Hello!
Well this last week and this week were really interesting. and difficult! Last wednesday was our last ALL exchnage student trip and we went to the east coast of Taiwan !! It was SO MUCH FUN but it was ALSO so sad because like it erally hit us that were leaving soon.
Day 1: We leave Taipei at 7:00am and go to Hualien. The roads were like realy in the mountains so i got car sick, so that wasnt to much fun but the scenery and the moutains were BEAUTIFUL. At l2:00 we arrived in Hualien and ate lunch, then we went to see famous mountains and liek valleys and stuff. It was so beautiful. Like really really really amazing. Then we arrived at the hotel at like 4 ocloch and we had the rest of the day to go eat dinner and explore Hualien on our own!
Day 2: Everyone was so tired cause of course we didnt sleep. haha We went on a boat at like 8 in the morning!!! I t was BEAUTIFUL we took the boat on the ocean adn the water was SO amazing and we saw DOLPHINS! real live dolphins not in a zoo!! it was amazinnng! Also the scenery was amazing to because there was the blue (nice not dark blue,) and the the montains that passed the clouds! it was such an amazing view. After that we went to eat lunch, and then we went to see this Monk university, it was really cool, like they have a llot of charity and its realy interesting. Then we went bike riding along the ocean side...it was erally nice!!! We then went to eat dinner and explred the rest of Hualien!
Day 3: The last day, we went to Ilan (going back to Hualien) and we went to this chinese art park. it was really really nice!!! After we came back to Taipei and i went to see my chinese pictures with Sofya! There nice!! and im going to bring them back haha
Monday, was really really horrible because of one my best-friens Sofya, from RUSSIA, went back to her country. She had to go early ebcaue she has a test she has to takefor university. It was so hard to say goodbye to her. Really really hard. I cried so much and i realized then that, my other best-friends are leaving in like 4 weeks and im leaving soon too. This year has been so amazing, the best year of my life and its already comming to an end. It went by so fast. Im giong to enjoy my last months so much!
Byee
bri
mercredi 14 mai 2008
jeudi 1 mai 2008
My Birthday
Hello!
Its been a really long time since I have written, because I have been so busy!! Well April 7th and 8th, i went to Ilan with all the exhcange students!! It was SO COOL because welearned SO much about TAIWAN!! like all the politics, and like what had really happenned, like when it was under the Japanese order, then Chinese.. it was really interestnig. Taiwan is such a young country, and it went through lots of hard times.
Then, april went by SO FAST because it was so fun!! I got to meet alt of my friends parents because they came visit!!! It was SO cool!! Like, we went through so much together, and just seeing their parents was like our friendship grew closer. it was relaly cool!
Then, it was my BIRTHDAY!!! I had SO MUCH FUNNN! On the 26th, my awesome host family let my have 6 girls sleep over like a girls night/birthday party!! it was SO FUN!! we watched movies and talked, and it was really cool! ITs like the first time we all do that in Taiwan, and it was really cool because everyone said thats one of the things they missed the most with their freinds back home, just having girls night and watching movies and talking!! Then the 28th, my firends had another birthday party for me! and i had so much fun! OH, my classmates bought me this HUGE CAKE! it was sooo gooood :)!!! On the day of my birthday, I went home with my family and they took me out to this AMAZING ITALIAN RESTAURANT!! it was SO good!!! then, i got presents, and we had a cheese cake! My host sisters both gave me beautiful letters about how much they loved me and we were sisters for life, and my host brother gave me a necklace, as well as my host mom. it was such a great day, becayse i really really felt like i was in a family, and it was a real birthday!! I had so mcuh fun!! I cant beleive im 18 alreadyyy!!!
Oh! I also go to take Chinese Pictures!! It was such a graet experience! My face was painted white and i was wearing these really traditional dresses and hat! it was so cool and such a great souvenir!!
This week, was our LAST culture class, and chinese class ends in about 1 week. Its crazy how time is going by TOO fast. One of my best-friends Sofya from Russia is leaving in only one week and a half. Next week is our LAST trip together. Its gonna be so fun! were going to the east Taiwan!! were gona go Whale watching and dolphin watching!!! iM so excited!
Im changing families Sunday. Im really nervous because I LOVEthis family I am with, and i am sad im leaving! Im changing for only 18days, then changing again!
See you later!
Bri
Its been a really long time since I have written, because I have been so busy!! Well April 7th and 8th, i went to Ilan with all the exhcange students!! It was SO COOL because welearned SO much about TAIWAN!! like all the politics, and like what had really happenned, like when it was under the Japanese order, then Chinese.. it was really interestnig. Taiwan is such a young country, and it went through lots of hard times.
Then, april went by SO FAST because it was so fun!! I got to meet alt of my friends parents because they came visit!!! It was SO cool!! Like, we went through so much together, and just seeing their parents was like our friendship grew closer. it was relaly cool!
Then, it was my BIRTHDAY!!! I had SO MUCH FUNNN! On the 26th, my awesome host family let my have 6 girls sleep over like a girls night/birthday party!! it was SO FUN!! we watched movies and talked, and it was really cool! ITs like the first time we all do that in Taiwan, and it was really cool because everyone said thats one of the things they missed the most with their freinds back home, just having girls night and watching movies and talking!! Then the 28th, my firends had another birthday party for me! and i had so much fun! OH, my classmates bought me this HUGE CAKE! it was sooo gooood :)!!! On the day of my birthday, I went home with my family and they took me out to this AMAZING ITALIAN RESTAURANT!! it was SO good!!! then, i got presents, and we had a cheese cake! My host sisters both gave me beautiful letters about how much they loved me and we were sisters for life, and my host brother gave me a necklace, as well as my host mom. it was such a great day, becayse i really really felt like i was in a family, and it was a real birthday!! I had so mcuh fun!! I cant beleive im 18 alreadyyy!!!
