Message received from Blogger:
We're sorry, but we were unable to process your request.
AKA We don't care that you just spent 90 minutes uploading your photos to our site with your sluggish Internet connection.
Or that you are very tired from a fun weekend.
And we especially don't care that you were almost done editing your post.
Gah!!!
*Breathe in, breathe out.
Monday, June 1, 2009
I'm baa-aack!
Destination: Hualien City, Taroko Gorge, Taitung City
Group: Allyn, Emily, Ma’an (Emily’s sister), Amberlee
Modes of Transportation: Train, Scooter, Eleven Bus
Dates: May 29, 30, 31
Motivation: part-ay, explore nature, memories, eat delicious food
Mayo luh* -- We need oil! Silly Ma’an and Allyn didn’t fill their scooter up all the way. Part of the way down Taroko Gorge, they ran out. So Emily and I drove down to the nearest gas station. Emily rifled through the garbage for some plastic bottles, the attendant filled ‘em up and we raced back up the mountain to rescue our stranded friends. Luckily they were near a scenic spot. I think they took a little jaunt. It took a good hour of our precious time.
*my spelling of the Chinese words for “Don’t have any.”
Bridges – Emily was nervous, Ma’an avoided them, and Allyn was a sport. I, on the other hand, was ecstatic. I wanted to stop at two we saw while driving to our lodgings the first night, but it was getting dark.
We did stop at one the next day….only to find out you have to have a permit to cross it. Gah! Are you kidding me?! How rude. You tease me with this fabulous, long bridge and then I find out I’m not allowed on it. That’s plain rude. {Plus I could see an even more fabulous old, wooden one halfway up the mountain. Yes, I totally wanted to hike up so I could cross that one too.}
Eleven Bus– That’s what you say to describe your legs. I don’t think Emily just made it up. Maybe it is a literal translation of a Chinese saying. I love those.
We did some pretend hiking and some real hiking. I gave Emily a hard time because all the hiking in Taroko was on a paved trail. But we did some more serious stuff in Taitung. Phew.
Beaches – North and South: ‘She sat for hours in front of the beach and was soothed. She did not know how or why.’
I could see why as I sat staring at the ocean. I could’ve stayed there forever (or one day short of forever), but it wasn’t meant to be. The others wanted to move on. *sigh*
Sore Bum! – Scooter riding, and more scooter riding. Wow. There seriously was one time when my rear end was numb. Getting off the bike became difficult. I nearly fell over once or twice. And Emily would say “Amberlee! What you doing?” in her funny way. I should record it. It just makes me laugh. Maybe because she uses a disapproving tone and she says it often. :D
Half a step – I was always ahead of the rest of the gals. Guess it’s the long legs. (I’ve noticed it happens when I walk on flat ground with Emily.) I discovered it is harder to walk slower at their pace! I’m programmed to step a certain length and I can get into the groove – anything less is awkward and I have to think too much. I don’t like it. So I just walked ahead of them.
Trains – We were running so we didn’t miss the train from Hualien to Taitung. And I mean literally running. We hopped off the scooters and sprinted. My legs felt numb from the scooter riding so I was at the back saying “Wait, my legs are broken” {gotta get to their level of English ;) } We arrived at the platform with 1 ½ minutes to spare.
We wanted a seat so we had to take a late train Sun. night. We arrived in Fongshen at 10:20 pm. Yuck. {Yes, I’m tired today.}
Perfect all-in-one – Real hiking followed by a foot massage in a creek. It was grand. The bottom of the creek has different sizes of stones that massage quite well. And there was a natural hot spring we soaked our feet and calves in. {Hot springs are one thing Taitung is famous for.} I wish every hiking place was set up like this!!
Group: Allyn, Emily, Ma’an (Emily’s sister), Amberlee
Modes of Transportation: Train, Scooter, Eleven Bus
Dates: May 29, 30, 31
Motivation: part-ay, explore nature, memories, eat delicious food
Mayo luh* -- We need oil! Silly Ma’an and Allyn didn’t fill their scooter up all the way. Part of the way down Taroko Gorge, they ran out. So Emily and I drove down to the nearest gas station. Emily rifled through the garbage for some plastic bottles, the attendant filled ‘em up and we raced back up the mountain to rescue our stranded friends. Luckily they were near a scenic spot. I think they took a little jaunt. It took a good hour of our precious time.
*my spelling of the Chinese words for “Don’t have any.”
Bridges – Emily was nervous, Ma’an avoided them, and Allyn was a sport. I, on the other hand, was ecstatic. I wanted to stop at two we saw while driving to our lodgings the first night, but it was getting dark.
