Just World Peace

    When I was interviewing to be an outbound, way back in October,  at the end they asked me if I had any questions. I asked them what the goal of the Rotary Youth Exchange programme is. One of the people interviewing me said: "it really is world peace." I smiled and listened, but I didn't get it. How did they think that sending teenagers the other side of the world for a year would solve world peace? Now I get it. Every time an exchange student introduces ourselves we always include where we are from. As soon as that happens, to the listener, our country will be associated with our name, our face, and the feelings they have towards us. Now when I hear "Lithuania" the first thing that I think of is my friend Elena. I know that, of course, not all Lithuanians are like her. But, now I will always associate her characteristics with her country. Maybe I'm not the first thing that comes to mind when my friend thinks of America. Maybe they think of a movie or McDonalds, maybe they'll visit America one day. So maybe I become an afterthought. The back of their mind will whisper "I had a friend from America when I was in high school, remember her?" If that is the case, I'm content with that, but I better be a damn good afterthought. My job is to make sure that when that happens, they remember me fondly, or admirably, or at least I'm in their favor. So that one day, when my friend Kim, or Sandy, or Sean have to make a decision that affects America, I will be what causes them to stop and think about both sides. When they hear the news talking about another school shooting or something the current commander in chief has done, they do not label all Americans because of that. They will remember me, think of what I am to them, and that they know an American who is good.

Students from 106

A few days ago some students from room 106 invited me to go with them to Ximending and then Fuzhong Night Market. They were very nice so I agreed. It was Monday, the day of the moon festival, which is why we didn't have school. I woke up to the sound of bells and drums outside my window, where there was a parade. We went to visit my dad's family for lunch. They had a tank full of the biggest goldfish I had ever seen. We ate moon cakes and fruit and pineapple cake. My Great Uncle lives in Taipei so my parents dropped me off in Ximending (Ximen) I found my new friends, and we were off. We drank bubble milk tea, tried on hats, ate shaved ice, looked at floor after floor of shops, and we went target shooting. It was NT100 for 20 bullets. The guy who worked there spoke surprisingly good English, also. I proved to be fairly handy with the gun I choose and it was a lot of fun. I'm glad that they thought of it. After Ximen, we went to Fuzhong Night Market. It was a small night Market, only about a block long. We walked along and slowly tried food which made up our dinner. I started with a tasty watermelon smoothy, I got fried dumplings (which I love!!! And are way better than they are in the States) and my friends bought me candied strawberries!! I also tried something that looked like a giant bread honey come and little oysters. it was very fun I love how chill and friendly everyone is here!!!

Me and my friend Rita

Shaved ice that is brown sugar flavored and taro on the side

The bottom of this sign says "Do not buy will regret it" XD

Lunch after everyone had finished

Old Sreet

I took the bus by myself for the first time, today! When I got on bus 932 it was completely empty. But as it rolled along it collected passengers until it was relatively crowded. Including, William, from Denmark, and his host mom. We talked until I got off at Fuzhong where I met the beautiful Rebecca. She's in the grade above me, I met her because she is my friend and classmate's, sister. Rebecca is softspoken, but outgoing and very kind but also funny. So she's a lot of fun to be around. We took the MRT to Old Street where we stayed for quite a few hours. We talked, ate, admired the river and the shops, and we even visited a tiny museum that ranged from large turtles and snakes to a mummy that looked like a mermaid. They even had these small mammals that were alive and, I kid you not, looked like tribbles from Star Trek. The river was beautiful and the food was delicious, it made for a very fun evening. On my way home I had to wait an extra 15 minutes due to missing my bus because I was in the wrong line, but other than that it went very smoothly.

Empty bus

Johnny English

Last night, I went with Sophia to see Johnny English.  We met up with two of Sophia's friends from high school. We got popcorn and tea for the movie and settled into the back of the theater. I had never seen one of his movies and it was ridiculous, but fun. And  Ximen its self is always fun. We got crispy, fried potatoes that were covered in a cheese sauce that was topped with ham, wild onions, corn, and pineapple. They were incredibly tasty. We stopped to watch two street performers; one who dance perfectly to Gundam Style and electronica, and the other had a giant plastic hoop that he would spin like a coin or a wheel while he was inside where Lincoln would be if it were a giant penny. It was a lot of fun and I am slowly getting better at using the buses and MRT.

