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 ^_^