Oh! I also go to take Chinese Pictures!! It was such a graet experience! My face was painted white and i was wearing these really traditional dresses and hat! it was so cool and such a great souvenir!!
This week, was our LAST culture class, and chinese class ends in about 1 week. Its crazy how time is going by TOO fast. One of my best-friends Sofya from Russia is leaving in only one week and a half. Next week is our LAST trip together. Its gonna be so fun! were going to the east Taiwan!! were gona go Whale watching and dolphin watching!!! iM so excited!
Im changing families Sunday. Im really nervous because I LOVEthis family I am with, and i am sad im leaving! Im changing for only 18days, then changing again!
See you later!
Bri
samedi 5 avril 2008
the last few amazing weeks!
Hello!!
I have been so busy lately! haha
Last week, i went to Kenting (again... the southest place in taiwan!!) but htis time with my school! It was so much fun!!:
Day 1: We leave the school at like 7 am, we then drive to kenting and arrive there at about 4 pm...we sing karaoke the whole time on the bus! haha it was super fun! After we arrive we go to our hotel, and AMAZING hotel. Me Arely and susy shared one hotel room and it was so cool cause we had a balcony that overlooked the beach and ocean. The beach was litterealy like 5 seconds away. it was sooo cool (pics on facebook). We also had a beach party and we played volleyball, soccer, made sand castles, etc. That night after we ate supper, we went to a night market and it was really nice!! We had such a good time there!
Day2: We wake up and leave the hotel to go to different amazing and beautiful places in Kenting. we saw beautiful ocean sceneries, and the forrest and it was just really beautiful. Then we went to the Aquarium (again, it was sooo coool to go a second time haha) and then after that we drove to Tai-Nan and settled in the hotel. That night, we had this party where the tour guides organized it. It was fun and crazy! haha
Day3: We went to an amusement park!! It was sooo crazy!I went on my first really long roller coaster and i loved it! it was so fast and scary hahahaha I also met another french canadian from Quebec! She was there for 5 months, at the amusement park becuase she is a sort of acrobate, like she and other people (most from Russia) are like show people! It was so cool! She took me out for lunch and we talked about taiwan and things! it was really really funnn!hahha After that we returned home to Taipei!
I just got a reality check last week when i learned that our culture class(every wedenesday) and chinese class (that we have twice a week) are both ending at the end of APRIL (which is my birthday haha but this month!) its so crazy how fast its going.
Oh something amazing that happened to me! Well, I really love this taiwanese singer called Wang Lee-Hom. He is really really goodlooking and has an amazing voice. I already have all his cds and im his biggest foreign fan! haha I really like him and like i wish i could go to one of his concerts before i leave, but there really expensive and hard to go to. So yesteryda i was near Taipei 101 (tallest building in the world currently) with my friends Genesis and Jolene when all we heard was music, loud music. Then, the fan that I am, i was like wait, This is Wang Lee Hom, like i konw this song, then i reconized that next song also. I was like OMG its him! So we decided to go see what was going on. To my disapointement, all i saw were speakers outside a tent for Sony (hes the spokesman for Sony) and i said oh i think its a CD,cause i thought not someone as popular and famour as Lee-hom would have a concert in a tent. But then i was like ill go check, and guess who was there LIVE singing.. yes it was HIM! IT WAS WANG LEE_HOM! and i just almost passed out. haha my friends were like brianne, its not a big deal but i was like yes it is! its my favourite singer, like imagine seeing ur favourite singer in person performing a free concert!! So we stayed that while i just dreamingly listenned to his music and watched him perfom. it was so cool! Im never ever gonna forget that day!!!! I was so happy!!!
byebye!
bri
I have been so busy lately! haha
Last week, i went to Kenting (again... the southest place in taiwan!!) but htis time with my school! It was so much fun!!:
Day 1: We leave the school at like 7 am, we then drive to kenting and arrive there at about 4 pm...we sing karaoke the whole time on the bus! haha it was super fun! After we arrive we go to our hotel, and AMAZING hotel. Me Arely and susy shared one hotel room and it was so cool cause we had a balcony that overlooked the beach and ocean. The beach was litterealy like 5 seconds away. it was sooo cool (pics on facebook). We also had a beach party and we played volleyball, soccer, made sand castles, etc. That night after we ate supper, we went to a night market and it was really nice!! We had such a good time there!
Day2: We wake up and leave the hotel to go to different amazing and beautiful places in Kenting. we saw beautiful ocean sceneries, and the forrest and it was just really beautiful. Then we went to the Aquarium (again, it was sooo coool to go a second time haha) and then after that we drove to Tai-Nan and settled in the hotel. That night, we had this party where the tour guides organized it. It was fun and crazy! haha
Day3: We went to an amusement park!! It was sooo crazy!I went on my first really long roller coaster and i loved it! it was so fast and scary hahahaha I also met another french canadian from Quebec! She was there for 5 months, at the amusement park becuase she is a sort of acrobate, like she and other people (most from Russia) are like show people! It was so cool! She took me out for lunch and we talked about taiwan and things! it was really really funnn!hahha After that we returned home to Taipei!
