to the University of Denver with him to see my other host brother, Will. (Drew is traveling in UWP Cast B 09! Woot!) The Thompsons are such thoughtful, kind, and welcoming people! I feel so lucky to have had them as my staging host family, because they have become more like real family to me!
So after a very short but much valued visit with the Thompsons, I went back to the airport, back on two planes, and arrived here in McAllen.
This is going to be a great city! I am going to have to put my Chinese on hold and switch gears to learn Spanish! Having wireless internet in my room is really fantastic, and I am excited to blog again!!
Miss you all <3 <3
~Cheryssa
Monday, March 2, 2009
Wednesday, February 11th
At work we went to two meetings:
A Women’s Group of international women, most of whom are expats because their husbands are working here or they are married to a Taiwanese man:
An expatriate (in abbreviated form, expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing or legal residence. The word comes from the Latin ex (out of) and patria (country, motherland). (thank you Wikipedia!)
The meeting was on the top floor of Hotel One, the tallest building in Taichung!
Our second meeting was with Miss Liao at National Chung Hsing University, who is going to help us with host families.
In between the two meetings we went to lunch at this mall-like place where we went to a huge Chinese food court! When we walked around, it was very easy for Armando and I to pick something out because they have plastic displays of all the food they make! Each place was small and only offered about 6 or 8 things on average. I ate rice cooked with soy sauce with shrimp on top, seaweed soup, and some sort of vegetable.
The parking garage was the coolest part! Here's what they did with the cars:
Armando and I matched in red and black so we took a twin picture!
For dinner, Aunt Christina (now I've started to think it's "Christina instead of Christine") cooked again. I’ve come to realize that we eat the same things every day for dinner:
o Soup (hot water) with cabbage, shrimp balls, pork balls, and pig joints (like knees)
o A thing that’s really hard to explain, but kind of: mushy rice that is steamed with radish slices with mushrooms mixed in; it becomes solid and shaped like a loaf of bread, so u slice it and eat it with a sauce of thicker soy sauce and garlic (and endives I think, if I am thinking of an endive correctly… either way it’s a cool word)
o Some combination of:
Cooked onions and little pieces of beef with a lot of pepper
Red/green tomatoes cut up cooked with egg Sliced mushrooms
Steamed cabbage
o White rice (of course!)
o Nothing to drink
After dinner, I went to a night market with Paul, Jeff, Linda, and Jennifer. They fed me all sorts of things there: Cherry tomatoes covered in hard sugary syrup,
ice cream tea (black tea with ice cream), and chicken on a stick. Linda and Paul, NOT ME, ate chicken skin and chicken hearts!! AAHH!!
There were shoe stores EVERYWHERE!! And they were like $15 USD and under! We went to an arcade and tossed basketballs... I was actually pretty good! It was very fun =)
A Women’s Group of international women, most of whom are expats because their husbands are working here or they are married to a Taiwanese man:
An expatriate (in abbreviated form, expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing or legal residence. The word comes from the Latin ex (out of) and patria (country, motherland). (thank you Wikipedia!)
The meeting was on the top floor of Hotel One, the tallest building in Taichung!
Our second meeting was with Miss Liao at National Chung Hsing University, who is going to help us with host families.
In between the two meetings we went to lunch at this mall-like place where we went to a huge Chinese food court! When we walked around, it was very easy for Armando and I to pick something out because they have plastic displays of all the food they make! Each place was small and only offered about 6 or 8 things on average. I ate rice cooked with soy sauce with shrimp on top, seaweed soup, and some sort of vegetable.The parking garage was the coolest part! Here's what they did with the cars:
Armando and I matched in red and black so we took a twin picture!For dinner, Aunt Christina (now I've started to think it's "Christina instead of Christine") cooked again. I’ve come to realize that we eat the same things every day for dinner:
o Soup (hot water) with cabbage, shrimp balls, pork balls, and pig joints (like knees)
o A thing that’s really hard to explain, but kind of: mushy rice that is steamed with radish slices with mushrooms mixed in; it becomes solid and shaped like a loaf of bread, so u slice it and eat it with a sauce of thicker soy sauce and garlic (and endives I think, if I am thinking of an endive correctly… either way it’s a cool word)
o Some combination of:
Cooked onions and little pieces of beef with a lot of pepper
Red/green tomatoes cut up cooked with egg Sliced mushrooms
Steamed cabbage
o White rice (of course!)
o Nothing to drink
After dinner, I went to a night market with Paul, Jeff, Linda, and Jennifer. They fed me all sorts of things there: Cherry tomatoes covered in hard sugary syrup,
ice cream tea (black tea with ice cream), and chicken on a stick. Linda and Paul, NOT ME, ate chicken skin and chicken hearts!! AAHH!! There were shoe stores EVERYWHERE!! And they were like $15 USD and under! We went to an arcade and tossed basketballs... I was actually pretty good! It was very fun =)
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 10th
Today I did a lot of research about names and numbers of different high schools and colleges in Taichung. Some are English speaking and some are not, and some are private and some are public.