We did stop at one the next day….only to find out you have to have a permit to cross it. Gah! Are you kidding me?! How rude. You tease me with this fabulous, long bridge and then I find out I’m not allowed on it. That’s plain rude. {Plus I could see an even more fabulous old, wooden one halfway up the mountain. Yes, I totally wanted to hike up so I could cross that one too.}
Eleven Bus– That’s what you say to describe your legs. I don’t think Emily just made it up. Maybe it is a literal translation of a Chinese saying. I love those.
We did some pretend hiking and some real hiking. I gave Emily a hard time because all the hiking in Taroko was on a paved trail. But we did some more serious stuff in Taitung. Phew.
Beaches – North and South: ‘She sat for hours in front of the beach and was soothed. She did not know how or why.’
I could see why as I sat staring at the ocean. I could’ve stayed there forever (or one day short of forever), but it wasn’t meant to be. The others wanted to move on. *sigh*
Sore Bum! – Scooter riding, and more scooter riding. Wow. There seriously was one time when my rear end was numb. Getting off the bike became difficult. I nearly fell over once or twice. And Emily would say “Amberlee! What you doing?” in her funny way. I should record it. It just makes me laugh. Maybe because she uses a disapproving tone and she says it often. :D
Half a step – I was always ahead of the rest of the gals. Guess it’s the long legs. (I’ve noticed it happens when I walk on flat ground with Emily.) I discovered it is harder to walk slower at their pace! I’m programmed to step a certain length and I can get into the groove – anything less is awkward and I have to think too much. I don’t like it. So I just walked ahead of them.
Trains – We were running so we didn’t miss the train from Hualien to Taitung. And I mean literally running. We hopped off the scooters and sprinted. My legs felt numb from the scooter riding so I was at the back saying “Wait, my legs are broken” {gotta get to their level of English ;) } We arrived at the platform with 1 ½ minutes to spare.
We wanted a seat so we had to take a late train Sun. night. We arrived in Fongshen at 10:20 pm. Yuck. {Yes, I’m tired today.}
Perfect all-in-one – Real hiking followed by a foot massage in a creek. It was grand. The bottom of the creek has different sizes of stones that massage quite well. And there was a natural hot spring we soaked our feet and calves in. {Hot springs are one thing Taitung is famous for.} I wish every hiking place was set up like this!!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Vacation, Freedom!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Lost in Transit?
I know many people are "on pins and needles" about my mission call.
Here's the status: we don't know where it is.
Steve (the stake president) contacted Hong Kong this week and they have not yet received an e-mail from Salt Lake. When they receive the e-mail it means Salt Lake has, or soon will, send out the papers.
So it seems they have not even been mailed. Weird, huh?
I'm doing much better - learning patience and learning to accept the Lord's timing.
"Further bulletins as events warrant." as I read in a Calvin & Hobbes comic strip yesterday. I love that comic strip! Hilarious!
Here's the status: we don't know where it is.
Steve (the stake president) contacted Hong Kong this week and they have not yet received an e-mail from Salt Lake. When they receive the e-mail it means Salt Lake has, or soon will, send out the papers.
So it seems they have not even been mailed. Weird, huh?
I'm doing much better - learning patience and learning to accept the Lord's timing.
"Further bulletins as events warrant." as I read in a Calvin & Hobbes comic strip yesterday. I love that comic strip! Hilarious!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Sleeping In
I get one day every week to sleep in. Lucky me! Right? Well, it doesn’t usually work out so well.
I go to bed later on Friday night since I know I can sleep in on Saturday morning. Then the alarm clock goes off and I feel awake. I look at the clock and read 6:40 a.m. What?! Oh, my INTERNAL alarm clock went off. Not the external one. Come on, body. Don’t you know I do not have to be at school in 40 minutes? Today is a special day, remember? Nope, it doesn’t. Not today and not every other Saturday.
So I roll over and go back to sleep. Today is the day I can sleep in, after all. I’m not going to get up at the same time as every other day (if I can help it).
Next thing I know, I hear loud noises coming from somewhere in the apartment complex. People talking and laughing – a whole group being noisy. A glance at the clock shows me it is still only 7:30 a.m. *sigh* I don’t mind people having fun but do they have to do it so loudly and at a time when most people want to be sleeping still?
I also notice that the sun is coming in my windows and my room is quite light. Another obstacle to my goal of sleeping in. I sit up and dig out my eye covers (discovered during college and so helpful when my roommate wanted to study while I wanted to sleep). I put the lovely guys on and roll over again. It takes a couple of minutes, but I fall back asleep.
