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