I'm singin': "H. K. I. A. ... it's fun to be in the H. K. I. A."

Okay, that was really lame ... but what's to be expected? lol. I'm sitting in the airport waiting for my connecting flight, which is in just a couple hours. I'm on the ground, currently, with my stuff next to me, eating a pastry from my favorite bakery on the street next to my "old" dormitory. My face is looking pretty red at this point or I might post a pic from my webcam. I think I'll wait till I get home to post any pics that I've taken from the last few days because the internet is a little slow and I don't feel like going through the editing process.

My flight from Taiwan to here went pretty well. It's a short flight so I don't mind it. The one coming up is going to be longer and more tiring.

I had a great day today! We had a time of prayer in the morning after we got ready, had breakfast together downstairs, ran some errands and went to the National Palace Museum. We looked around at some of the exhibits there and then went to see a Chinese Opera that was performed by students from a university. We all agreed that it was quite an experience, for sure. Anna and I came out talking like them ... it was pretty funny. She's quite good at it! ^_^

So, the walk from my arriving gate to my departing gate was quite a walk but I'm glad I'm here really early so I won't have to walk it rushed and worry about time. There are so many WHITE PEOPLE HERE!!!! ... weird.

I haven't shed any tears so far on this journey back to my home in the US. While I love Taiwan and feel comfortable there, I wasn't as sad this time saying goodbye. I think it's because 1) I've gone through this process last year 2) I feel strongly that I will be back in Taiwan, I just don't know when for sure. It feels pretty surreal actually to be going home. I almost have no feeling about this whole thing ...

... except I am pretty jazzed about Christmas!! However, it doesn't feel like it should be Christmas time yet ...

So, I have a lot of luggage. And when I say a lot, I really, really mean it!!! I checked FOUR pieces of luggage and have my backpack and a small duffel with me in the cabin. Anna and Alisha made no bones about laughing when we walked up to the counter for me to check my baggage and the lady asked how many were flying today ...
of course, I do deserve the teasing and it was, after-all, a funny sight ~~~ three girls to take care of the luggage of only one of them. It looked like we ALL could have been going on a trip. Anyhow, my only prayer is that me and my luggage get home safely and at the same time.

After I checked my bags and changed in most of my NT for greenbacks, the four of us got something to drink and played a few rounds of Phase 10. It was great fun. I finally confessed to Sis. Bracken that I had been calling her, "Bracken Sandwich" in Chinese on accident. She laughed and laughed! "三明治師母" has a nice ring to it, I think. haha

Anyhow, I could continue writing nonsense, but I think that would be a bad idea because it's only getting later and I'm only getting loopier sooooo I bid you all adieu and thank you for reading. I'll update more FROM HOME!

And we're off!!!!

Today, I left Taizhong but I took so many memories with me. These last couple of days I've been saying goodbyes to friends and classmates, taking pictures, going together to eat and just hanging out. These are moments that I wouldn't trade. What a blessing to encounter so many new friends.

We're in Taipei now! Getting ready to head out for some dinner and then hoping to catch the biggest night market in the city.

Pics tonight, if I don't fall asleep first! haha ;)

~k

He's never too far ... from wherever you are

I don't know who will read this blog post or what situations you find yourself in at the moment. But one thing I do know is this, my God will never leave me nor forsake me. This promise is not only mine, but also the promise He makes to all of His children.

Right before I left California in the end of August, I prayed several times asking God to meet me in Taiwan when I arrived. The Sunday morning service before I left, Bro. Brown called me to the front so they could pray for me. I found myself crying out to God from my own anticipation of loneliness and insecurities: God, please be in Taiwan when I get there. Meet me at the airport. Be at my school ... etc" As I was praying these words, Bro. Brown began to pray about the exact thing saying something similar to, "God, I know you are already there in Taiwan, that you're going ahead of Katie and are going to meet her there when she arrives." I wept uncontrollably as I felt that God was using Bro. Brown's prayer to confirm Himself to me.

For this whole trip, I've felt that God's promise to me was to be at each situation that I face before I get there and allow me to lean on Him for strength. While I've been here, there have been a lot of things that I've needed to lean on Jesus for and I'm glad and so blessed that He is patient with me as I learn to trust Him.

Now that I'm preparing to go home, I know that there will be many adjustments. I'm used to being a family of one most of the time here. On the weekends, I have family and friends, but it's completely different than fitting into a certain order/rank in a family unit. Don't get me wrong - I love my family. I'm excited to see them and to spend the holidays at home. However, it's still an adjustment to go from my life here to my life in Cali. The adjustment period last year took me about three months before I felt like I started fitting in in the US again. The time is coming soon when I'll need to go through that adjustment period again. Because I've experienced this sort of thing last year, I feel more mentally prepared for what to expect during the next couple months. However, I realize no matter how much I can predict what will happen, things are easier said that done.

