月數二。

I have been in Taiwan for two months. Time is flying. Right now, I am watching Rambo...in Chinese, and drinking Pearl Milk Tea. (Aka. The best drink in the universe.) <3

In two months I have:
Made countless friends; Chinese, American, Mexican, Hungarian, Canadian, Brazilian, more and more.

a better understanding of a different culture and way of life. (I take my shoes off before I enter a room. I think it is bad for your digestion to drink a cold drink during and after you have just eaten. I meditate everyday.)

Built confidence and respect for myself. (I say thank you when some one says I am beautiful. Something that was really hard for me to do when I was in America. I know I am good at things; not in a cocky way.)

Truly realized what respect really is.

Fallen in love with Taiwan. (Rotary was right, your exchange country does become your second home country.)

Directed my energy towards the future.

Really understood how it really feels to miss someone or something. (If you don't miss something from your home country then you haven't fully understood your exchange. You should be grateful and have a better understanding of your home country, and your second home country.)

Stopped taking things for granted. (People and things that are important in my life now, may not be there tomorrow. My youth exchange is not going to last forever, so I need to start spending time wisely; taking too many pictures, asking too many questions, going with friends to too many places.)

Felt old. (I was just walking to the bus to go home and the feeling just hit me like a sack of bricks. I felt like I had been living in Taiwan for years, that I was years older. Totally dreading going back to high school when I return.)

Realized how to properly respect parents, siblings, and grandparents.

Not used a microwave or fork. (I just realized this last night. All the food I eat is fresh, and usually grown locally. It taste amazing. I use chopsticks for everything. When I have soup, I drink from the bowl. So, really, I haven't used a spoon that much either.)

Began to learn how to make awesome food; bread, noodles, rice. Mmm.

Realized why Rotary makes you switch families every three months; I love this family. I can only imagine how hard it would be if I had to leave them after a year..three months is already going to be hard.

Hit the ground running on trying to learn Chinese. Me- 0 Chinese- 1. It. Is. Hard. (I was very naive, hope I spelled that correctly, before I left. "Yeah, yeah...I'll catch on when I get there." No, I have spent countless days and nights studying and studying.)

Not been disrespectful or sarcastic to any adult figure. (It feels good to respect your elders. They do, actually, know what they are talking about and yes, indeed, they are smarter than us teenagers. They aren't thirty, or forty  or fifty years of stupid. Teachers and elders are here to teach us and it is your choice to actually pay attention and learn from them or not.)

Learned how to drink tea out of a bag. (It was so odd. Vivian, my host sister, handed me my breakfast bag to take up to my classroom like she always does. When I opened the bag to see what I had I pulled out a bag with two bread rolls and then a bag of tea. I held it up and I guess he could tell I was confused, so, Bruce, a close friend of mine, took the bag and my straw and got it situated for me. Weirdest thing I have ever done; drink from a plastic bag.)

I can't wait to have more adventures. I am loving every minute here and I love all the people. I am afraid it is my bed time. I hope you enjoyed!