Armando, Paul, and I walked down a street nearby and looked at the different little places for lunch. We decided on a place that had something like vegetarian sushi wraps. The wrap and some black tea was 39NT dollars, which is just over $1 US dollar… pretty rockin’! The wraps were delicious and the owner was very nice to us.
After lunch I started calling the schools I had researched in the morning. Some only spoke Chinese and I couldn’t talk to them =( and some spoke English a little bit and told us to email them information. One university seemed really interested and actually made an appointment with us!! YAY!!!!! I made my first appointment and sent my first business email… I’m a real FM! I’M A REAL FM!!!!! =) =) =) =)
When I got home from work I played Wii with my family. The usual—MarioKart, Wii Fit, and Wii Sports =) We played lots of bowling and tennis!!
There was a bunch of Taiwanese snacks on a table in the corner next to the couch. My host dad, Gary, brought them out and I tried a bunch of new things! Aside from some typical little cookies and pastry puffs, I ate my first kumquat and some weird seaweed-like stuff! I have become so adventurous in other countries O=)
Armando, Paul, and I walked down a street nearby and looked at the different little places for lunch. We decided on a place that had something like vegetarian sushi wraps. The wrap and some black tea was 39NT dollars, which is just over $1 US dollar… pretty rockin’! The wraps were delicious and the owner was very nice to us.
After lunch I started calling the schools I had researched in the morning. Some only spoke Chinese and I couldn’t talk to them =( and some spoke English a little bit and told us to email them information. One university seemed really interested and actually made an appointment with us!! YAY!!!!! I made my first appointment and sent my first business email… I’m a real FM! I’M A REAL FM!!!!! =) =) =) =)When I got home from work I played Wii with my family. The usual—MarioKart, Wii Fit, and Wii Sports =) We played lots of bowling and tennis!!
There was a bunch of Taiwanese snacks on a table in the corner next to the couch. My host dad, Gary, brought them out and I tried a bunch of new things! Aside from some typical little cookies and pastry puffs, I ate my first kumquat and some weird seaweed-like stuff! I have become so adventurous in other countries O=)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday, February 9th
[Paul Whitaker is going back to the US, so from now on, “Paul” means “Xiao Paul” (so I don’t have to type it every time). ] Paul and I met at Gary’s office (as usual) and picked up Armando at the train station because he lives further away in Taiping. On our way to our UWP office, we heard loud noises and Paul told us that a parade was coming! We parked on the side of the road and stood with our cameras ready! Traffic was still going, and there was a policeman in the middle of the intersection directing traffic; sometimes the parade stopped, and sometimes cars stopped.
People were dressed in these huge costumes of ‘protectors’ of things according to the religion of the temple running the parade; I asked why more people weren’t stopped to watch it (because really no one was aside from us) and Paul said that different temples have these at different times, so they occur throughout the year and it wasn’t an extra special sight to locals. While we stood and watched, a few men laid out strands and strands and strands of firecrackers in the middle of the street! The parade walked over the firecrackers and cars drove over them, and it wasn’t until the end that they were set off while part of the parade passed through. It was SO LOUD! There was tons of smoke and noise! We finally made it to our office with busted ear drums ;) and set up our wireless router!! It was VERY EXCITING to finally have internet for my computer, since my host family doesn’t have wireless (they have a computer room on the fourth floor with two computers, but a lot of what I wanted to do involved putting pictures from my computer on my blog)
When I got home I took a nap because I was really tired, and woke up just in time for dinner in Christine’s house next door. After dinner I learned about special customs for the holiday today! After we ate, Jeff came home with two packages of white round things that looked like eggs but weren’t. Christine cooked them and they became soft like dumplings. Everybody got one of each kind. Both were really sweet inside: the dark filling was sesame seed stuff, and the light brown filling was peanut stuff. I learned that they were special for the holiday and that everyone is supposed to eat them today… I wish they were every day, they were SO GOOD, I ate two more!!!!
Jeff put together this Mickey Mouse lantern that looked like it was for a five year old’s birthday party! It was so cute and we all went for a walk and I carried it around the block. I learned that in their culture there’s a superstition that you can’t point to a full moon or your ear will get a cut in it! I sang the “M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E!” song and ended up teaching it to my sister Jennifer!