Yesterday, while I was taking an incredibly long shower, words from an old song that I haven't thought of in a blue moon ran through my head. It was a song by the Martins. Today, I looked up the song on youtube. The words seem to speak to me and my hesitations. For me, it's a confirmation of God's promise - He is already there. No matter where I am, He's ahead of me, waiting patiently. I can trust Him and cast all my care on Him for He cares for me.

Here is a link to the song. I hope it is a blessing to you today, no matter where you are on the path of life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hriwNT1I-TI&feature=related

While listening to the above song, I saw this song, too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pms8l_6LW8k&feature=related

Be blessed today and be confident that He is the God that sees you.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ...

Found this and had to get a picture with it. It talks and sings in English and is rather creepy-ish. ^_^

Well, I am having a jolly time doing Christmas shopping for my familia. :) I'm almost finished! Brittany and I went out to YiZhongJie today and had fun looking around. I bought a really cute knit hat today and made Brittany try it on for me since my hair was up at the time. I told her that being a hat model was her calling in life. lol She didn't seem quite as amused by the whole prospect as I did ... haha. But she was a great sport.


This is what the street looked like today around 4:00pm at 一中街:





Taiwan is getting colder!! I know, that's unbelievable to those of you who have never been here and only heard the stories about the dramatic heat and humidity in the summer. I didn't believe Taiwan could be cold, myself ... which is why I arrived here jacket-less. Bad move on my part. ^_^ I have learned my lesson for next time.

I finished up my Christmas letter today and am going to work on the mailing this Monday ... we'll see how it goes.

Silver Bells. That song always makes me think of my Grandma Nita. It was her favorite Christmas song. I think I remember her most around the holidays. I wish that she were still around to teach me new crochet stitches and bake zucchini bread!! So yummy ... Because my memories of her are from my early childhood, I'm sure they are slightly warped but there are things that I still specifically associate with Grandma. I can still smell the cough drops she was always sucking on. I can see her Birkenstock sandals. I wonder what life would be like if she were still around ...

So I took this picture yesterday in our dorm bathroom. My question: how many tubes of toothpaste do three (3!!!)girls need? Apparently, the answer is 5 large tubes and 1 small one. Second question: How many toothbrushes do we need? According to the evidence, approximately 5. :) Don't ask me why ... cuz I have no idea where there is so much tooth paste and so many brushes in our shower. I can only account for one of the brushes and two of the tubes. One is almost completely empty and so I put a new one in.



My lunch today:

The place were I bought the yummy dumplings:


Their menu:


I found the saying on the tissue cover amusing and I told Brittany to make a "soft" face and pose with it ... this is the result lol:

P.S. The cover says, "Soft feeling for you." We tried to figure out what that would be in more correct English but couldn't really come up with a definite answer.

Well, my dear reader, I hope you have found this post amusing, because I have enjoyed sharing it with you. :)

Long time no post

Hi all,
How's it going? Sorry I couldn't watch the Candlelight Service today but I heard it was good. :) I've started looking at pics that have already been put up on facebook. They make me smile. Can't wait to see my Sunday School kiddos! I was planning to send them a video greeting while I was gone but you know how time goes ... anyways, they are little rays of sunshine in my life.

Today, I will be very transparent with you ... I am homesick. Last night, I wasn't homesick. Actually, it was the opposite. I had such a fantastic weekend in KH with Tiffany and seeing everyone from the church there. The services yesterday were amazing. The moving of the Lord was powerful and I soaked it up. I really felt that they were "gaining strength" services for me. There is a lot going on here and a lot going on that I will be going home to. Between everything, I am ... well there aren't really words for it. In the worship in the morning and evening I just felt the presence of the Lord in a mighty way. In the morning, it was a more of requesting prayer as I desperately need God to hold my hand and guide me through this game of life. More than ever, I'm realizing my need for Him to be in control and be my ultimate source of strength. In the evening, the praise and worship that was going up from the congregation was not only contagious but so vibrant. As I began to get caught up in the worship, it was if I could feel the glory of the Lord around me. It was awesome. There is no way to describe it adequately unless you know what it's like to be in the presence of the Almighty. Holy! Holy! Holy!

With the fantastic services and the wonderful company of my Taiwanese family, I was not homesick. In fact, I felt like I belonged there. I love the people and enjoy spending time with them when I can get up to KH or we have a big meeting. Waking up tired this morning and back in Taichung, I think it was the combination of just having left a "family environment", being here by myself and the holidays that put me in a homesick tailspin. But, this is the day that the Lord has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it. :) The sky is blue, the sun in shinning, I have my health and Jesus is on the throne. What more could I ask for?

These last couple days, I've had rare and wonderful time with Tiffany. I enjoy being with her so much. We had fun and made memories, even with our very busy weekend. I have pictures and stories from this weekend that I will share when I have more time and am on my own computer. I'm in the bookstore again, using their demo macs ... sa-weeeeet. ;) lol

I'm going back to my cup of tea now and going to make photocopies for my English class tonight. We're going to be reading, "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. It's one of my favorite stories with a Christmas theme because of the deep ties it has with my family and our holiday traditions. I will certainly relish reading it with my class.

