To Taiwan

To Chung Shan

Class 1-2

These 4 students came to the office and presented me with a gift from their class. They are first year students; second class of the English Honor Program.

I'm a Chung Shan student now!!
Cathy, Yaya, Me, Sebrina, Jason

Look how detailed - they had my name embroidered and they gave me a student number.

The card is bigger than the shirt. Te he he

Saying Goodbye

It is not easy to say goodbye. And yet I am returning to my family and friends, so I'm happy too. I would describe it as 'bittersweet.'

One friend at church said "See you when I see you!" It's true.

Here are a few pictures from my last weekend.

Haagen Dazs ice cream cake!
Delicious

Emily and I out to dinner - for the last time.

Shopping with Michelle

Self-potrait while I was in the dressing 'room'

Morris Family

Sophie, Meili, Scott, Sidra, (Euan is asleep)

Final Friday

Can it really be my last Friday at school?

My last Friday in Taiwan?

Wow. Time has flown by! It seems like maybe 4 months ago that I landed with my Pop and all my stuff. Now lots of that stuff has been sent home in boxes and I need to cram the rest into my two suitcases.

I’ve decided one of my conversation classes is my favorite. Today at the end of class, instead of saying “Thank you teacher” as they bowed they said “We will miss you every day.” Ah, sweet. Then the class leader gave a little speech and presented me with a small gift and a large card. Yep, definitely my favorite class!

After that, I still wasn’t allowed to leave the classroom. They whipped out their cell phones and cameras and I had to stand there smiling for the next 3 minutes. Finally, with sore cheek muscles, I walked out of the classroom – for the last time. *teardrop*

Adaptation

Written 9 June

There are quite a few things that I could not handle when I first came to Taiwan. Some of their foods just did not go down well! But I’m happy to report that is no longer the case. (With some foods, anyway.)

I had a tasty green bean shaved ice drink yesterday. And I really enjoyed it. Scott (bishop) bought one of those for me when I first came here and I drank only a third of it.
I think I like beans in sweet things now.

Tofu is one of the things I have not learned to like. I just do not like the texture. Ick!

Map of my Mish

Unfolding

Frustrated with technology

Hands are shaking, butterflies are going crazy

Reading

Grinning like a fool

~ FAMILY'S END ~

Reading

Grinning like a fool

SHOCK - I just read the part about speaking Spanish

A 'priceless' photo.

Thanks to Scott & my dad for being photographers!!

Correction

My cousin Emma had three guesses....and one of them was Disneyland. So she was very, very close.

Nice job, Emma!!

Drumroll please....

I won't draw it out.

I will be serving in the CALIFORNIA CARLSBAD MISSION.

I will learn Spanish in the MTC.

I will enter the MTC on Tues. Sep. 2nd.

That's about all!

~I was definitely shaking while opening the call. And the butterflies in my stomach made it hard for my voice to come out. (why does it work that way? stomach affects throat?!)

~We had some techonological difficulties but found a way to make it work. So my family was there all the way from Utah :)

~I missed the language part for the first 30 seconds. It was in the second paragraph. Why is that?!

~I honestly did not expect to stay in the United States. I guess I was hoping for another 'grand' adventure. But I know it is where I need to be.

~No one guessed California! And I recorded 61 different places as guesses.

It's HERE

Finally.... after a nice LONG* wait, my mission call is here.

Right now it is 1:56 pm on Tue June 9th. I'll open it at 10 pm tonight so my family can be on skype (at 8 am their time).

*Only 7 weeks

On My Mind

They say you dream about what you are thinking (and worrying) about.

Well, I had a very vivid dream this weekend. My parents showed up in Taiwan to help me move. But we were leaving the very next day. And I think the dream progressed to that next day since I remember thinking of things I had forgotten to do. (Important things too)

Huh. I guess I’m thinking about moving! Only 17 days now.

Tease

Steve: Are you sure you don't want to know where you're going?

Me: Do you know where I'm going?

Steve: Yes.

Me: No, I don't want to know.

Steve: Good because Salt Lake asked me to promise I wouldn't tell you.

Scott Morris: So what would you have said if she did want you to tell her?

Steve: I just wanted to tease her. I couldn't tell her.

* The call was sent out last Friday. So it should be here sometime next week. *

Quit Your Worrying

Hello all. Please stop worrying, my mission call has been sent out from Salt Lake.

I should receive it in the next week or so.

So "Be happy, don't worry" (my dad always says that :)

More Pictures

I just showed Emily the pictures here on my blog. She laughed and slugged me a few times when I explained them. And I remembered another thing she says a lot that cracks me up:
"You do what?"
She often says it when we look at pictures and I am making a funny face.

Here are more pictures. (They didn't want to be left out.) Enjoy!

Beautiful Taroko

CLASSIC. Friends...or not?

Hiding from the sun

At a "par" for a bike ride.

Self-portrait while riding a bicycle. Can I say 'talent' ?

Emily: "too cool"

Death on a stick

(oh but it tastes delicious! And I've never liked sausage.)

Why do I have to wear this hat?

(4 people were struck by rocks the weekend we visited...I guess that's why)

Thought: Emily, are you STILL taking pictures of me?

Fishing

(look at the length of those poles!)

Tent platforms
(They don't camp out on the hard ground; they use boards to make it harder. Crazy)

Pictures

Mayo luh -- We need oil!

Bridges

There is a small brown one at the top of the photo. I wanted to cross the one at the bottom so I could hike to the other one and cross it....no such luck this trip.

Pretending I am Emily. {She actually wasn't that bad, but I wanted a funny picture and I like to give her a hard time.}

Eleven Bus

Reward after we survived all the steps in the picture below. They just kept going!

Ta-da. Taroko Gorge


Beaches

BEAUTIFUL WATER - 2 colors of blue

We all got a little wet when we were wading. Allyn got it up to her waist!

Running from the waves.

I believe Taroko Gorge is in those mountains somewhere.

Sore Bum!

We were lucky to get these! There were tons of scooter places, but all of the scooters were rented out. We had to wait until 4:15 pm and they had just cleaned these when we walked up.

Typical position - behind Emily on the scooter.

Ma'an driving, Allyn riding. Not a bad pic considering we were going about 40 mph.

Half-a-step

Put your head between your legs and . . . take a picture. Te he.

Hard hat section in Taroko - people from China came and got hit by rocks, so now everyone wears a hard hat. Emily is dancing for me. I'm a lucky girl.

Climbing the crazy stairs.

Trains

Perfect all-in-one

Creek bed where we massaged our feet. It was bigger than this; I only took one pic.