People were dressed in these huge costumes of ‘protectors’ of things according to the religion of the temple running the parade; I asked why more people weren’t stopped to watch it (because really no one was aside from us) and Paul said that different temples have these at different times, so they occur throughout the year and it wasn’t an extra special sight to locals. While we stood and watched, a few men laid out strands and strands and strands of firecrackers in the middle of the street! The parade walked over the firecrackers and cars drove over them, and it wasn’t until the end that they were set off while part of the parade passed through. It was SO LOUD! There was tons of smoke and noise! We finally made it to our office with busted ear drums ;) and set up our wireless router!! It was VERY EXCITING to finally have internet for my computer, since my host family doesn’t have wireless (they have a computer room on the fourth floor with two computers, but a lot of what I wanted to do involved putting pictures from my computer on my blog)
Jeff put together this Mickey Mouse lantern that looked like it was for a five year old’s birthday party! It was so cute and we all went for a walk and I carried it around the block. I learned that in their culture there’s a superstition that you can’t point to a full moon or your ear will get a cut in it! I sang the “M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E!” song and ended up teaching it to my sister Jennifer!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Sunday, February 8th
Since I told my family that I like to eat bread and that cheese and chocolate were my favorite foods, they went out and bought bags and bags of bread! Not only did they have bread, they had: Cheese bread, ham and cheese bread, chocolate bread!
We went to Gary’s company party (for Chinese New Year) at Freshfields Hotel; it had a beautiful view! I wore a blue strapless dress but I wrapped a black shawl around my shoulders to stay conservative.
Karaoke is VERY popular here! There was a singing contest (Paul Whitaker was one of the judges! Kind of like Simon on American Idol ;) and even though people could not sing very well, they got up on stage with crazy costumes and sang their heart out! Very fun and very strange at the same time…
Crazy, retro, outlandish... but if you're having fun, that's what counts, right!?
After the party we went home and I played Wii with my sisters and cousins; we drank Milk Tea with tapioca balls (we got it delivered to our house!); I think that kind of tea is also called “bubble tea” Then we went to Costco with Julie, Winny and her sister (Kelly), Jennifer, and Linda– it looked very similar to American Costco! It was a HUGE store, as usual, and they even gave out food samples! People stared at me, just like they do everywhere else, but I noticed it more here with babies and children. Adults usually have some social decency and aren’t rude about staring at me, but with children/babies, it’s kinda creepy how they stare and follow me with their eyes and whole head for as long as possible, almost exorcist-like twisting their heads when I walk by! They got me some “American” food like bagels, Provolone cheese, Oreos =), crackers and cheese packs, chocolate and Ghirardelli brownie mix for Valentine’s Day, and a shower towel.
Costco pizza is very popular! There are three options: Seafood, Hawaiian, Peking Duck. Many people ordered pizza and ate it there in tables set up… like over 50 people! On the ride home we practiced learning languages. I taught my cousins and sisters how to say “What’s up?” I really enjoy spending time with them, we have fun and laugh all the time! They learn more English and I learn more Chinese every day! We brought Costco pizza home for dinner; two kinds: Hawaiian and Seafood (but different from the seafood pizza I ate in the Philippines)
Just like all the people who ate at Costco, my sisters and cousins ate their pizza with ketchup, mustard, relish, and onions! o It was funny to see the different ways they ate pizza; some with hands, some with knife and fork, and my cousin Jeff ate it with chopsticks!
We went to Gary’s company party (for Chinese New Year) at Freshfields Hotel; it had a beautiful view! I wore a blue strapless dress but I wrapped a black shawl around my shoulders to stay conservative.
Karaoke is VERY popular here! There was a singing contest (Paul Whitaker was one of the judges! Kind of like Simon on American Idol ;) and even though people could not sing very well, they got up on stage with crazy costumes and sang their heart out! Very fun and very strange at the same time…
Crazy, retro, outlandish... but if you're having fun, that's what counts, right!?
After the party we went home and I played Wii with my sisters and cousins; we drank Milk Tea with tapioca balls (we got it delivered to our house!); I think that kind of tea is also called “bubble tea” Then we went to Costco with Julie, Winny and her sister (Kelly), Jennifer, and Linda– it looked very similar to American Costco! It was a HUGE store, as usual, and they even gave out food samples! People stared at me, just like they do everywhere else, but I noticed it more here with babies and children. Adults usually have some social decency and aren’t rude about staring at me, but with children/babies, it’s kinda creepy how they stare and follow me with their eyes and whole head for as long as possible, almost exorcist-like twisting their heads when I walk by! They got me some “American” food like bagels, Provolone cheese, Oreos =), crackers and cheese packs, chocolate and Ghirardelli brownie mix for Valentine’s Day, and a shower towel.