Sending love to you all and praying for hope to be extended to those in need, during this holiday season.

Tall-ingly and white-ingly yours,
Kate

Media Break

This is a lovely way to say that I've been "away" from my computer the last 48-ish hours. However, the reason isn't quite so lovely. On Monday night, I went to bed with a bit of an unsettled stomach and chalked it up to the slushy I had eaten. Well, the next morning I woke up much earlier than usual with what I'm pretty certain was a nasty case of food poisoning. Yesterday, my Tuesday, I spent most of my time in bed or in the bathroom - not fun. Today, I a bit better, but was still exhausted. Just walking down the street made me feel like I had been walking for miles. But I had to go to class this afternoon because the teacher had prepared the term paper topic for me early, because of my departure schedule. Also, I canceled English class last night and didn't feel I could do that for a second day in a row. So, I had class from 3-5 and then taught from 7-9. Loooooong day, even though that day was relatively very short.

I'm gaining my strength back little by little so I think tomorrow I'll be better than today. I'm not eating a ton, but I'm trying to at least stay hydrated. I don't know about you, but I don't like feeling so weak or having to rely on other people! There are hidden lessons in this whole thing, I'm sure. ;)

Meanwhile, I'm super frustrated at facebook for making me change my name!! I don't put my last name on there for privacy reasons, but instead list my Chinese name in the slot for my last name. Both of those names are legitimate and make it easy for my English and Chinese speaking friends to find me. However, now facebook only allows you to list your name under ONE language. So annoying! I mean, really! What about the people who have Spanish last names and English first names? Will the system not catch it because it's all in Romanized characters? Huh! I think my tiredness is just compounding my overall frustration ... better get off this topic.

According to my planner and the notes all over my desk, these next few days are going to be busy ones and so I will probably not have much time to be on the computer.

When I think about the time I have left in Taiwan, it seems impossible that it adds up to less than a month ... I have only a mere three weeks left before I'm State-bound. My life in the States is quite different from my life here in Taiwan. As always, it gives me mixed emotions making the transition.

However, I am much looking forward to Christmas and being with my family. Tonight, as I walked home from English class, I heard a band playing a Christmas medley. I stopped, sat down and listened to them play. It was wonderful. Music has such an amazing quality. Even though it was a small thing, I felt like it was a little encouragement from God. He knew what a rough couple of days I've had and that I needed a little cheering up at that moment. :)

Well, it's time for this girl to scoot off to bed ~~

night,
k

p.s. I taught the class how to use the phrase, "what's up" tonight. It was great fun. Jay asked me, quite seriously, "What if you say, "What's up" to someone and they say "what's up" back? They haven't answered your question!" haha I told him that there are two ways you can use "what's up." The first way is just as a casual greeting from one friend/acquaintance to another. It's a way of acknowledging that person; saying "hi" and it really doesn't require anything after that. When both parties have said, "What's up" to each other, the conversation sometimes ends right there. The other way of using it is as a response when someone has just expressed something to you like, "I'm so frustrated today" or "I'm so excited about tomorrow!" At that point, they should offer an explanation following your, "what's up." I think he got it after that but it was so cute how earnestly he asked the question.

One of their homework assignments for next week is to use that phrase with at least two of their friends who speak at least a little English and then report to the class how their friends responded. The results should prove to be entertaining ^_^

More experiences in Taiwan

Every Taiwanese person has probably experienced riding on a crowded train during weekends. Me, being the half-Taiwanese that I am, ride the train usually twice a week and both of those are generally weekend trains. Buuuut, this weekend, I had a new experience - using a squat toilet on a moving train. lol :) I felt super Taiwanese.

I also attended my first funeral in Taiwan. Bro. Chen from the Kaohsiung church passed away and his service was this Saturday. We were given little ribbon crosses to put on when we arrived and those who brought the blue envelops with money were given towels to symbolize something with which to dry your tears. Sis. B gave me her towel as a souvenir. haha I never knew you could get souvenirs at a funeral. But it's a cute little pink towel and the price tag that was left on read about 190NT ... which is close to a six dollar face towel.

Anyways, there was a beautiful spirit of worship and peace in the chapel. Several songs were sung and lead by different church groups. I sang with the Tainan group and we did a medley of "Let there be glory and honor to Jesus" with "Because he lives." It was fun to learn to sing them in Chinese and an honor to be apart of the celebration of Bro. Chen's life. Among many things, he was a Bible School teacher for the original Bible School graduating class in Kaohsiung. Although I never met him, I appreciate the time that he gave to the Lord and the impact that his life has and will continue to have upon those who knew and loved him.