I just got a reality check last week when i learned that our culture class(every wedenesday) and chinese class (that we have twice a week) are both ending at the end of APRIL (which is my birthday haha but this month!) its so crazy how fast its going.
Oh something amazing that happened to me! Well, I really love this taiwanese singer called Wang Lee-Hom. He is really really goodlooking and has an amazing voice. I already have all his cds and im his biggest foreign fan! haha I really like him and like i wish i could go to one of his concerts before i leave, but there really expensive and hard to go to. So yesteryda i was near Taipei 101 (tallest building in the world currently) with my friends Genesis and Jolene when all we heard was music, loud music. Then, the fan that I am, i was like wait, This is Wang Lee Hom, like i konw this song, then i reconized that next song also. I was like OMG its him! So we decided to go see what was going on. To my disapointement, all i saw were speakers outside a tent for Sony (hes the spokesman for Sony) and i said oh i think its a CD,cause i thought not someone as popular and famour as Lee-hom would have a concert in a tent. But then i was like ill go check, and guess who was there LIVE singing.. yes it was HIM! IT WAS WANG LEE_HOM! and i just almost passed out. haha my friends were like brianne, its not a big deal but i was like yes it is! its my favourite singer, like imagine seeing ur favourite singer in person performing a free concert!! So we stayed that while i just dreamingly listenned to his music and watched him perfom. it was so cool! Im never ever gonna forget that day!!!! I was so happy!!!
byebye!
bri
vendredi 21 mars 2008
Trip to Kenting!!
Hello Everyone!
the last week has been so amazing!!Last sunday i went to TaiZhong with my family and we wentto this really famous Temple and I got to pray with them it was super interesting! THen we went to an amusement park and that was really really fun tooo!
On tuesday I celebrated my 7 months in Taiwan!!!!
Then on Wednesday all the inbounds students left for 3 days to go to Kenting!! (the southest and hottest place in Taiwan!! I got to wear shorts for 3 days (in MARCH!) and i also got to see the ocean and swim there also!!!)
Days 1: We leave from Taipei at 6:40 in the morning. Then we head the Kaoshiung *about 4h30 from Taipei*. We eat Lunch In TaiNan and then we arrive in Kaoshiung at about 2 oclock. We then take a ride in the MRT Station (they just build it because they will be holding the 2009 world games, thats all the sports that are not inclided in the Olympics.
After that we went to the City Hall and listenned to a presentation about Kaoshiung. After that we went on a boat ride at the Harbour!! It was really nice adn sooo fun! We then went to a night market to eat supper and it was fun because there were so many cool things to see adn really not expensive stuff!! When it was dark we went back to the LOVE RIVER (thats the name of the river) for a little boat ride around the river because its so beautiful with all the lights and stuff!! After that we went back to the Hotel and it was really fun!
Day 2: We leave for Kenting at 8am and arrive at like 10:30 at the place where we played PaintBall. After that we went ot eat lunch in Kenting and it was sooo nice!!there sooo many little shops to buy bathing suits and souvenirs!! it was really cool! After we went to the Hotel and we went to the beach for 3 hours! it was soo cool! the water was soo warm and we saw a sea turtle! it was soo funnnnn!Then we went for a BBQ outside! it was really nice and fun and we danced and it was really fun! After that we got free time and we spent the night at the nightmarket! It was sooo nicee! then we went back to our Hotel (which was super nice also!)
Day 3: We left at like 8:30 to go to the Marine Biology museum!IT was SOOO NICE!! Like it was soo well done! there was like 4-d movie which was amazing! then were was like a under water tunnel! where it was like fish swimming around you and it was sooo coool!! i got to see so many coool fishies! i had such a great time!! then we headed back to Taipei!
The trip was sooo fun!! And im going back with my school (and Susy and Arely ) next wednesday! IM so happy hahaha its gonna be soooo much funnnn!
Time is going by so fast! Im having such a great time!
Brianne!!
the last week has been so amazing!!Last sunday i went to TaiZhong with my family and we wentto this really famous Temple and I got to pray with them it was super interesting! THen we went to an amusement park and that was really really fun tooo!
On tuesday I celebrated my 7 months in Taiwan!!!!
Then on Wednesday all the inbounds students left for 3 days to go to Kenting!! (the southest and hottest place in Taiwan!! I got to wear shorts for 3 days (in MARCH!) and i also got to see the ocean and swim there also!!!)
Days 1: We leave from Taipei at 6:40 in the morning. Then we head the Kaoshiung *about 4h30 from Taipei*. We eat Lunch In TaiNan and then we arrive in Kaoshiung at about 2 oclock. We then take a ride in the MRT Station (they just build it because they will be holding the 2009 world games, thats all the sports that are not inclided in the Olympics.
After that we went to the City Hall and listenned to a presentation about Kaoshiung. After that we went on a boat ride at the Harbour!! It was really nice adn sooo fun! We then went to a night market to eat supper and it was fun because there were so many cool things to see adn really not expensive stuff!! When it was dark we went back to the LOVE RIVER (thats the name of the river) for a little boat ride around the river because its so beautiful with all the lights and stuff!! After that we went back to the Hotel and it was really fun!