Costco pizza is very popular! There are three options: Seafood, Hawaiian, Peking Duck. Many people ordered pizza and ate it there in tables set up… like over 50 people! On the ride home we practiced learning languages. I taught my cousins and sisters how to say “What’s up?” I really enjoy spending time with them, we have fun and laugh all the time! They learn more English and I learn more Chinese every day! We brought Costco pizza home for dinner; two kinds: Hawaiian and Seafood (but different from the seafood pizza I ate in the Philippines)
Just like all the people who ate at Costco, my sisters and cousins ate their pizza with ketchup, mustard, relish, and onions! o It was funny to see the different ways they ate pizza; some with hands, some with knife and fork, and my cousin Jeff ate it with chopsticks!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Saturday, February 7th
• Work
o Xiao Paul got me and Armando soy milk and sausage dumplings for breakfast
o We met Niki at the office and had a meeting with some lady and dude who’s going to help us find Community Impact projects
o When they left, we had a team meeting and shared stuff about ourselves, created team goals, and set up our office a little
o For lunch we went to a restaurant that had tons of food set out for you to pick what you want, and the four of us got all different foods to share
o Then we got SIM cards and my phone got set up! Yay!
• Armando and Paul came over, where we met more of my host cousins (but ones that don’t live next door); one is named Winny and I don’t know her sister’s name; we all danced and played games
• After dropping Armando off, Paul came back and we played basketball with my host cousins, and sisters; the teams were me and Paul versus Linda, Jennifer, Winny, and her sister… haha! Pretty even, actually!
• Paul left and I had a dance party in my room with the girls… so fun! They showed me dance moves and I showed them dance moves… lots of laughs =)
• We went to rent a movie but didn’t find anything
• I met my host cousin Julie who is Christine’s daughter/Baby’s sister, and I think she’s 24 years old. She works in Taipei during the week and she comes home and lives with Christine on the weekends. She speaks English the most out of my family, but she is not fluent and still learns every time we try to communicate
• For dinner, I went to a night market with my cousins, my sisters, and Christine
o We went to a restaurant where we ate rice cooked in a tasty sauce with a little hard boiled egg and some sliced mushrooms
Some of them ate soup with noodles and squid… but I can’t do the whole ‘octopus’ or ‘squid’ thing yet…ew
o Then when I thought we were leaving, we went to another restaurant where we got shrimp and clams with a cooked egg on top of it and all sorts of jelly-like sauces
o I was so full, and thought we were leaving… and we went to ANOTHER restaurant! One thing I’ve realized is that whenever I think we are done, there is ALWAYS more food!
They know I like sweet foods, so they took me to this third place to get hot water (soup) with soft tofu-like things and tapioca balls. By American standards it wasn’t sweet, but I think by Taiwan standards it was! It was pretty good, but I don’t really like tofu =(
o On the way back to the cars we passed a stand with chicken skin, hearts, stomachs, livers, and feet… as well as duck heads! Yuck! They tried to get me to eat some of it, but I said no because 1) I was ssoo full 2) I didn’t have my camera…. And DUH, 3), EW!
• When we got home I painted my nails with my cousins
o Christine used to paint nails as a job so she wouldn’t let me do my own, haha, and she painted my fingers and toes
• I met my brother Jay-24, who lives on the fourth floor of our house but who I never see… he is learning to cut hair
o Xiao Paul got me and Armando soy milk and sausage dumplings for breakfast
o We met Niki at the office and had a meeting with some lady and dude who’s going to help us find Community Impact projects
o When they left, we had a team meeting and shared stuff about ourselves, created team goals, and set up our office a little
o For lunch we went to a restaurant that had tons of food set out for you to pick what you want, and the four of us got all different foods to share
o Then we got SIM cards and my phone got set up! Yay!
• Armando and Paul came over, where we met more of my host cousins (but ones that don’t live next door); one is named Winny and I don’t know her sister’s name; we all danced and played games
• After dropping Armando off, Paul came back and we played basketball with my host cousins, and sisters; the teams were me and Paul versus Linda, Jennifer, Winny, and her sister… haha! Pretty even, actually!
• Paul left and I had a dance party in my room with the girls… so fun! They showed me dance moves and I showed them dance moves… lots of laughs =)
• We went to rent a movie but didn’t find anything
• I met my host cousin Julie who is Christine’s daughter/Baby’s sister, and I think she’s 24 years old. She works in Taipei during the week and she comes home and lives with Christine on the weekends. She speaks English the most out of my family, but she is not fluent and still learns every time we try to communicate
• For dinner, I went to a night market with my cousins, my sisters, and Christine
o We went to a restaurant where we ate rice cooked in a tasty sauce with a little hard boiled egg and some sliced mushrooms
Some of them ate soup with noodles and squid… but I can’t do the whole ‘octopus’ or ‘squid’ thing yet…ew
o Then when I thought we were leaving, we went to another restaurant where we got shrimp and clams with a cooked egg on top of it and all sorts of jelly-like sauces
o I was so full, and thought we were leaving… and we went to ANOTHER restaurant! One thing I’ve realized is that whenever I think we are done, there is ALWAYS more food!