After the service, we took a bus (and some people drove in their own cars) to the burial sight that was about 40 minutes away in the mountains. Me, Alisha and Joyce sat in the back of the bus and had a grand time. Joyce did some napping and Alisha and I played with my electronic dictionary. First, it was a game of tic-tac-toe. Then it was a guessing game for Alisha as I practiced some Chinese writing and had her guess what it said. It was pretty hard to write as the bus was traversing some less-than-smooth places in the road and it basically had no shocks. ^_^ That definitely made the "game" more challenging, and therefore, more interesting ... or frustrating. lol But we had fun anyhow. Then, we were trying to assign Chinese names to my family. We did keep ourselves quite amused. On another note about names, I have the hardest time remembering Sis. Bracken's Chinese first name. Probably because I don't use it or hear it used by others. We just call her 師母(shi mu). If I'm correct, her name is 桑珍 (sang zhen) but I always want to say it, 三明治(san ming zhi) which is the word for sandwich. lol I have yet to tell Sis. B about this little mix-up. haha Annnnd then one for Bro. B came to me ... his first name is 瑞克(rui ke) which can sound similar in one's head to 肉桂粉（rou gui fen) which is the word for cinnamon. I haven't decided when I'll share these little "revelations" with the Brackens ... I've been saying Sis. B's name wrong since last summer ...

Church was great this morning! Worship was powerful and the preaching was awesome. Bro. Bracken preached from the verse in Psalm 8:4 where the Word says, "What is man that thou art mindful of him?" He talked about how each of us find fault with ourselves, but God finds us precious. He loves us more than we could imagine. And, as Christians, we need to learn to love people. The best gift we could give to our circles of acquaintances is an introduction to the ultimate and perfect love of Jesus Christ, which lead Him to give up His life and die for us. At the end of the service, he asked who would make a promise to talk to at least one person this week who we've never witnessed to before and tell them about the love of God/give our testimony. I think every person there raised their hand. Now, may God give us grace to be His ambassadors.

Well, the night-time creeper that I am ... it's quite late and I need to hit the pillow. My list of things to do this week is growing at a seemingly excellerated pace. Thankfully, there is a light at the end of this week's tunnel ... I'm looking forward to spending some time with Tiffany. :)

And tomorrow I have another butterfly note to open ... only three left. Yes, indeed, dear readers. My time in Taiwan this trip is quickly coming to a close ... I feel like I must have been living these last three months with my eyes closed. How they have flown.

Affectionately,
me

For Jane ♥

Here are a couple pictures from my Thanksgiving. :)

My plate (working from the top and going clockwise):
Taiwan-style bread with fruit in it
Garlic, mashed red potatoes
Turkey (oh so yummy! It had rosemary all over it!)
Cranberry sauce
Green bean casserole
Dressing that had bacon in it :)
Salad with cucumber and tomato


The coveted last bite of green bean casserole ... it happens every time


Homemade pumpkin and pecan pies with Land O Lakes whipped cream on top and a delicious cup of coffee to accompany them.

Thanksgiving

The act of giving thanks is a blessing. This year I am thankful for so many things. It's hard to know where to begin since I seem to be surrounded by blessings that I cannot contain. I'll start by saying how amazed I am at the love and mercy of our Savior. There is nothing we can ever do to earn His love, but He is forever Faithful. What a Mighty God I serve!

I'm thankful that I have a wonderful family waiting at home for me. :) I can't wait to see you and wrap my arms around each one of you. Thank you for sending me packages, emails, texts, pictures, e-cards, calling me and just finding ways to show that you love me. I love you so much.

To my dear friends reading my blog, thanks for keeping up with my crazy adventures. :) Hope you enjoy the stories and pictures of my life in Taiwan.

To each and every one, I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with love and appreciation for the small things in life.

I'm thankful for each night I can see the moon and stars.

I'm thankful for tea. :)

I'm thankful for music. (Especially the Christmas music I'm listening to now.)

I'm thankful for the protection of the Lord that goes with me wherever I go.

I'm thankful for memories of childhood that I can smile at and be proud to share.

I'm thankful for text messages that I can send back home through my email.

I'm thankful for all the conveniences in Taiwan (like 7, food stalls and tea shops)

I'm thankful for teaching English because it gives me needed experience and money. haha Annnnd I really love doing it.

I'm thankful for this opportunity to be in Taiwan.

I'm thankful for the new experiences and stretching that has come along with them.

I'm thankful for all the new friends I'm making and for the old friends who stay my friend even after they get to know me. ;)

I'm thankful for "The Christmas Waltz" by the Carpenters that's playing at this moment. It's so fanciful and lovely to listen to.

I'm thankful for the lessons that come from every-day life. Today, I was working on a crocheting project and trying to make a pretty border. I've been working on it, tried several things and nothing seemed to give me the look I was going for. Then today, I did one row of a scallop-like edge and then went back over it with a loopy chain pattern. Finally, I started to see something I liked and had been trying to create. It turns out that it just took more than one row. When you don't get the results you're looking for the first time around, trying building upon the foundation you already have instead of ripping it out and starting over. You may find that the pattern you're looking for just needs a few more layers.

I'm just thankful for life. The ups. The downs. The good news. The bad news. If we couldn't experience the negative feelings in life, we wouldn't appreciate the beautiful moments.

Stop to smell to roses this holiday season. Take time to tell people you love them. Interrupt your schedule to make someone feel special. Stop to take pictures along the way. One day, you'll be glad you did.