Finally, the alarm clock beeps.* It’s almost a relief to see that it is now 8:20 a.m. and I can get up knowing that I have succeeded in sleeping in on my free day.
* Which I actually hate; it’s a terrible way to wake up. Especially if you don’t want to wake up. How can anyone be happy when the first sound they hear is a beeping that grows louder and more insistent? It’s beyond my comprehension. I need to find one that makes a different sound.
I go to bed later on Friday night since I know I can sleep in on Saturday morning. Then the alarm clock goes off and I feel awake. I look at the clock and read 6:40 a.m. What?! Oh, my INTERNAL alarm clock went off. Not the external one. Come on, body. Don’t you know I do not have to be at school in 40 minutes? Today is a special day, remember? Nope, it doesn’t. Not today and not every other Saturday.
So I roll over and go back to sleep. Today is the day I can sleep in, after all. I’m not going to get up at the same time as every other day (if I can help it).
Next thing I know, I hear loud noises coming from somewhere in the apartment complex. People talking and laughing – a whole group being noisy. A glance at the clock shows me it is still only 7:30 a.m. *sigh* I don’t mind people having fun but do they have to do it so loudly and at a time when most people want to be sleeping still?
I also notice that the sun is coming in my windows and my room is quite light. Another obstacle to my goal of sleeping in. I sit up and dig out my eye covers (discovered during college and so helpful when my roommate wanted to study while I wanted to sleep). I put the lovely guys on and roll over again. It takes a couple of minutes, but I fall back asleep.
Finally, the alarm clock beeps.* It’s almost a relief to see that it is now 8:20 a.m. and I can get up knowing that I have succeeded in sleeping in on my free day.
* Which I actually hate; it’s a terrible way to wake up. Especially if you don’t want to wake up. How can anyone be happy when the first sound they hear is a beeping that grows louder and more insistent? It’s beyond my comprehension. I need to find one that makes a different sound.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
False Alarm
As I was leaving Tai Chi class this evening, Bishop said "I received a letter from Utah."
Me: "You have my letter? At your house?"
Bish: "I received a letter from Utah, and I got all excited. But it was something else."
Me: "Oh."
Bish: "So we're still waiting."
Yes, yes we are.
Me: "You have my letter? At your house?"
Bish: "I received a letter from Utah, and I got all excited. But it was something else."
Me: "Oh."
Bish: "So we're still waiting."
Yes, yes we are.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Sidesaddle, Star Trek, and A Wedding
On Saturday, I got to ride a scooter sidesaddle for the first time. It is not comfortable! But at least I can say I did it :) It took a few minutes to get used to. Good thing Emily is a driver I can trust.
We went to her brother's wedding dinner Saturday evening. We were both dressed up (thus the reason for riding sidesaddle). We had a nice long dinner - three hours - and got to play with Emily's nephews. She will have a niece soon too. Her sister-in-law is five months pregnant.
The food was good and Emily forced me to eat too much, like normal.
The highlight of the night was watching the new Star Trek movie. Awesome-ness! It was really good. After it ended, I wanted to go watch Star Trek re-runs for hours :) I think Emily liked it too. It was funny when I laughed in some parts, but everyone else in the theater was silent. Hm. As Sidra said, "maybe that didn't translate very well."
Me - the bride - Emily's brother - Emily
(the bride totally cheated and stood on her tiptoes to be closer to my height :)
Another one. It looked like my head was cut off in the first one. Emily and I laughed at that. (funny how they don't really smile)
Competition! Emily and I had a little time to waste before the movie started. So we played a game of air hockey. Last time we played, I kicked butt. Yeah! (thank you family for being tough competitors and forcing my skills to be good)
We went to her brother's wedding dinner Saturday evening. We were both dressed up (thus the reason for riding sidesaddle). We had a nice long dinner - three hours - and got to play with Emily's nephews. She will have a niece soon too. Her sister-in-law is five months pregnant.
The food was good and Emily forced me to eat too much, like normal.
The highlight of the night was watching the new Star Trek movie. Awesome-ness! It was really good. After it ended, I wanted to go watch Star Trek re-runs for hours :) I think Emily liked it too. It was funny when I laughed in some parts, but everyone else in the theater was silent. Hm. As Sidra said, "maybe that didn't translate very well."