Day 2: We leave for Kenting at 8am and arrive at like 10:30 at the place where we played PaintBall. After that we went ot eat lunch in Kenting and it was sooo nice!!there sooo many little shops to buy bathing suits and souvenirs!! it was really cool! After we went to the Hotel and we went to the beach for 3 hours! it was soo cool! the water was soo warm and we saw a sea turtle! it was soo funnnnn!Then we went for a BBQ outside! it was really nice and fun and we danced and it was really fun! After that we got free time and we spent the night at the nightmarket! It was sooo nicee! then we went back to our Hotel (which was super nice also!)
Day 3: We left at like 8:30 to go to the Marine Biology museum!IT was SOOO NICE!! Like it was soo well done! there was like 4-d movie which was amazing! then were was like a under water tunnel! where it was like fish swimming around you and it was sooo coool!! i got to see so many coool fishies! i had such a great time!! then we headed back to Taipei!
The trip was sooo fun!! And im going back with my school (and Susy and Arely ) next wednesday! IM so happy hahaha its gonna be soooo much funnnn!
Time is going by so fast! Im having such a great time!
Brianne!!
mardi 11 mars 2008
Canadian cooking!
Hello!! So today was an amazing day!!
(Since the last time ive written, ive been great! haha just living a GREAT and AMAZING life in Taiwan)!!!
Since the new semester started, we have a cooking class and its really really fun!!!
So last week we made some Chinese food, but this week it was time to make Canadian food!! So i really didnt know what i could make becuase really there is NO ingredients that we use in Canada easy to find in Taiwan. WEll i went to Sogo sohpping mall (the only place in TAIWAN with ingredients of like other countries.. im serious i saw SOOO many foreigners there hahaha).
So while i was shopping i had to find what to make. (and thinking of the price also because imported stuff, it was all imported.. is really expensive haha) .. so i said hmm well i have real Canadian maple syrup so lets find pancakes..and guess what i not only found pancake mix..BUT FROM CANADA with the emballage in FRENCH and ENglish!! its been soooo long since i saw taht hahah i was like omg, its not crazy chinese characters.. omg!!hahaha then i was like hmm. what elese.. then i said what do i eat all the time in Canada? then i though Grilled CHeese!!! The cheese is SOO expensive here.. becuase theres NO cows anywhere .. so like its so crazy how much the cheese is here. But i still had enough to by to make grilled cheese hahaha Then i said hmmm i know its not canadian (i wanted to make poutine.. but too hard haha) so i was like spaghetti! hahaha
So today Me, Arely and Susy (with one of our teachers) cooked Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Grilled Cheese and Spaghetti!! haahah It was really really good! this is like the first time since 7 months that i eat something like that. THe food in Taiwan is SOOO different, like down to the bread (the bread is always sweet or something, i havent ate like bread not falvoured since the day i left Canada ahaha)
In a way its awsome that the food is so different becuase i get to experience a new culture and also i get to appreciate everything once i get back home! haha (i dont want to get back home haahaha)
So next week i am going to the Southest point in Taiwan!! its called Kenting and all the rotary students are going there for our trip!!! Its gonna be so awesome because kenting has beautiful beaches and we can swim in the ocean and its going to be great!! Im really looking forward to it!
Bye bye
Brianne
(Since the last time ive written, ive been great! haha just living a GREAT and AMAZING life in Taiwan)!!!
Since the new semester started, we have a cooking class and its really really fun!!!
So last week we made some Chinese food, but this week it was time to make Canadian food!! So i really didnt know what i could make becuase really there is NO ingredients that we use in Canada easy to find in Taiwan. WEll i went to Sogo sohpping mall (the only place in TAIWAN with ingredients of like other countries.. im serious i saw SOOO many foreigners there hahaha).
So while i was shopping i had to find what to make. (and thinking of the price also because imported stuff, it was all imported.. is really expensive haha) .. so i said hmm well i have real Canadian maple syrup so lets find pancakes..and guess what i not only found pancake mix..BUT FROM CANADA with the emballage in FRENCH and ENglish!! its been soooo long since i saw taht hahah i was like omg, its not crazy chinese characters.. omg!!hahaha then i was like hmm. what elese.. then i said what do i eat all the time in Canada? then i though Grilled CHeese!!! The cheese is SOO expensive here.. becuase theres NO cows anywhere .. so like its so crazy how much the cheese is here. But i still had enough to by to make grilled cheese hahaha Then i said hmmm i know its not canadian (i wanted to make poutine.. but too hard haha) so i was like spaghetti! hahaha
So today Me, Arely and Susy (with one of our teachers) cooked Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Grilled Cheese and Spaghetti!! haahah It was really really good! this is like the first time since 7 months that i eat something like that. THe food in Taiwan is SOOO different, like down to the bread (the bread is always sweet or something, i havent ate like bread not falvoured since the day i left Canada ahaha)
In a way its awsome that the food is so different becuase i get to experience a new culture and also i get to appreciate everything once i get back home! haha (i dont want to get back home haahaha)
So next week i am going to the Southest point in Taiwan!! its called Kenting and all the rotary students are going there for our trip!!! Its gonna be so awesome because kenting has beautiful beaches and we can swim in the ocean and its going to be great!! Im really looking forward to it!
Bye bye
Brianne
dimanche 2 mars 2008
Lots of new information!