With much love~
Kate

Joy to the World!!! He rules the world with Truth and Grace!

Here are some pictures from the past few days or so. I've been so busy with taking classes, preparing lessons and teaching English, plus daily routines, that I haven't had time to be on the computer long enough to blog. Sorry for my neglect. :) I know that this will be worth it one day when I'm old and I can't remember any of the details of this trip on my own. :)
Outside of one of the buildings in which I attend class. "Remain soft-spoken and forgiving, even when reason is on your side." Definitely a quote to live by ~

The man who helped me with my visa extension

Me and Brittany waiting to get my passport back. They were actually very quick! I was shocked!

A cartoon that I couldn't resist taking a picture of during this festive time:

This is a sign for "My Country Talk." It's a series of events that's put on by the Office of International Affairs at the university. It invites students from different countries who are currently studying at NCHU to come and share some of the culture of your country with other students and faculty. I presented last week for the US and talked about Christmas, the reasons behind it, some of our traditions and then taught them "The 12 Days of Christmas." It was great fun.

Me and my roommates having a crocheting/knitting "party" in our room ... we were actually up pretty late that night. ^-^

I've resorted to "mixing my drinks" haha ... There is a 7 sooo close to our dorm so Brittany and I often walk there at night when the other shops are closed to get something to quench our thirst. This particular night, I wanted to try something new so I bought sprite and grapefruit tea and mixed them. It was pretty yummy ~
Leaves that I keep in my room *heart* I'm doing my part to enjoy fall. Thanks Mom for sending me some leaves. :) The real leaf in the picture was one I picked up walking about campus. It fell off of a magnolia tree, I think. There are a lot of those here.

Yesterday, I went to lunch with some friends and we had a great time.

Thanks to Andreas' long arms, we got all four of us in the picture without asking for someone to help us take it.



P.S. A note on Taiwanese shopping culture at 大賣家：Someone needs to tell the people who make the tags for the items here that "F" meaning "Free" is not a size ... I'm pretty sure they mean, "One size fits most." To add to the confusion, some of the items tagged "F" aren't even the same size. haha Thankfully, the items I purchased last night happened to fit. :)

*sigh*

Yes, I'm tall. Yes, I'm white. Yes, I can also see you staring at me!!!!
There are some days that it doesn't bother me ... and then there are the days when it feels really annoying that I can't blend in!! In the States, especially where I grew up, there is a fairly diverse population. However, here it is very obvious that I am a foreigner. I can't say that I blame them for noticing. I've noticed myself that it's easy to spot other foreigners. And I've caught myself looking at other "white" people wondering where they are from. When you're the observer, you feel invisible almost. Still, when you're the subject of the observation, it seems more annoying.

Wow, the Trans Siberian Orchestra version of Christmas Eve Sarajevo is intense! I'm presently listening to KOIT live-stream Christmas music station. I so enjoy having Christmas music at my finger tips, even though I'm not in the States. It's a blessing and like having a piece of home. :)

Well, there is much I could say ... but ... I'm supposed to be A) Sleeping, B) If not sleeping, finishing the drink menu that is due tomorrow. Soooo, I will be going but try to catch up with you, soon. :)

Kate

Recently, in the life of Kate

So my dashboard tells me that this is the 100th post on this blog ...

Today was a pretty good day. I didn't fall asleep in class!! Although
I did come home and take at least a three hour nap afterward. :)
Also, I practiced calligraphy and drank a lot of water.

We have a calligraphy test this Thursday and we have to write our names
nicely at the end of the saying we write. Last week, the teacher wrote
down our names for us so we could have a nice sample to refer to while
practicing. I'm working on it but have a ways to go, still, before it will
look like the teacher's sample. :) After some writing practice tonight, while I was cleaning my calligraphy brush,I broke it accidentally. Oops. At least it is not expensive to replace ~~
In both of these pictures, you can see the small strip on the left, which is the teacher's writing sample.

This is my Chinese last name. It has nothing to do with my English name, for those of you who are wondering. lol It just so happens that the teacher of my calligraphy class has the same last name ... so I always feel pressure about writing my name correctly ...

For just regular practice and in-class learning, we usually use paper with boxes to help us keep the characters in proportion. But for the test, we have to use blank paper! And, we have to fold it a certain way. Here is the graph showing how to fold:

Tomorrow is going to be a highly-productive day ~ I just know it. I have a bunch of errands to run and things to check off my always-growing list of things to do.

Oh oh!! I bought Christmas cards today!!! The bookstore had a surprisingly wonderful selection of cards from 7/11 themed, Chinese-y cards and traditional American style cards. Most of them were reasonably priced, too! There were even some religious cards. I was in the bookstore quite some time looking through all of them. They were playing lovely classical music that made me feel like I wanted to do one of those group dances from the Pride and Prejudice era... you know the ones where they clap, spin in circles, walk up and down the floor and then repeat several times? But not only do I not know how to do any of those dances, but if I did, I would have looked ridiculous doing one in the store.