Me - the bride - Emily's brother - Emily(the bride totally cheated and stood on her tiptoes to be closer to my height :)
Another one. It looked like my head was cut off in the first one. Emily and I laughed at that. (funny how they don't really smile)
Competition! Emily and I had a little time to waste before the movie started. So we played a game of air hockey. Last time we played, I kicked butt. Yeah! (thank you family for being tough competitors and forcing my skills to be good)This time, the machine sided with Emily and she won. I really don't think she scored as many points as it gave her. Whatever. There is always next time.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Melting
It's not possible to forget incredibly hot, humid weather when you live with it for 3 or 4 months. Or is it?
It is getting hot again, and I seem to be re-discovering it. The winter worked too well in making me forget. I'm not sure I like that. This adjustment is hard.
At least last summer I came from hot Utah weather to hot, humid Taiwan weather.
Now I'm going from cold (ish) winter weather to hot, humid weather. Not an easy transition!
Oh, and I feel like I'm melting. But part of me wishes I would just melt and get it over with. . . then I wouldn't have to endure the heat anymore :D
It is getting hot again, and I seem to be re-discovering it. The winter worked too well in making me forget. I'm not sure I like that. This adjustment is hard.
At least last summer I came from hot Utah weather to hot, humid Taiwan weather.
Now I'm going from cold (ish) winter weather to hot, humid weather. Not an easy transition!
Oh, and I feel like I'm melting. But part of me wishes I would just melt and get it over with. . . then I wouldn't have to endure the heat anymore :D
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Eating Nachos = Happiness
MEXICAN FOOD! I've missed that a lot more than expected these past 10 months. And now I finally got some. It was Emily's first time so we got nachos, an enchilada, and a taco. It was too much food, but I was so excited for her to try it. She liked it :)
Friday, May 8, 2009
Answers
In answer to comments on the previous post,
Yes, I'm going to open it when I receive it. Who are you kidding, Brenda? I couldn't wait another month to know where I'll be!! Technology is awesome so my family will be 'here' via webcamera.
My call should (hopefully) be here in the next 2 weeks. The average timeframe for receiving that life-changing envelope in Taiwan is 4 weeks after the application is mailed off.
The tentative plan is for me to open it on Sat. May 23 morning (my time) so Fri. May 22 evening for my family.
Yes, I'm going to open it when I receive it. Who are you kidding, Brenda? I couldn't wait another month to know where I'll be!! Technology is awesome so my family will be 'here' via webcamera.
My call should (hopefully) be here in the next 2 weeks. The average timeframe for receiving that life-changing envelope in Taiwan is 4 weeks after the application is mailed off.
The tentative plan is for me to open it on Sat. May 23 morning (my time) so Fri. May 22 evening for my family.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
In the Air
What is in the air?
My future!
And it is starting to bother me :) Yes, I know I will be a missionary. Yes, I have some idea of what that entails. No, I don’t know where I’ll be serving. No, I don’t know what language I’ll be speaking.
I just want to receive that white envelope so my uncertainty can be swept away.
My future!
And it is starting to bother me :) Yes, I know I will be a missionary. Yes, I have some idea of what that entails. No, I don’t know where I’ll be serving. No, I don’t know what language I’ll be speaking.
I just want to receive that white envelope so my uncertainty can be swept away.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
You're young, you go first.
I went on a hike this Saturday. With Emily, her sister and an older man who works in Emily’s office. He wanted to lead me to this place. And I was impressed with his ability. While we were climbing, Emily told me he is 65 years old. Wow. It was a little rough in some places.
We had an awesome challenge at one point in the trail – we climbed up a steep cliff face covered with tree vines. There were ropes and footholds, but it was still awesome! I got really excited while the others stopped and stared for a minute. Emily said “You’re young. You go first.” And so I did!! I didn’t think to take a picture of it until I was partway up. Oops…
The old man didn’t remember the path very well. Example: we climbed down for 5 minutes and then were lost in a little valley. So we found a path and climbed back up to where we were before (or close). Then we saw the sign by this trail and climbed back down the same path since that is where we wanted to be. Ha ha!
It was a bit frustrating at the end when it was getting hot and close to lunch time – I was worried we wouldn’t be able to find the car. We all survived and with smiles on our faces. Emily’s sister and I got mosquito bites. Mine are centered on my elbows. I don’t get it.
We went to a hot-pot place for lunch. It was good, but I couldn’t eat all of it. They wouldn’t let me waste it so I cooked the extra food and took it home in a bag for dinner. This hot-pot place was cool because we had individual pots where we cooked our food. (I have gone to places where there is just one pot and I tend to forget what food is mine :)
Groupies, er, hikies.