So i havent wrote in a while cause i had absolutely NO time haha
So on Febuary 20th i went on a trip to Lugang with my host rotary club and it was super fun!!! I went to the middle taiwan with Sascha and we met 3 other exchange students from Mexico, Sweden and France! They live in the middle Taiwan. So we went to see the glass factory and a nutrition facotry also and it was really fun. We came back the 21st and that was the Lanter Festival. The Lantern festival is celebrated on the last day of Chinese new years *the 15th day* and its amazing. Unfortunetly i didnt see it because i was on the trip with my rotary club, but i got to see the Biggest Lantern festival of all last weekend, beccause my family is so awesome! haha Well in Tai-Nan (about 3hours from Taipei), they have a HUGE festival for the Lantern festival and its so big and amazing that they keep it for 2 weeks after the last day of Chinese new years, so this weekend, my family brought me to Kaoshiung (we have relative there) and then we went to Tai Nan.
Friday Feb.29 : We leave Taipei at like 6pm to get to kaoshiung at about 9:30. Then we went to eat dinner and it was really good, lots of seafood cause Kaoshiung is on the sea.
Saturday March 1st (omg, its march already!!) : We wake up super early to go to an Aboriginal Park. It was soo cool! I got to learn about Taiwan's culture and see a performance to ressembled the dances and tradition they use to do a long time ago! After that we went to see nice sceneries! I got to see soo many cool stuff like Pineapples fields, mango trees it was soo cool!! and it was SO HOT!! like maybe 30 degress cause south Taiwan is soo warm all the time haha. Afte thta we went to eat dinner at my uncles house in Pington (near Tainan). Then when it was dark we went to Tainan for the Lantern Festival. Okay. IT was BEAUTIFUL. THere were so many light and, it was amazing. THere were so many people. I think that that was the one thing you HAVE to see when you come to Taiwan. It shows so much of there culture. They have so much tradition and culture that im really amazed. Like after i saw that, i was really really happy and like i have a feeling that i finally understood the importance of their culture and that i was really blending in the chinese culture. I love my family, and i love the taiwanese culture! I couldnt be happier right now! So after that we went back and Kaoshiung and we went to a nice night market. Im really gonna miss those in Canada. There so awesome. Like there so many things you can buy and look at, lots of food, lots of people. its just a great atmosphere!.
Sunday, March 2nd: we woke up early again and we went to look at the sea. I always forget that Taiwan is an island because when im in Taipei, im in the middle of the city. So it was amazing. It was a really really beautiful day, and we were in the mountains with a view of the ocean. It was so amazing. We wentto have lunch in a little restaurant with an amazing view of the ocean, so i had lunch while looking at the amazing sea. then, when we were driving back down, i saw monkeys!!! YEA real monkeys not in cages!! haha IT was awesome! theres alot of monkeys that live there cause its so warm and so many fruits! So i got out of the car to take a picture, and then one big monkey started walking to wards me and i got scared so i started running back to the car (yea, im so stupid i didnt think animal:running: theyll run too haha) so it started running after me so i was screaming Open the door open the dorr and i Jumped in the car and closed the door super fast hahaha. Then i just opened the window to take pictures haha . then i gave the monkey a Mango! (from the car window of course haha) and it ate it and it was SOOOO cool. It was such and AMAZING day! like i saw monkeys! haha i loved it haha, So then when the day couldnt get any better, it totally did! So we wentto see the harbor, where theres like HUGE boats like the movies that come in from the ocean..it was awesome. Then we took a boat to go to a small fishing community, there was a litlte market place and it was so beautiful and cool! taking the boat was fun too cause it was soo big haha. After that aall the kids went to a nicemarket and it was really fun. I bought some souvenirs for a couple people, and i had alot of fun! after that we came back to taipei and im soooo tired ! haha So i figured out a way to show all my pictures without you getting facebook, so ill post up the links on here when i get a chance! :D!
Bye bye!
brianne
So on Febuary 20th i went on a trip to Lugang with my host rotary club and it was super fun!!! I went to the middle taiwan with Sascha and we met 3 other exchange students from Mexico, Sweden and France! They live in the middle Taiwan. So we went to see the glass factory and a nutrition facotry also and it was really fun. We came back the 21st and that was the Lanter Festival. The Lantern festival is celebrated on the last day of Chinese new years *the 15th day* and its amazing. Unfortunetly i didnt see it because i was on the trip with my rotary club, but i got to see the Biggest Lantern festival of all last weekend, beccause my family is so awesome! haha Well in Tai-Nan (about 3hours from Taipei), they have a HUGE festival for the Lantern festival and its so big and amazing that they keep it for 2 weeks after the last day of Chinese new years, so this weekend, my family brought me to Kaoshiung (we have relative there) and then we went to Tai Nan.
Friday Feb.29 : We leave Taipei at like 6pm to get to kaoshiung at about 9:30. Then we went to eat dinner and it was really good, lots of seafood cause Kaoshiung is on the sea.
Saturday March 1st (omg, its march already!!) : We wake up super early to go to an Aboriginal Park. It was soo cool! I got to learn about Taiwan's culture and see a performance to ressembled the dances and tradition they use to do a long time ago! After that we went to see nice sceneries! I got to see soo many cool stuff like Pineapples fields, mango trees it was soo cool!! and it was SO HOT!! like maybe 30 degress cause south Taiwan is soo warm all the time haha. Afte thta we went to eat dinner at my uncles house in Pington (near Tainan). Then when it was dark we went to Tainan for the Lantern Festival. Okay. IT was BEAUTIFUL. THere were so many light and, it was amazing. THere were so many people. I think that that was the one thing you HAVE to see when you come to Taiwan. It shows so much of there culture. They have so much tradition and culture that im really amazed. Like after i saw that, i was really really happy and like i have a feeling that i finally understood the importance of their culture and that i was really blending in the chinese culture. I love my family, and i love the taiwanese culture! I couldnt be happier right now! So after that we went back and Kaoshiung and we went to a nice night market. Im really gonna miss those in Canada. There so awesome. Like there so many things you can buy and look at, lots of food, lots of people. its just a great atmosphere!.