AH!!! A mosquito just buzzed in my ear! I DESPISE those creatures!! Vehemently!! This is a warning to all the mosquitoes reading my blog: I will take strong measures to make sure your life doesn't interfere with the well-being of my appendages.
Thanks to the recommendation of a friend in the States, I went looking for some tiger balm. That stuff is great for helping with the itching that comes from all the bites. This is a mosquito that I trapped inside an empty cup last night and the tiger balm that helps relieve the damage done by the little boogers:


Alright, well in order to have a productive day, I really need to hit the sack.

Hope you have a fantastic week!!

Kate

P.S. These are random pictures from the last few days ... enjoy.

The shelves at the bookstore that have Chinese learning materials. I like this aisle. :)

A delicious banana muffin that I was quite surprised and pleased to find at my favorite little bakery near the university.

The sunset from last Wednesday

These are the notes that I open each Monday. So far, I think I've opened 6 ...

My lunch from yesterday on my way back to school on the train. Yum~

I'd like to point out that the mango drink in the picture is from my favorite place to order them near my old school in Tainan. :) That was my first one from 哈果汁 since I've been back this fall. I ordered half sugar so it wasn't as sweet as usual, but there is still something about their flavor that I just love. The ones in Taizhong don't quite taste the same to me.

P.P.S. I did another Sudoku today :) I think this makes number 6 ...

Life ... uʍop-ǝpısdn

Tonight I was working on a puzzle at the dining table. It's a gorgeous picture of a Thomas Kinkade painting. I had managed to put four pieces together in a row and I had two more pieces that I had connected to each other. But I couldn't get them to fit with the other four, even though they looked to be about the right color. As I was fiddling with the pieces, I turned a segment upside-down and it magically slipped into place.

Life seems to be this way. The pieces look like they should be fitting together, but no matter how you try to force them, it doesn't work. Then, something gets turned upside-down in your life and suddenly, situations begin to make sense.

1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

When I was in 7th grade, I remember watching a science video that was talking about the marvellous gift we have called eyesight. They spoke to us about an experiment they did, giving the participants special glasses that made everything they saw appear upside-down. After a few days, the eyes readjusted and things appeared as they did before they put on the glasses. Following the conclusion of the study and the removal of the glasses, the participants eyes had to readjust again, as everything now seemed upside down to them again.

My point is that a situation that totally disrupts your life isn't necessarily a bad thing. Rather, it is an opportunity to expand your viewpoint or for things once in disaray in your life to begin coming together. Allow yourself - your life and everything in it - to be re-evaluated and changed by the all-knowing and all-powerful Savior, Jesus Christ. The adjustment period may take time but it will be worth every second when you look at the puzzle of life from heaven's point of view and see the beautiful picture that was created, because you were willing to be turned upside-down.

♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪
Put your life into the Master's hand
Put your life into His Master Plan
For He has a work for you
That nobody else can do
Oh oh put your life into the Master's hand
♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪

Sudoku

This is me and all my stuff, just before heading out the door for the weekend. I had my small suitcase, my backpack, my purse and Alisha's late birthday present. The suitcase was primarily filled with laundry that needed to be washed. ^-^

Speaking of which, I just heard to washing machine beep, signaling its completion of my third load of laundry tonight/this morning. Right now it's 2:30am Taiwan time ... and yes, I am going to bed very soon ~~~ and I can rest knowing that all my laundry is done done done! Now I just have to wait for it all to dry so I can pack it back into my suitcase.


Yesterday, I did my first Sudoku puzzle! Fascinating! I've never really wanted to try them before. I ripped it out of yesterday's paper and took it back to my room to conquer. It was an easy-level puzzle, but that was fine for it being my first real attempt. Because yesterday's puzzle time was so successful, today I tried it again. The sudoku in today's paper was a medium level and it went okay. Then, I went through the old papers I have in my room and collected three more puzzles. ^-^ I did a "gold-level" puzzle and was able to finish that one, too! I was so thrilled with myself. lol I did one more on my trek from Taichung to Tainan ... so for those of you who are counting, that's three sudoku today. haha ...

Another exciting thing happened in my life yesterday - I started learning Zhuyin 注音. This is another system of phonetics for Chinese that is used in Taiwan for typing and texting, et cetera. In the US, usually they teach students Pinyin, which is what I learned. Pinyin is a system that is used in Mainland for typing and texting. Pinyin uses romanized letters, the same ones used in our English alphabet, for spelling out sounds. Zhuyin uses symbols, rather than letters, and is supposed to help the speaker develop more correct pronunciation than with using pinyin. We shall see ...

Please pray for the floor director in my dorm, who is also my "next-door neighbor" and a denominational Christian. She came to my room today feeling bummed and wanting to talk. I did my best to encourage her and then we prayed together. Ask that God will draw this young lady into the fullness of His truth. She is a sweetheart and has a lot on her plate right now.

Okay, well it's not getting any earlier and I can't think of anything amazing to say ... Actually, yes I can. Tonight, for the first time since my mom sent it to me, I was able to sit down and starting working on the sheet music to one of my favorite songs. :) Happy moments, indeed. <3

Back in the saddle again ...