View from the top
They're still climbing up while I'm relaxing at the top.
Victorious
Eating fruit
[Emily may kill me when she finds out I posted this one.]
We had an awesome challenge at one point in the trail – we climbed up a steep cliff face covered with tree vines. There were ropes and footholds, but it was still awesome! I got really excited while the others stopped and stared for a minute. Emily said “You’re young. You go first.” And so I did!! I didn’t think to take a picture of it until I was partway up. Oops…
The old man didn’t remember the path very well. Example: we climbed down for 5 minutes and then were lost in a little valley. So we found a path and climbed back up to where we were before (or close). Then we saw the sign by this trail and climbed back down the same path since that is where we wanted to be. Ha ha!
It was a bit frustrating at the end when it was getting hot and close to lunch time – I was worried we wouldn’t be able to find the car. We all survived and with smiles on our faces. Emily’s sister and I got mosquito bites. Mine are centered on my elbows. I don’t get it.
We went to a hot-pot place for lunch. It was good, but I couldn’t eat all of it. They wouldn’t let me waste it so I cooked the extra food and took it home in a bag for dinner. This hot-pot place was cool because we had individual pots where we cooked our food. (I have gone to places where there is just one pot and I tend to forget what food is mine :)
Groupies, er, hikies.
View from the top
They're still climbing up while I'm relaxing at the top.
Victorious
Eating fruit
[Emily may kill me when she finds out I posted this one.]I was messing around with her hat and just happened to capture her talking and looking tired in the background. I love it.
Pretty Pond
{funny -- Emily couldn't remember the word "frog" and spelled
Pretty Pond{funny -- Emily couldn't remember the word "frog" and spelled
'fork' for me in her attempt to remember. Har-har}
Emily resting at Pretty Pond
Emily resting at Pretty Pond[I'm pretty sure she told me not to take a picture....]
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Shao Liuchiu Pictures
Written report of my trip in the post below this one
Don't worry, Mom. I didn't get lost. How could I with this jacket?!
(currently my desktop background)
The bike I rode
Yvonne, my roommate
Early morning fish market in the town.
Happiness = spending time at the beach
DORIS! My new friend
Our tour guide who knew me because Doris got there before I did.
Baby.
Don't worry, Mom. I didn't get lost. How could I with this jacket?!
(currently my desktop background)
The bike I rode
Yvonne, my roommate
Early morning fish market in the town.
Happiness = spending time at the beach
DORIS! My new friend
Our tour guide who knew me because Doris got there before I did.
Baby. (seriously, that's what they called him all weekend. And it's what he called himself) They told him to do the peace sign and say 'yeah'. This is the result. . . so close, just need that second finger to come up.
Check out that Mickey Mouse swimsuit! Yvonne said the ears make it look like a bikini.
Doris -- she finished a slurpee and then filled the cup with random sea life.
Yo-tze. Cute little guy. He randomly said my name every few minutes on the last outing. (it was okay because he can say it correctly)
Lee-mo. Brother of Yo-tze. He and Doris had the pillow fight with me. He was very clingy the last few hours we spent together.
Deer. She kept picking up animals and sticking them in the childrens' faces. This is a land crab (pretty sure it's dead)
Debbie (?) I've already forgotten her name! Curse my old-lady memory and it's momentary lapses. She spoke English with me all night at the BBQ. It was lovely.
Check out that Mickey Mouse swimsuit! Yvonne said the ears make it look like a bikini.
Doris -- she finished a slurpee and then filled the cup with random sea life.
Yo-tze. Cute little guy. He randomly said my name every few minutes on the last outing. (it was okay because he can say it correctly)
Lee-mo. Brother of Yo-tze. He and Doris had the pillow fight with me. He was very clingy the last few hours we spent together.
Deer. She kept picking up animals and sticking them in the childrens' faces. This is a land crab (pretty sure it's dead)
Debbie (?) I've already forgotten her name! Curse my old-lady memory and it's momentary lapses. She spoke English with me all night at the BBQ. It was lovely.Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Shao Liuchiu
Let me help you with the pronunciation of this.
Shao = as in 'shower'
liu = as in the zodiac sign 'leo'
chiu = cho as in 'choke'
Now, don't forget that! I'll admit it took me forever to figure out how to say it :)
This was our destination last Sat & Sun. It's a small island off the west coast of Taiwan. I went with Yvonne and her bike group. It was great! Oh, but the bike was small and the island was hilly. Oh well. "It's good for me" as they say.