Sunday, March 2nd: we woke up early again and we went to look at the sea. I always forget that Taiwan is an island because when im in Taipei, im in the middle of the city. So it was amazing. It was a really really beautiful day, and we were in the mountains with a view of the ocean. It was so amazing. We wentto have lunch in a little restaurant with an amazing view of the ocean, so i had lunch while looking at the amazing sea. then, when we were driving back down, i saw monkeys!!! YEA real monkeys not in cages!! haha IT was awesome! theres alot of monkeys that live there cause its so warm and so many fruits! So i got out of the car to take a picture, and then one big monkey started walking to wards me and i got scared so i started running back to the car (yea, im so stupid i didnt think animal:running: theyll run too haha) so it started running after me so i was screaming Open the door open the dorr and i Jumped in the car and closed the door super fast hahaha. Then i just opened the window to take pictures haha . then i gave the monkey a Mango! (from the car window of course haha) and it ate it and it was SOOOO cool. It was such and AMAZING day! like i saw monkeys! haha i loved it haha, So then when the day couldnt get any better, it totally did! So we wentto see the harbor, where theres like HUGE boats like the movies that come in from the ocean..it was awesome. Then we took a boat to go to a small fishing community, there was a litlte market place and it was so beautiful and cool! taking the boat was fun too cause it was soo big haha. After that aall the kids went to a nicemarket and it was really fun. I bought some souvenirs for a couple people, and i had alot of fun! after that we came back to taipei and im soooo tired ! haha So i figured out a way to show all my pictures without you getting facebook, so ill post up the links on here when i get a chance! :D!
Bye bye!
brianne
samedi 16 février 2008
6 months!!!
Hello!!
So guess what tomorrow is.... my 6 months anniversary of being in Taiwan!!! ALREADYYYY!! This is so crazy.. i cant beleive ive been here so long! I love it so much though and time is going by TOO fast.
So this week was very busy because i started school again! On tuesday was my first day of school!! Then on thursday i had my Rotary Presentation. I had to present Canada, in CHINESE!!! With a power point presentation. So, i had to make a presentation in Chinese, and then present about canada in CHinese. I was super nervous because i thought they wouldnt understand me! haha So my eldest host sister helped me translate and practise haha. And it went really goood!! i got alot of compliments about the presentation and i thought i went well. Except for the impossible questions some rotarians asked me.. like the percentage of trees that we cut down a year, or something. haha
But everything is going SOO well with my 3rd family.. They are soo awesome! My host sisters and I stay up late just talking about boys and Taiwan, like real sisters do haha I really feel like im a part of a family here. I really really love them!
CHinese class is starting again tomorrow (monday) And i am going on a trip wit hym Rotary Club (and Sascha becaus ehe is in my rotary club) for 2 days -1 night next week! Its gonna be fun! haha
I cant beleive ive been here 6 months...i cant beleive i only have about 4 months and a bit left... its no possible... its just going by to fast..
I miss you all but i dont want to come back... hahaha
xoxo
bri
So guess what tomorrow is.... my 6 months anniversary of being in Taiwan!!! ALREADYYYY!! This is so crazy.. i cant beleive ive been here so long! I love it so much though and time is going by TOO fast.
So this week was very busy because i started school again! On tuesday was my first day of school!! Then on thursday i had my Rotary Presentation. I had to present Canada, in CHINESE!!! With a power point presentation. So, i had to make a presentation in Chinese, and then present about canada in CHinese. I was super nervous because i thought they wouldnt understand me! haha So my eldest host sister helped me translate and practise haha. And it went really goood!! i got alot of compliments about the presentation and i thought i went well. Except for the impossible questions some rotarians asked me.. like the percentage of trees that we cut down a year, or something. haha
But everything is going SOO well with my 3rd family.. They are soo awesome! My host sisters and I stay up late just talking about boys and Taiwan, like real sisters do haha I really feel like im a part of a family here. I really really love them!
CHinese class is starting again tomorrow (monday) And i am going on a trip wit hym Rotary Club (and Sascha becaus ehe is in my rotary club) for 2 days -1 night next week! Its gonna be fun! haha
I cant beleive ive been here 6 months...i cant beleive i only have about 4 months and a bit left... its no possible... its just going by to fast..
I miss you all but i dont want to come back... hahaha
xoxo
bri
dimanche 10 février 2008
Trip with 1st family!!
So after the chinese new years, everyone went to bed super early cause we were leaving on our trip for at 4AM!!! AHHH!! But then on thursday my host mom woke me up at 8am and said. oh.. we all forgot to wake up hahah it was funny. SO on Thursday Febuary 7th, we left for our trip!