They know I like sweet foods, so they took me to this third place to get hot water (soup) with soft tofu-like things and tapioca balls. By American standards it wasn’t sweet, but I think by Taiwan standards it was! It was pretty good, but I don’t really like tofu =(
o On the way back to the cars we passed a stand with chicken skin, hearts, stomachs, livers, and feet… as well as duck heads! Yuck! They tried to get me to eat some of it, but I said no because 1) I was ssoo full 2) I didn’t have my camera…. And DUH, 3), EW!
• When we got home I painted my nails with my cousins
o Christine used to paint nails as a job so she wouldn’t let me do my own, haha, and she painted my fingers and toes
• I met my brother Jay-24, who lives on the fourth floor of our house but who I never see… he is learning to cut hair
Friday, February 6th
• So I got up to shower, and in the shower were signs: “Wash Hair” “Wash Body” “Face Soap” on products in the shower, as well as instructions for using the faucet… my sisters are so cute!
• I got a ride with Gary and Maggie to Gary’s office, where I joined Xiao Paul (who went to work with Robert) and we drove to our UWP office
• Luis and Armando arrived from Taipei!
o Armando from Mexico is an FM who has worked in the US, Mexico, and Asia; Taichung will be his 10th city…. He’s really experienced and really really fun, I am SO excited to be working with him!
o Luis will be working in Taipei, but he wanted to have a meeting with our Taichung team to start us off
o I also met Niki, a local Taiwanese girl, who will be volunteering with us part time
o We had meetings most of the day
• For lunch we had dumplings filled with pork and vegetables, as well as some rice and soup… I like using chopsticks! It’s fun!
• We went to Gary’s office, where the loudspeaker played the same Chinese song over and over and over and over and over…. The tune got in our heads and Armando, Luis and I thought we were gunna go crazy!
• Driving is really crazy here
o Green means go; yellow means go; red means go…. Or at least until cars come the other way
o When turning, cars don’t go in a line, they cut the corner and start to turn before they get into the intersection
o Cars, motorcycles, and people get VERY VERY close to each other without even batting an eye
o Cars, but mostly motorcycles, park pretty much everywhere
• I tried Wii fit with Jennifer, and I played Wii sports with Gary and my sisters… at home I used to be sssoo good at Wii tennis, but Gary beat me by a long shot! I think I am out of practice…
• Christine made dinner
o Soup with noodles, shrimp, shrimp balls, mushrooms, etc
o Dumpling like pork and vegetables in mushy rice outside
o Eeeewww…. I ate sliced pig ears! And kelp from the sea!
o Armando, Paul, and Robert came over to eat with us
• I went to sleep early cause I was still tired…. Jet lag!
• I got a ride with Gary and Maggie to Gary’s office, where I joined Xiao Paul (who went to work with Robert) and we drove to our UWP office
• Luis and Armando arrived from Taipei!
o Armando from Mexico is an FM who has worked in the US, Mexico, and Asia; Taichung will be his 10th city…. He’s really experienced and really really fun, I am SO excited to be working with him!
o Luis will be working in Taipei, but he wanted to have a meeting with our Taichung team to start us off
o I also met Niki, a local Taiwanese girl, who will be volunteering with us part time
o We had meetings most of the day
• For lunch we had dumplings filled with pork and vegetables, as well as some rice and soup… I like using chopsticks! It’s fun!
• We went to Gary’s office, where the loudspeaker played the same Chinese song over and over and over and over and over…. The tune got in our heads and Armando, Luis and I thought we were gunna go crazy!
• Driving is really crazy here
o Green means go; yellow means go; red means go…. Or at least until cars come the other way
o When turning, cars don’t go in a line, they cut the corner and start to turn before they get into the intersection
o Cars, motorcycles, and people get VERY VERY close to each other without even batting an eye
o Cars, but mostly motorcycles, park pretty much everywhere
• I tried Wii fit with Jennifer, and I played Wii sports with Gary and my sisters… at home I used to be sssoo good at Wii tennis, but Gary beat me by a long shot! I think I am out of practice…
• Christine made dinner
o Soup with noodles, shrimp, shrimp balls, mushrooms, etc
o Dumpling like pork and vegetables in mushy rice outside
o Eeeewww…. I ate sliced pig ears! And kelp from the sea!
o Armando, Paul, and Robert came over to eat with us
• I went to sleep early cause I was still tired…. Jet lag!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Thursday, February 5th, aka longest day ever!
• First Morning and Trip to Taichung
o I woke up to people speaking in Chinese… OMG, I’m really in Taiwan!
o Probably because of the time difference, I was wide awake at 7am
o Yay! I got to see Paul Whitaker, from England, who works for Up with People as the Asia Tour Director.
o My first shower in Taiwan… working toilet and hot shower! Good start!
I used this AWESOME smelling Pomegranate Sunflower shampoo!
o Breakfast was soy milk and currant bread
Surprisingly, I really liked the soy milk!