We left Sat morning and arrived on the island around 11 pm. We dropped our stuff as the hotel then got lunch. Delicious fried rice and noodles. Yum. Then we rode to the famous landmark 'Vase Rock'.
(I heard 'face rock' the first five times Yvonne said it. Then she
chastised me and said I needed to pay attention. That's not quite
it my friend. Your English is good, but sometimes I can't quite
understand. It has happened before)
Our next stop was a beach area to explore sea life. The guide greeted me by name when I got there. Uh, do I know you? No, I didn't. My new friend Doris had just told him about me. And she also told him we were good friends :) She randomly walked up to me as we disembarked and asked my name and introduced herself (in English!) I was pretty excited. Then after lunch she practiced with Yvonne before asking "Can I be your friend?" It was cute.
That night we had a barbecue. Chinese sure now how to barbecue!!! Wow, I'll never look at an American BBQ with as much respect. Yvonne: "Now you see why the Chinese are disappointed in American BBQs. You just have hamburgers and hot dogs." They had five or so kinds of meat, vegetables, and other treats. I was well taken care of :) They kept bringing me food. Interesting foods: a big green pepper and rice in blood. (if you're ever offered the latter, just don't think about what it is and it's okay.)
We went back to our room and I went into the room with all the kids and . . . had a pillow fight! It was fun. (And probably the reason why they were so attached to me the next day. Yvonne figures they will always ask about me when they see her.)
Sun. morning started early at 6 am. We headed to a fresh fish market. They bought ingredients for our lunch. Then we went snorkeling. Yeah! A guide pulled us around clinging to life preservers on a rope. I did some exploring on my own after that. :) Yvonne's nose was acting up (imagine sneezing in a snorkel mask - wouldn't work so well, would it?) so she went with the grandmas and babies on a glass-bottomed boat. They saw a big turtle! Ah man. I love turtles.
We returned to the hotel for showers. The kids came knocking on my door demanding I play with them. We played a new tag game for a bit. The women were cooking lunch. It was very tasty. Fish and squid that were likely swimming the day before. Te he.
Then we went for another bike ride and did a smidge of climbing. This is where we encountered the hills. And with no warning! Which is no good since you need to change to a lower gear before you start your climb. We just made a right turn and *pow* there's a hill. Then it turns left and there is more of a hill. Then it turns right and there is more of a hill. Ugh! There were some people on scooters. It was so great to have them drive by and say "jiao". Well, yeah, you stinkers with electric motors. :P They even taught the baby to say it. That was cute.
Then we went back on a boat and explored a famous/popular fish market. I got some tasty swordfish balls and used the most disgusting bathroom I've ever seen. Ick. They nearly made Yvonne and I lose our appetites.
I think that's about all!
Shao = as in 'shower'
liu = as in the zodiac sign 'leo'
chiu = cho as in 'choke'
Now, don't forget that! I'll admit it took me forever to figure out how to say it :)
This was our destination last Sat & Sun. It's a small island off the west coast of Taiwan. I went with Yvonne and her bike group. It was great! Oh, but the bike was small and the island was hilly. Oh well. "It's good for me" as they say.
We left Sat morning and arrived on the island around 11 pm. We dropped our stuff as the hotel then got lunch. Delicious fried rice and noodles. Yum. Then we rode to the famous landmark 'Vase Rock'.
(I heard 'face rock' the first five times Yvonne said it. Then she
chastised me and said I needed to pay attention. That's not quite
it my friend. Your English is good, but sometimes I can't quite
understand. It has happened before)
Our next stop was a beach area to explore sea life. The guide greeted me by name when I got there. Uh, do I know you? No, I didn't. My new friend Doris had just told him about me. And she also told him we were good friends :) She randomly walked up to me as we disembarked and asked my name and introduced herself (in English!) I was pretty excited. Then after lunch she practiced with Yvonne before asking "Can I be your friend?" It was cute.
That night we had a barbecue. Chinese sure now how to barbecue!!! Wow, I'll never look at an American BBQ with as much respect. Yvonne: "Now you see why the Chinese are disappointed in American BBQs. You just have hamburgers and hot dogs." They had five or so kinds of meat, vegetables, and other treats. I was well taken care of :) They kept bringing me food. Interesting foods: a big green pepper and rice in blood. (if you're ever offered the latter, just don't think about what it is and it's okay.)
We went back to our room and I went into the room with all the kids and . . . had a pillow fight! It was fun. (And probably the reason why they were so attached to me the next day. Yvonne figures they will always ask about me when they see her.)