Day 1
Febuary 7th, we leave at 8am, and we drive to Miaoli, in the middle Taiwan where we do a little shopping on this nice street. I bought some gifts for people back home and also bought this food im gonna bring back home, cause its soo good.. and that road was famous for it so i had to buy it then! haha Then we went to Tai-Zhong and visited my host moms classmate where we had alot of tea (mmm i love chinese tea!!). After that, we started driving to Jia-Yi, to go visit my host dads classmates. Then they were driving somewhere when all of a sudden, we turn into this place where theres a pile of WHITE .. im like OMG SNOWWWW!! IN TAIWAN!!!....???? wait, hwo is it possible to have snow in taiwan...my brother Sean was laughing so hard! Hes likeBrianne, its not snow.. its SALT! ...SALT?!?!?!? hahah yes, i actually went sliding on salt!!!! hahah it was really fun ! heres a picture :
It was soo cool!! then we went to the Sea side and took some pictures, it was really beautiful but it was SOO cold... like it was 10 degress and the wind was so cold! haha THe thing that makes Taiwan so cold is that there is NO heating..so like in the houses theres no heating at all and most windows dont close properly in the houses so its SOOO cold at night!! So after that we went to eat some seafood and then we to my host dasd classmates house.. It was fun! i talked to my brother all night, i really get along with Sean, i was so happy to go on a trip with them since, since i moved families in December, i havent go a chance to really hangout with my 1st family and Sean, so i missed him alot!!! ..at about 9pm we left to go back to TaiZhong to my host moms house.. he had to arrive after 11pm, because usually the wife goes back to her fathers home the 2nd days of CHinese new years..so after 11pm (i dotn know why 11pm and not 12am hah) but we got there at like 12am so it was all good!!
Day 2
THe next day we were at my host moms parents house in a really deserted area in the middle of Taiwan and i met my host moms sister and her 2 daughters and her 1 son.. THey were SOOOO nice!! We all went shopping in a little town and ate some more delicous food.. the rest of the day i just stayed at home with Sean and we sang karaeoke (its really big in Taiwan, most ppl have their own karaoke machine at their house.. with ilke over 1000 songs.. its crazyhaha). THen i went to bed.. It was SOOO cold. cause there were no heating...!! heres a pic of some food that was good (i haveno idea what it is.. haha) : but its good!
Day 3
I woke up and my cousins were back and we all went to a mirror factory and it was sooo beautiful.. oh i mean a glass factory! haha it was really cool! and really awesome!! I had a gerat time with Sean and my cousins there soo nice!!!!! we all cma back and sang karaoke again adn then we al went to sleep! haha
Here is my favorite picture of my cousins and I at the glass factory!
Day 4
Me sean and the parents left to go to an amusement park!! it was SOOOOOO fun!! it was really beautiful!!! THough it was kinda raining and FREAZING!!!! I had lots and lots of fun!! We went on water rides and i got SOAKED!! we spend all day there and it was tons of fun!! I had a great time with them,
then we came back home, and im still at my 1st families house cause i dont think my 3rd family are back from south Taiwan yet!
LOTS OF PICS ON FACEBOOKKKK!!!!
:D!
Bye,
bri!
Day 1
Febuary 7th, we leave at 8am, and we drive to Miaoli, in the middle Taiwan where we do a little shopping on this nice street. I bought some gifts for people back home and also bought this food im gonna bring back home, cause its soo good.. and that road was famous for it so i had to buy it then! haha Then we went to Tai-Zhong and visited my host moms classmate where we had alot of tea (mmm i love chinese tea!!). After that, we started driving to Jia-Yi, to go visit my host dads classmates. Then they were driving somewhere when all of a sudden, we turn into this place where theres a pile of WHITE .. im like OMG SNOWWWW!! IN TAIWAN!!!....???? wait, hwo is it possible to have snow in taiwan...my brother Sean was laughing so hard! Hes likeBrianne, its not snow.. its SALT! ...SALT?!?!?!? hahah yes, i actually went sliding on salt!!!! hahah it was really fun ! heres a picture :
It was soo cool!! then we went to the Sea side and took some pictures, it was really beautiful but it was SOO cold... like it was 10 degress and the wind was so cold! haha THe thing that makes Taiwan so cold is that there is NO heating..so like in the houses theres no heating at all and most windows dont close properly in the houses so its SOOO cold at night!! So after that we went to eat some seafood and then we to my host dasd classmates house.. It was fun! i talked to my brother all night, i really get along with Sean, i was so happy to go on a trip with them since, since i moved families in December, i havent go a chance to really hangout with my 1st family and Sean, so i missed him alot!!! ..at about 9pm we left to go back to TaiZhong to my host moms house.. he had to arrive after 11pm, because usually the wife goes back to her fathers home the 2nd days of CHinese new years..so after 11pm (i dotn know why 11pm and not 12am hah) but we got there at like 12am so it was all good!!
Day 2
THe next day we were at my host moms parents house in a really deserted area in the middle of Taiwan and i met my host moms sister and her 2 daughters and her 1 son.. THey were SOOOO nice!! We all went shopping in a little town and ate some more delicous food.. the rest of the day i just stayed at home with Sean and we sang karaeoke (its really big in Taiwan, most ppl have their own karaoke machine at their house.. with ilke over 1000 songs.. its crazyhaha). THen i went to bed.. It was SOOO cold. cause there were no heating...!! heres a pic of some food that was good (i haveno idea what it is.. haha) : but its good!