Currants are like grapes… kinda
o I had lots of luggage to carry through the subway MRT to train… Luis helped me until I got on the train
He said get on this train, take it until the first stop 45 minutes down, it will be Taichung. There, Paul Chen will be waiting for you with your host sisters. (I knew Paul kind of through emailing, and he speaks very good English because he went to school in Canada)
o When the train stopped at Taichung, I couldn’t get off the train! People don’t believe me that I get lost going EVERYWHERE, but really, it’s true!
So we were going to stop, and I saw people lining up to get off, so I got up and grabbed my suitcases… I started going down the aisle to the front to get off, and all of a sudden, tons of Taiwanese people started coming at me down the aisle! I tried to say “du bu chi” (phonetically) “I’m sorry” and get by them, but the train was stopped for a grand total of maybe 90 seconds, and I barely made it halfway down the aisle when it started moving again!!!!!!!
So after I missed the Taichung stop, I had no choice but to stay on until the next stop…. Another 45 minutes… haha! I found a nice worker on the train who kinda spoke English and he stamped my ticket and told me which train at the next station to get on to return to Taichung. When we arrived at the next stop, another worker helped me with my bags and got me on the next train safely, making sure I knew what I was doing. She kinda spoke English, too. The finally on that train back, another worker said that she talked to my friend in Taichung and they are waiting for me, it’s okay…. Ay ay ay!
• Meet Xiao Paul and host sisters
o So I finally got off at Taichung and made it to find “Xiao Paul” (“Small Paul” to differentiate between him and Paul Whitaker from UWP) and my host sisters
o My host sisters Linda and Jennifer were very very shy, and they didn’t talk very much
o Paul was very nice and translated some things for us
• We arrive at my host house and dropped off my luggage
o It was a very nice house with four floors (two bedrooms on each floor 2-4); I am on a floor with my host sisters and our shared bathroom
Working toilet and hot shower! Yes!
o I am staying in Jennifer’s room (Jennifer moved in with Linda)
o The back of our house connects through a little walkway to my host aunt’s house; I met Christine, my aunt, and Jeff, my host cousin, next door
• Then we went to an office and met Gary, my host dad
o He was very nice and very funny (even though he doesn’t speak English!)
• Then Paul, my host sisters, and I went to buy office supplies and to see our UWP office here in Taichung
o We are sharing a medical technicians office on the 12th floor of a building with two very nice women, Ray and Vicky o There is a Starbucks right next to our office! Woot!
• We went back to Gary’s office (it’s his company) and met Robert, Xiao Paul’s dad, who works there (Christine works there too)
• I hung around that office with Paul and my sisters; I learned some Chinese and we worked on pronouncing the English alphabet with my sisters
• After Gary and Robert finished working at like 7pm, we went to eat dinner at a restaurant: Gary (dad), Linda-20 & Jennifer-16 (sisters), Christine (aunt), Jeff-20 (cousin), another cousin named Baby-27, Gary’s girlfriend Maggie (who also works in his office), Xiao Paul (22) and Robert (his dad)
o Lot of people went! We got a big round table
o First use of chopsticks! I wasn’t bad!
o In the middle of the table was a lazy Susan, the round thing that spins
o Very interesting food… I asked what the different things were, but I tried everything
o I wasn’t thrilled with the food, but it wasn’t bad
o I learned that my sisters call my dad “honey” which I think is really cute
• After dinner we walked over to see a Chinese Lantern Festival, which was still up in honor of the Chinese New Year
o “This colorful, charming holiday marks the official end of the Chinese New Year holiday season. According to legend, celestial spirits could be seen by the light of the first moon, so torches were lit to improve visibility. This in turn led to lantern making. These days, Lantern Festival is marked by lantern displays and contests. This includes an annual Taichung City Lantern Festival celebration and display, usually held in the Taichung Park. Other similar displays are also often found at other locations, like the Taichung Folklore Park or the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art. In local parks and other areas around the city, lantern-carrying children are also a common sight, out for evening strolls with their parents.”
o The night we went was the last night it was going to be up!
• When we got home it was only about 10 but I was sssoooo tired!! I climbed into my ridiculously comfortable bed, laid on my memory foam pillow (I think), and fell right asleep!
o I woke up to people speaking in Chinese… OMG, I’m really in Taiwan!
o Probably because of the time difference, I was wide awake at 7am
o Yay! I got to see Paul Whitaker, from England, who works for Up with People as the Asia Tour Director.
o My first shower in Taiwan… working toilet and hot shower! Good start!
I used this AWESOME smelling Pomegranate Sunflower shampoo!
o Breakfast was soy milk and currant bread
Surprisingly, I really liked the soy milk!
Currants are like grapes… kinda
o I had lots of luggage to carry through the subway MRT to train… Luis helped me until I got on the train
He said get on this train, take it until the first stop 45 minutes down, it will be Taichung. There, Paul Chen will be waiting for you with your host sisters. (I knew Paul kind of through emailing, and he speaks very good English because he went to school in Canada)
o When the train stopped at Taichung, I couldn’t get off the train! People don’t believe me that I get lost going EVERYWHERE, but really, it’s true!