Sun. morning started early at 6 am. We headed to a fresh fish market. They bought ingredients for our lunch. Then we went snorkeling. Yeah! A guide pulled us around clinging to life preservers on a rope. I did some exploring on my own after that. :) Yvonne's nose was acting up (imagine sneezing in a snorkel mask - wouldn't work so well, would it?) so she went with the grandmas and babies on a glass-bottomed boat. They saw a big turtle! Ah man. I love turtles.
We returned to the hotel for showers. The kids came knocking on my door demanding I play with them. We played a new tag game for a bit. The women were cooking lunch. It was very tasty. Fish and squid that were likely swimming the day before. Te he.
Then we went for another bike ride and did a smidge of climbing. This is where we encountered the hills. And with no warning! Which is no good since you need to change to a lower gear before you start your climb. We just made a right turn and *pow* there's a hill. Then it turns left and there is more of a hill. Then it turns right and there is more of a hill. Ugh! There were some people on scooters. It was so great to have them drive by and say "jiao". Well, yeah, you stinkers with electric motors. :P They even taught the baby to say it. That was cute.
Then we went back on a boat and explored a famous/popular fish market. I got some tasty swordfish balls and used the most disgusting bathroom I've ever seen. Ick. They nearly made Yvonne and I lose our appetites.
I think that's about all!
Flipped
I realized my eating today was totally flipped from America. I ate a ham & egg sandwich for breakfast and cereal for lunch. Ha ha!
I think I would have to eat ice cream for dinner in order to have every meal flipped. (Here’s my reasoning – I had lunch for breakfast and breakfast for lunch. I definitely can’t have dinner for dinner. So I’d better have a late night snack for dinner! And ice cream is the late night snack at my house. That and cereal, but I’ve already had cereal so it’s not a valid option.)
I think I would have to eat ice cream for dinner in order to have every meal flipped. (Here’s my reasoning – I had lunch for breakfast and breakfast for lunch. I definitely can’t have dinner for dinner. So I’d better have a late night snack for dinner! And ice cream is the late night snack at my house. That and cereal, but I’ve already had cereal so it’s not a valid option.)
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Ice Dessert
YOU: Amberlee, are those beans in your sweet ice dessert?
ME: Why yes, yes they are.
YOU: And you’re okay with that?
ME: Yes, yes I am. (But I wasn’t at first. It took some getting used to.)
These pictures are of a tasty ice dessert Steve bought for us on Tuesday. It was a really hot day and this was a fabulous treat. They put in syrup, chewy things, fruit, and beans then top it off with shaved ice. Yum, yum.
I was describing chili to my students and some of them made faces because they caught on to the fact that we eat beans in salty food. I told them they probably wouldn't like it. Just like I didn't like these desserts when I first came.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Painting Eggs
Ward Easter Activity -- Apr 18, 2009
We painted eggs, not just colored them! I'd never heard of such a thing. And they took the insides out first so now I can proudly display my beautiful eggs at my house :)
Yvonne: "You can keep them forever."
Me: "Nope. There's no way they'll make it back to America."
Yvonne: "Oh right. They would break."
Me: "YOU get to keep them forever! ha ha"
Our paints. They were too watered down, so we just used the paint directly from the containers. But Joy & I did a pretty good job of mixing colors!!
From this
A cute boy sitting next to me.
I liked him because he would say English phrases. Yeah!
To this
And this
They said my egg reminded them of the circus. Alright. It would have been better if I had stopped sooner :) I painted another egg but didn't take any pictures of it.
Sister missionaries! Sis Lin & Sis O'Rourke. Sis Lin has been in this area for a really long time - but she's awesome and we love her.
Lunch = dumplings. Yum!
We painted eggs, not just colored them! I'd never heard of such a thing. And they took the insides out first so now I can proudly display my beautiful eggs at my house :)
Yvonne: "You can keep them forever."
Me: "Nope. There's no way they'll make it back to America."
Yvonne: "Oh right. They would break."
Me: "YOU get to keep them forever! ha ha"
Our paints. They were too watered down, so we just used the paint directly from the containers. But Joy & I did a pretty good job of mixing colors!!
From this
A cute boy sitting next to me.
I liked him because he would say English phrases. Yeah!
To this
And thisThey said my egg reminded them of the circus. Alright. It would have been better if I had stopped sooner :) I painted another egg but didn't take any pictures of it.
Sister missionaries! Sis Lin & Sis O'Rourke. Sis Lin has been in this area for a really long time - but she's awesome and we love her.