 

Staying with another family

媽媽 went to Thailand for the week so I am staying with family friends. I was lowkey worried about staying with people I didn't know or know much about, but it went really well. They have two sons; Jeff, who's in my grade, and Ivan, who went to Germany last year. They were both very nice and brotherly. Jeff was a little shy and didn't talk much. The really nice thing about this family having sons is that there was a lot more food around. We ate fruit and tea before bed, there was a stash of potato chips and such by the TV, and Ama made big tasty meals. Because Jeff and I go to the same school (he's in David's class) we rode the bus to school together. Jeff's friend, Andy, also rode the bus. The three of us would stop to get breakfast and then head to school. Jeff had cram school in the afternoons so I got to know Ivan just as well as Jeff.  I think it went very well and was a good experience.😊

My room for the week

Ximen and The Nun

Yesterday I left at three and met out with the amazing Elena to go to Ximen. My host parents told me to have fun and be back by ten. After almost an hour of travel, via bus and MRT, we arrived in Ximen. It was amazing. There were people everywhere! Walking, eating, shopping, selling, or performing. The energy was just as indescribable and terrific as any big city. I can tell I'm secretly an extrovert because being in places like that make me feel so alive. Elena and I tried tasty rice noodle soup, and delicious octopus ball things, and frog eggs tea, and bubble tea with almond milk! We met up with the lovely Luana from Brasil and headed to the movie theater. We bought three tickets for The Nun, a bag of popcorn, and drinks and found our seats. It was your average scary movie (not that I've seen very many) we jumped when we were supposed to and laughed when we weren't, it was a lot of fun. As you can probably tell, I have a big appreciation for what most people consider to be incredibly cheesy, I mean, my blog is called Love at First Flight for crying out loud! I love when everyone gets what they deserve, and the girl gets the guy, and there's a happy ending. I'm a big believer in "alls well that ends well" when it comes to movies. I liked The Nun. Except I really wish that she wasn't a nun and that the very end didn't happen (you'll know what I mean if you watch it), but I liked the Nun it was good scary. After all of it and the ride home, my key was in our door when my watch flashed 10:00. It was a good day ;)

Ceramics

Today we arrived at a ceramics studio in a neighboring district at about 9:30. My host family had told me that the exchange students and their families will be doing ceramics, what I didn't realize was that it was all the exchange students that live in Tapei. It turned out to be a lot of fun. We toured the building and learned about the studio's history. We made little clay designs to go on our piece (I made a Formosa Black Bear) We made our pieces on the wheels. We had Popa Johns Pizza that reminded me of home because it was pepperoni and Hawaiin as opposed to shrimp and cucumber. We played cards and ate cake and just talked. Afterward I kind of just explored the area around our apartment. I even bought peroxide by my self!

Photos courtesy of my host mom:

Little Differences

You're not supposed to compare countries, it's a bad idea. But there are a few little differences that I really appreciate!!

1) Transportation
In the Tapei area, we use Ubikes, I've also seen Gbikes in Tainan. You pay with an Easy card and tada: eco-friendly transportation. Taiwan is known for scooters for a reason. They are everywhere. On the sidewalks, on the street, in driveways and there are tons of them! One to three people will pack on to these little things and zip around. And my favorite: buses. In South Bend, there's a horrible stigma that comes with riding the bus. People look at you while you're standing at the bus stop with looks of pity or just judgment. Only poor people ride the bus in South Bend, they come every half an hour and they don't run at all on Sundays and you have to walk all over God's green earth to find a bus stop. I know all of this because I've been using the public transportation in South Bend for as long as I can remember and it hasn't gotten any better. Now the buses in Taiwan is a much different story. Everyone rides the bus. They come every 15 minutes all day, every day. And there's a bus stop on every corner. Its amazing and I love it. 

2) Elevators
In every elevator I've been in Taiwan there is a mirror. It's fantastic! Just enough time to make sure your hair looks good and you don't have anything in your teeth before the doors open and other people can see you again.

3) Walk Signs and traffic lights

Traffic lights have little counters that countdown until the light turns green. Wals signs have little green men on them. At first, the little men walk at an easy stroll as the numbers get smaller he picks up his pace and by the time it gets into the single digits he's full out running. I think he's pretty funny. When you're not supposed to walk he turns read and stands still, waiting for the light to turn. At stops with lots of bicycle traffic, there's also a green woman who rides a bike

4) McDonald's

McDonald's is actually decent in Taiwan. Like it serves real food that is still cheap. I also get a lot of stares when I walk into a restaurant with "Taste of America" plastered on the side. And when there are deals the line literally goes around the corner.