So we were going to stop, and I saw people lining up to get off, so I got up and grabbed my suitcases… I started going down the aisle to the front to get off, and all of a sudden, tons of Taiwanese people started coming at me down the aisle! I tried to say “du bu chi” (phonetically) “I’m sorry” and get by them, but the train was stopped for a grand total of maybe 90 seconds, and I barely made it halfway down the aisle when it started moving again!!!!!!!
So after I missed the Taichung stop, I had no choice but to stay on until the next stop…. Another 45 minutes… haha! I found a nice worker on the train who kinda spoke English and he stamped my ticket and told me which train at the next station to get on to return to Taichung. When we arrived at the next stop, another worker helped me with my bags and got me on the next train safely, making sure I knew what I was doing. She kinda spoke English, too. The finally on that train back, another worker said that she talked to my friend in Taichung and they are waiting for me, it’s okay…. Ay ay ay!
• Meet Xiao Paul and host sisters
o So I finally got off at Taichung and made it to find “Xiao Paul” (“Small Paul” to differentiate between him and Paul Whitaker from UWP) and my host sisters
o My host sisters Linda and Jennifer were very very shy, and they didn’t talk very much
o Paul was very nice and translated some things for us
• We arrive at my host house and dropped off my luggage
o It was a very nice house with four floors (two bedrooms on each floor 2-4); I am on a floor with my host sisters and our shared bathroom
Working toilet and hot shower! Yes!
o I am staying in Jennifer’s room (Jennifer moved in with Linda)
o The back of our house connects through a little walkway to my host aunt’s house; I met Christine, my aunt, and Jeff, my host cousin, next door
• Then we went to an office and met Gary, my host dad
o He was very nice and very funny (even though he doesn’t speak English!)
• Then Paul, my host sisters, and I went to buy office supplies and to see our UWP office here in Taichung
o We are sharing a medical technicians office on the 12th floor of a building with two very nice women, Ray and Vicky o There is a Starbucks right next to our office! Woot!
• We went back to Gary’s office (it’s his company) and met Robert, Xiao Paul’s dad, who works there (Christine works there too)
• I hung around that office with Paul and my sisters; I learned some Chinese and we worked on pronouncing the English alphabet with my sisters
• After Gary and Robert finished working at like 7pm, we went to eat dinner at a restaurant: Gary (dad), Linda-20 & Jennifer-16 (sisters), Christine (aunt), Jeff-20 (cousin), another cousin named Baby-27, Gary’s girlfriend Maggie (who also works in his office), Xiao Paul (22) and Robert (his dad)
o Lot of people went! We got a big round table
o First use of chopsticks! I wasn’t bad!
o In the middle of the table was a lazy Susan, the round thing that spins
o Very interesting food… I asked what the different things were, but I tried everything
o I wasn’t thrilled with the food, but it wasn’t bad
o I learned that my sisters call my dad “honey” which I think is really cute
• After dinner we walked over to see a Chinese Lantern Festival, which was still up in honor of the Chinese New Year
o “This colorful, charming holiday marks the official end of the Chinese New Year holiday season. According to legend, celestial spirits could be seen by the light of the first moon, so torches were lit to improve visibility. This in turn led to lantern making. These days, Lantern Festival is marked by lantern displays and contests. This includes an annual Taichung City Lantern Festival celebration and display, usually held in the Taichung Park. Other similar displays are also often found at other locations, like the Taichung Folklore Park or the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art. In local parks and other areas around the city, lantern-carrying children are also a common sight, out for evening strolls with their parents.”
o The night we went was the last night it was going to be up!
• When we got home it was only about 10 but I was sssoooo tired!! I climbed into my ridiculously comfortable bed, laid on my memory foam pillow (I think), and fell right asleep!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Tuesday/Wednesday, Feb 3rd-4th
Flights:
• Early in the morning, I said a very sad goodbye to Cecilie and Jennifer at about 6am, Reed took me to the airport…
o But I will be back to see Reed and Jennifer in May! And I am sure Cecilie’s and my paths will cross soon too =)
• Trip to Taiwan
o Very smooth 3 flights: Denver to Seattle, Seattle to Tokyo (Japan), Tokyo to Taipei (capital of Taiwan)
o Shampooed my hair in Tokyo airport sink
People probably thought I was crazy!
o Looong day! At least 24 hours travel day… I ate lots of airplane food
o I waited more than twenty minutes for my luggage… I was crossing my fingers for my bags to appear!