Lunch = dumplings. Yum!Sunday, April 19, 2009
Where Will I Go?
I met with the stake president today and he will sign my mission application papers and mail them off this week. Hurray!
I am happy he will do it since he's been threatening not too :) Since I first told him of my decision, he would randomly ask "Are you sure you want to go? You don't want to stay here for another year?" I was like - 'you're the stake president! You shouldn't try to stop me.'
If you haven't already submitted your guess on where I'll serve, do it! Although the call won't be here for another month....
I am happy he will do it since he's been threatening not too :) Since I first told him of my decision, he would randomly ask "Are you sure you want to go? You don't want to stay here for another year?" I was like - 'you're the stake president! You shouldn't try to stop me.'
If you haven't already submitted your guess on where I'll serve, do it! Although the call won't be here for another month....
Saturday, April 18, 2009
An Evening with Elder Bednar
It was wonderful! I loved seeing a familiar face from BYU-Idaho. Yes, Grandma, I probably did stand out. But there were quite a few non-Chinese, non-Taiwanese people there.
(I'd say Americans but I have a Canadian co-worker and he's taught me that it bugs people of other nationalities when Americans think all white people are American.)
But I was in the 5th row surrounded by non-white people :) I really, really liked my seat so I didn't move to a different spot even though the new spot was where I could have gotten English translations. I mean, I don't need it, right? Elder and Sister Bednar speak English and that's who I'm here to listen to.
Mistake. They changed things up and didn't give talks. They opened it up as a question-and-answer session. Ah! Very neat, but I don't know what any of the questions were. I could sort of guess from his answers.
Because of the format, a lot of translations took place. An audience member got up and asked a question in Chinese ~ A gentleman translated it into English for Elder Bednar ~ Elder Bednar answered in English ~ A different gentleman translated it into Chinese. It was funny to me. (that sounds wrong. I think my English is getting worse!!)
I did not get to shake his hand. I was so close to them when they walked in and out. Just 2 people between me and the aisle!
He suggested we study the latest conference talks. He said they aren't just talks, they are the Lord's will revealed through His servants.
And he told how young single adults shouldn't write people off after only one date.
[His and Sis. Bednar's first date was un-extraordinary. They are very different. They still wonder how they ended up going on a second date. But they're very happily married.
He asked if Sis. Bednar wanted to add anything. She went to the pulpit and said: "If I had known he would be an apostle, I probably wouldn't have married him. I would've been scared to death."
I'd totally been wondering about that. She answered my question.]
It was a wonderful, rewarding evening. 4 tour buses of people came from other areas. The chapel and auditorium and stage were full. They also had chairs set up in rooms and foyers throughout the building. I wonder how many people were actually there....
PS - I arrived at 5:30 pm to get my 5th row seat. The fireside started at 7 pm.
(I'd say Americans but I have a Canadian co-worker and he's taught me that it bugs people of other nationalities when Americans think all white people are American.)
But I was in the 5th row surrounded by non-white people :) I really, really liked my seat so I didn't move to a different spot even though the new spot was where I could have gotten English translations. I mean, I don't need it, right? Elder and Sister Bednar speak English and that's who I'm here to listen to.
Mistake. They changed things up and didn't give talks. They opened it up as a question-and-answer session. Ah! Very neat, but I don't know what any of the questions were. I could sort of guess from his answers.
Because of the format, a lot of translations took place. An audience member got up and asked a question in Chinese ~ A gentleman translated it into English for Elder Bednar ~ Elder Bednar answered in English ~ A different gentleman translated it into Chinese. It was funny to me. (that sounds wrong. I think my English is getting worse!!)
I did not get to shake his hand. I was so close to them when they walked in and out. Just 2 people between me and the aisle!
He suggested we study the latest conference talks. He said they aren't just talks, they are the Lord's will revealed through His servants.
And he told how young single adults shouldn't write people off after only one date.
[His and Sis. Bednar's first date was un-extraordinary. They are very different. They still wonder how they ended up going on a second date. But they're very happily married.
He asked if Sis. Bednar wanted to add anything. She went to the pulpit and said: "If I had known he would be an apostle, I probably wouldn't have married him. I would've been scared to death."
I'd totally been wondering about that. She answered my question.]
It was a wonderful, rewarding evening. 4 tour buses of people came from other areas. The chapel and auditorium and stage were full. They also had chairs set up in rooms and foyers throughout the building. I wonder how many people were actually there....
PS - I arrived at 5:30 pm to get my 5th row seat. The fireside started at 7 pm.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)