Ah Mr. Feeling of Shoulder to the Grindstone, how I have missed thee!! :) Today, I turned in my second paper of this week. In a weird and occasionally stressful way, it was kinda nice to write papers again. I guess once a student, always a student. :)

So now, I have calligraphy class tomorrow morning and then I need to watch a documentary in preparation for class on Monday and then I'm free for the weekend. :) Some sleeping and cooking is in order!!!!! And I'm looking forward to it with great anticipation.

Meanwhile, the butterfly notecards on my board are multiplying ... I think I'm halfway through them now. What a surreal feeling. I can't believe how incredibly fast time, and this fall, have flown. (For those of you who do not understand the notecard reference, I shall offer an explanation: My family sent me a package in which were a collection of notecards written by different family members. I get to choose one, in no particular order, to open on each Monday.)

I am excited about Thanksgiving! And Christmas! And yes, it's only just the beginning of November. But I look forward to the time of giving thanks and being with the ones you love and the ones who love you, in return. Sis. Bracken and I were talking about Christmas music and have decided that we shall begin playing it around the house as soon as they return. Have I mentioned I love Christmas music?? ~~

I called my Grandma for the third time since I've been in Taiwan, I think. As she is my only living grandparent by blood, I feel a certain feeling of responsiblility to keep in touch with her on a semi-freequent basis. Besides, when I'm at home, I usually call her several times a week, so only talking to her once or twice a month doesn't feel very frequent. All families have problems ... but I still love my grandma. That's what a family is ... its a group of people who are tied together with love through the thick and the thin, through the good and the bad, through the crying and through the laughing.

Anyways, it was a joy to call her and hear her whistling as she picked up the phone. :) She was whistling was, "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow" ...

The first shall be last ...

... literally :) Yesterday, I was very blessed to get a seat on the train! My ticket said, Car 1, Seat 32, but when the train arrived, it was pulling in the opposite direction so Car 1 was last. I was so relieved that there were still seats on the train!! Otherwise, I might have been standing for the long ride back to school. God is good! :)

This week is midterm week for me. Last night was a sleepless night as I finished up my paper that was due today. We'll see how it goes ... I have another paper due this Wednesday and then a calligraphy test next week. I drank so much tea today in class to try and keep myself awake ... but to no avail! My eyelids kept dropping on me involuntarily. One minute I was looking at the teacher, and the next second, I was prying my eyes open trying to figure out what was being discussed at the moment. You know you're tired when you can fall asleep standing up or while you're sitting up trying to actively participate in a lecture. Someday, I will be able to tell these stories to my kids when they complain to me about being tired ... "You haven't been tired until you've _______" (Fill in the blank)

Anyhow, other than that, I'm doing well. It has been awesome to have the Bracken's back in Taiwan. I have certainly missed them!! The four of us had a great time this weekend, despite the busyness that surrounded each moment. They are a wealth of cultural and Chinese language information. Even though I've lived with Chinese before and have close friends who come from a Taiwanese/Chinese background, there are still days that I am baffled or equally frustrated with cultural nuances. Its another part of the growing and learning process ... it continues for a lifetime. ^_^

I'm getting ready to buy a few books in Chinese ... I need to start doing some light, casual reading to improve my ability to understand Chinese literature. It's one thing to be able to recognize and read a character, and it's another to be able to understand the meaning. As they say in my native language, "慢慢來." "Slow slow come," in direct translation, but the meaning is that things take time. Sis. Bracken reminded me of a great Chinese idiom the other night, "不怕慢，只怕站." "Don't be afraid of going slow, be afraid of stopping."

Such a poignant phrase for life at this moment. Language, patience, knowledge, character development ... all these things come slowly, but the important thing is that you don't give up! Lately, I feel like the Lord has been reminding me that He can only really be strong when I am weak. Back to the story of Gideon that was so fitting at the beginning of this journey, the Lord had to weed out his army down to a number low enough so that God could get the glory for their victory against the host of Midian. There are things I feel I'm not ready for ... but it doesn't matter how I feel. What matters is that I follow God's leading. His strength is made perfect through my weakness. There is such a strength that comes just from communicating that to Him in prayer. It's a relief to know that Jesus will never leave me nor forsake me! And that's enough ... 祂的恩典够我用.

hey hey hey hakka

After two and a half years of Chinese study and my second trip to Taiwan, I have finally purchased an electronic dictionary. :) I'm playing with it presently (well, in between blogging ^-^) and I gotta say, I like it. :) I just figured out that I can learn conversational phrases from other Chinese dialects like Hakka, Taiwanese and the Sichuan dialect. Pretty neat! However, it is slightly challenging to hear the correct pronunciation from an automated system ... ^-^ But it's awesome! I can hand-write characters on the screen and it will give me English and Chinese dictionary results for that word. There are also other language dictionaries on it. It's amazing! It can even type in Thai!! Super news since I have two Thai roommates~~

Tonight was my last English class with this group of students, as far as I know. It's kinda sad to stop after we were all just getting used to each other. Buuut, when one door closes, another opens. Tonight, I made an agreement with a tea shop here to translate their menu for them. They asked me last week or the week before but I hadn't had a chance to get back and talk with them yet. So tonight I stopped by to see if they were still wanting me to help them out. The boss said yes and we exchanged contact information so he could send me a Chinese version of the menu in a document form so I can add in the English underneath. This is going to be a great experience! And I get paid for it! :) Thank you, Jesus!

