Hello, everyone! I am going to Yunlin County, Taiwan for eleven months on a foreign exchange trip. All thanks to Rotary Youth Exchange International. If it wasn't for them, well, I don't think I would be here typin' this nifty little bit :) It will be one of the most life changing experiences I will ever encounter and I am getting very anxious to board the plane and get goin'. I just got all of my information (school, first host family, ect.) last night. I just emailed my first host father this morning. I am waiting impatiently for his email back. I cannot wait to read it. Although, it just hit me that my morning here is their evening there... so he is probably just now getting it. Opps.
I feel that I should give everyone a bit of Taiwan 101: Taiwan speaks Mandarin Chinese; I have been learning it for almost six months. My favorite Chinese resturant in my town is called Peking. Little did I know that the people that work there were from Taiwan, I mean I knew they were from somewhere in Asia. The day I found out that I was going to Taiwan I worked up enough courage to ask them what language they spoke (I would hear the owner, Cindy, tell orders in a different language.) She looked at me funny and said, "Chinese." I was so excited. I stammered on saying something that probably seemed bizarre to her: "Well, is it, like, Mandarin...or, like, just Chinese." She proceeded to tell me, "Mandarin, yes, Chinese." I was beaming so I continued on with the rather stupid questions of, "Really?! Could I, like, pay you some money so you guys to teach me? You know, like a tutor thing?" I think she thought I was crazy, matter of fact, I think she still thinks I'm off the wall, but she said "Yes, I teach, you no pay." I was so happy. In the end, I helped the little girl (Amy) read more fluently in English and she taught me handy phrases in Chinese. Amy became my cute little third grade best friend, she was a mean one in the beginning, but now we are tight. The grandmother (whom I never learned the name of because her English was about as good as my Chinese at the time, so there wasn't too much talking between her and I, if we did I would awkwardly stand there and nod my head and agree with whatever she had just said. She would smile and nod her head with me) arrived in late February, if I am correct, and helped give me more one on one time. I would teach her an English word, and she would teach me a Chinese word. Her favorite phrase was "See you later!" Sadly, Amy and her brother, Mike, just went back to Taiwan with their grandmother for the summer. Unfortunately, I had to say "再见" which means "see you again" in Chinese. I leave the night before she gets back to America, so I don't get to see her before I depart. Taiwan has the second largest building in the world; I don't have a really cool story to go with this one, well, not yet any way. The building is called Taipei 101. It is on my things I want to do and see while I am in Taiwan. Taiwan is roughly the same size as the state of Maryland; I like small states, so Taiwan and I should get along jusssttt fine. Taiwan is an island 100 miles off the east coast of China. In Mandarin, Taiwan means "Beautiful Island," and from all the google images I've seen, I certainly agree. There is such a thing called American Chinese Food, and Real Chinese Food. Both of which are completely different, although, Cindy did make me count to 100 in Chinese while making Crab Ra-goons (an American Chinese Food which is Crab filling wrapped and folded, then deep fried.) I found it ironic. Prior to popular belief, dog is more popular to eat than cat. But, that is in China. So I'll give everyone a heads up on the dish name if I come across either. For now, folks, I must be on my way. 再见!
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