• Mitch, the Community Impact (CI) Coordinator for Asia, came out of nowhere! His flight came in right after mine and he spotted me in baggage claim
• We met up with Luis, the Taiwan Tour Manager, and Steven, a local Taiwanese volunteer
• Long drive to Taipei from the airport, but it was nice to chat in the car
• Stay overnight with Mei Lin and E Ann, the host family where Luis and Paul Whitaker (Asian Tour Director) are staying
• Fall right asleep on couch (it was after midnight, I was exhausted!)
• Early in the morning, I said a very sad goodbye to Cecilie and Jennifer at about 6am, Reed took me to the airport…
o But I will be back to see Reed and Jennifer in May! And I am sure Cecilie’s and my paths will cross soon too =)
• Trip to Taiwan
o Very smooth 3 flights: Denver to Seattle, Seattle to Tokyo (Japan), Tokyo to Taipei (capital of Taiwan)
o Shampooed my hair in Tokyo airport sink
People probably thought I was crazy!
o Looong day! At least 24 hours travel day… I ate lots of airplane food
o I waited more than twenty minutes for my luggage… I was crossing my fingers for my bags to appear!
• Mitch, the Community Impact (CI) Coordinator for Asia, came out of nowhere! His flight came in right after mine and he spotted me in baggage claim
• We met up with Luis, the Taiwan Tour Manager, and Steven, a local Taiwanese volunteer
• Long drive to Taipei from the airport, but it was nice to chat in the car
• Stay overnight with Mei Lin and E Ann, the host family where Luis and Paul Whitaker (Asian Tour Director) are staying
• Fall right asleep on couch (it was after midnight, I was exhausted!)
Staging/Training in Denver, CO, from January 2-February 2, 2009
• The Thompsons (Jennifer and Reed) were my lovely host family from last staging in July, and they oh so graciously opened their home to me again this time… I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else! <3
o Very very very very very good food cooked by my host parents all the time! Yummy!
They were so nice to make my favorite meal as my ‘last supper’ in the states… angel hair pasta with alfredo sauce, peas, and crunchy bread! MmMmMmMmmmmm!!
o Cecilie from Denmark is my host sister again! She is working in the office as an Admissions Intern
Always Oreos in our house—double stuffed for Cecilie and mint double stuffed for myself =)
o Lots of shopping with Jennifer and Cecilie! I bought a lot of new shoes (but they were all on sale!!)
o Lots of parties and fun with host brothers Drew (23) and Will (21) who live at and go to Denver University; Will is a DJ and I got to see him DJ!
o I sometimes watched football with Reed, even though I was on my computer for part of the time O=)
o Movie Party with Cecilie/Super Bowl Party at the Shelsta’s across the street… very exciting last quarter!
o Had lunch with Cecilie and our host family from Colorado Springs that we stayed with during our tour last October
• Met Cast A 2009!
o 90 people from 22 different countries
o All wonderful people! I am so excited to be working on their tour =)
o I am a home team leader for Home Team 7, along with Dave Penny from the US (Education Coordinator) and Rafael Cardoso from Brazil (Technical Manager)
• Training to be an FM (Field Marketing and Operations Manager)
o Christy Dickhans, the North American Tour Director, did most of the training
o I got a HUGE binder full of information and forms!
o I trained with 4 girls who were in my cast (Cast B 2008)
Daniela Perez-Cortez and Paulina Meza, FMs for the US and Mexico
Laura-Lynn Horst and Julie Jeffers, FMs for the US
o Very very very very very good food cooked by my host parents all the time! Yummy!
They were so nice to make my favorite meal as my ‘last supper’ in the states… angel hair pasta with alfredo sauce, peas, and crunchy bread! MmMmMmMmmmmm!!
o Cecilie from Denmark is my host sister again! She is working in the office as an Admissions Intern
Always Oreos in our house—double stuffed for Cecilie and mint double stuffed for myself =)
o Lots of shopping with Jennifer and Cecilie! I bought a lot of new shoes (but they were all on sale!!)
o Lots of parties and fun with host brothers Drew (23) and Will (21) who live at and go to Denver University; Will is a DJ and I got to see him DJ!
o I sometimes watched football with Reed, even though I was on my computer for part of the time O=)
o Movie Party with Cecilie/Super Bowl Party at the Shelsta’s across the street… very exciting last quarter!
o Had lunch with Cecilie and our host family from Colorado Springs that we stayed with during our tour last October
• Met Cast A 2009!
o 90 people from 22 different countries
o All wonderful people! I am so excited to be working on their tour =)
o I am a home team leader for Home Team 7, along with Dave Penny from the US (Education Coordinator) and Rafael Cardoso from Brazil (Technical Manager)
• Training to be an FM (Field Marketing and Operations Manager)
o Christy Dickhans, the North American Tour Director, did most of the training
o I got a HUGE binder full of information and forms!
o I trained with 4 girls who were in my cast (Cast B 2008)
Daniela Perez-Cortez and Paulina Meza, FMs for the US and Mexico
Laura-Lynn Horst and Julie Jeffers, FMs for the US
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