Okay, well I should hit the sack, even though my new toy and this computer are seemingly demanding my attention.

Good night world~
k

A wonderful weekend ...

Where do I begin? After my last blog, things started to get less groggy. At least I haven't forgotten if it was am or pm in the last 48 hours. :)


So yes, the university's anniversary/birthday was this past weekend so they had a celebration and the international students were required to participate. It was great to see people, some of them in traditional garb, holding their countries' flag. Here are a few pictures from the day.

A bunch of us together, with the two, main ladies who keep us all organized and informed.




Me, Brittany and one of her roommates, Nan


Brittany, me, Lin and Alice. These two ladies work tirelessly in the International Office to make sure things go well for the students studying abroad.


My roomies!!!!!! Very sweet girls from Thailand~


A bunch of us from Poo-shuan ~~ just within a few doors of each other.


Leaving the field after our walk past the main platform.


Me and Brittany, marching with all the other international students, to the admin building to take a group photo.




Fa wearing my sunglasses because they matched her Thai costume. ^-^


Me and Sid, a young lady from the Philippines. We met in the airport on our first day in Taiwan.


Are you proud to be an American?


Coming in Saturday night I met Sis. B's mother for the first time. She is a sweetheart. :)

Sunday, yesterday, was a busy day!! We had church in the morning in Tainan. Bro. Bracken preached about knowing Jesus: "Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man am?/ Whom do ye say I am?" After service, we all stuck around for a potluck and celebration of three birthdays: Bro. Bracken, Alisha and Jerry. Then, a group of us drove up to Ligang for a special gathering.

I have to tell a funny story ... On the way to Ligang yesterday afternoon, Sis. Bracken had a map because they had not been to the church's new location yet. Well something came up about the name for a map in Chinese, which is, "地圖[di4-tu2](which sounds like, "Dee two." So, Bro. Bracken, being the King of Puns that he is, turned to his faithful navigator and said, "Honey, this is 'Our-two 地圖'." [Get it?? ... R2D2??] ... :D

We had a tremendous time together in Ligang. It was wonderful to be back with everyone in the same place. After a great time of singing and encouragement from the three pastors present, we ate some delicious food and visited with each other.

Today, we had a really lovely breakfast. Homemade biscuits and gravy, an omelet with cheese and other goodness inside, fried potatoes, smoked salmon and tea.

We went to the dream mall to meet up with some more Brackens today. :) Fun times around a Starbucks table. (I had a mocha frappuccino)The English on stuff here is killing me! Today, Tiffany and I were walking around a 39NT store and saw some English that was just hilarious ~~ I have provided some pictures below for your viewing pleasure. I think they require no further explanation for there really is none to be giving. ^-^















I should have taken some pictures of the mall. It's beautiful and quite large. Before we left the mall, we went up on the roof-top and rode the Ferris-wheel around. It was awesome to be able to see the city from so high up. The harbor is huge! Bro. Bracken said it used to be the third largest in the world, if I remember correctly.



No matter how hard you try, you will never, ever, ever escape Hello Kitty in this country ... ever.














Our dinner tonight was wonderful! We went to Tasty, which was a first for me. Sooo yummy! We were so full coming out of there!! We took our time eating, chatting, laughing and enjoying each others' company. I don't have any pictures of us, but I did take pictures of the food. :)

Shrimp and asparagus


Mmmmmm not sure what to call this ... but it was delicious.


Cesar Salad


Pumpkin soup


For cleansing the palate ...


The main attraction


Delicious dessert


My tea ~ 玫瑰森林


They also gave us a sparkling juice in celebration of the two birthdays, but I don't have a picture of that.

I can't help but wonder if the person who came up with the Chinese name for this establishment 1) was a speaker of English 2) was pleased with the meat they were served here.


I got a goodbye-kiss tonight from my boyfriend ... Ethan Bracken. :) Relax, relax ... it was only on the cheek ... and it was from a five-year-old. haha He is a cutie pie! Ethan and Abbey are amazingly cute kids and fun to be around. Abbey asked me on Sunday how old I was and she remembered tonight. At the table today, she asked me how college was and then told me to start speaking to her in Chinese. So we held a mini-dialogue in which I asked her why she wanted me to speak to her in Chinese. It was really cute.

Many, "Happy Birthday" wishes are extended to Alisha and Bro. Bracken on their birthday, today and to Miss Abbey, whose birthday is coming up this week.

P.S. Fact: Between the writing and the uploading of pictures, this blogging session has taken me about two hours ...