Day 3
I woke up and my cousins were back and we all went to a mirror factory and it was sooo beautiful.. oh i mean a glass factory! haha it was really cool! and really awesome!! I had a gerat time with Sean and my cousins there soo nice!!!!! we all cma back and sang karaoke again adn then we al went to sleep! haha
Here is my favorite picture of my cousins and I at the glass factory!
Day 4
Me sean and the parents left to go to an amusement park!! it was SOOOOOO fun!! it was really beautiful!!! THough it was kinda raining and FREAZING!!!! I had lots and lots of fun!! We went on water rides and i got SOAKED!! we spend all day there and it was tons of fun!! I had a great time with them,
then we came back home, and im still at my 1st families house cause i dont think my 3rd family are back from south Taiwan yet!
LOTS OF PICS ON FACEBOOKKKK!!!!
:D!
Bye,
bri!
mercredi 6 février 2008
New Years Eve-Night!
Hello! So chinese new years eve is over already :(!!! I thought we were going to stay up all night, but where leavnig for a trip around taiwan tomorrow at 4am!!! AHHH!!! I'm really looking forward to it though!
So this is what happenned tonight.. well we all took a nap, because everyone woke up early to prepare for the new years eve, so at 5pm we left to go to my Agong (host dads fathers) house. We ate a HUGE meal there with all the family and it was really cool! I got red envelopes (what im holding in the picture). Its like christmas for them since we receive gifts at Christmas, well they receive red enveloops (with money in it) at Chinese new years! Its really cool! and when they give it to you, you answer Gong xi NAME, so like Gong xi Agong.. its really cool! Then i played cards with my Amma, (shes the cutest.. its means Grandmother) then we came home, where Seans parents gave him his red enveloppe.. then after that we went to my Uncles house, and we GAMBLED! it was SOO fun!! we played like 21, but its a different way, and i won 100!!! .... 100 NT! haha which is like 3,50$ Canadian but i lost like 200NT.. haha (but it wasnt mine.. my host uncle is so nice he gave me money) haha So this is like tradition at Chinese new years they play poker and Majong!! But i didntplay Majong because i dnot know how.. its super complicated!! haha then we came home!!! It was really fun.. I love Chinese New Years, its like so family oriented and it has SO many traditions and rituals.. im so glad i got to experience something so cool like this!!
新年快樂!!(happy chinese new years!)
bri
So this is what happenned tonight.. well we all took a nap, because everyone woke up early to prepare for the new years eve, so at 5pm we left to go to my Agong (host dads fathers) house. We ate a HUGE meal there with all the family and it was really cool! I got red envelopes (what im holding in the picture). Its like christmas for them since we receive gifts at Christmas, well they receive red enveloops (with money in it) at Chinese new years! Its really cool! and when they give it to you, you answer Gong xi NAME, so like Gong xi Agong.. its really cool! Then i played cards with my Amma, (shes the cutest.. its means Grandmother) then we came home, where Seans parents gave him his red enveloppe.. then after that we went to my Uncles house, and we GAMBLED! it was SOO fun!! we played like 21, but its a different way, and i won 100!!! .... 100 NT! haha which is like 3,50$ Canadian but i lost like 200NT.. haha (but it wasnt mine.. my host uncle is so nice he gave me money) haha So this is like tradition at Chinese new years they play poker and Majong!! But i didntplay Majong because i dnot know how.. its super complicated!! haha then we came home!!! It was really fun.. I love Chinese New Years, its like so family oriented and it has SO many traditions and rituals.. im so glad i got to experience something so cool like this!!
新年快樂!!(happy chinese new years!)
bri
mardi 5 février 2008
More Rituals!!
So this is more Rituals of the morning of CHinese New Years eve!!
So my hsot mom made alot of food and none of it is for me! hahah Its all for the gods!! its sooo interesting!! Here is a picture of the offerings : and the place where they pray to the Gods! :
This is so interesting!! So ive figured out why they have flowers in the house, its because it represents new growth!! Also, they have platters of Candy which represents Togetherness!! Also, theres oranges, which keeps the good relationships within the family!! its soo cool! everyone is cleaning up right, the last clean up before the New Yea! ALso, theres a table for the Gods and teh Ancestors.. I read that a table is prepared for the past away to thank them of living their life and liek preapring it for ours. im so excited for tonight!! pics on facebook!!
bri
Morning of Chinese New Years Eve
So, this morning i got woken up some very Chinese Music, and i kinda liked it.. but it was really early haha . So then i got out, and the preperations were in full motion! My host mom was cooking alot and my host dad was cleanign out lots of stuff. so Sean told me that its a costum that at before Chinese New years, they clean everything really good. like i mean the house was spotless.. its incredible!! Then i went over to see the food and its so crazy how much food were gonna eat tonight! Its costum for the Chinese New Years Eve to go back to the fathers house for celebration (like in my family, our last name is Juang, soo we go to grampa Juangs house). Its really important to have fish and meat cause it symbolises different things! Then my host dad was cleaning out a container that had power that they use to put the sticks of incent they use to pray to Boudha adn the GOds. So they clean this out every Chinese New Year, and they replace the grayish poweder (like sand). Put they dont just dump it out; my host dad had a spoon and carefully took out the powder because theres money inside and if yo just dump it out, then the money falls out and its bad luck. So then my host dad put new inside, with a spoon too. Meanwhile, me and Sean put chinese banners around the house and outside of the doors (Pics on facebook but heres one :)
I think it just means lke Prosperity, good luck and happy new years!!
This is year is the year of the mouse, so if your a mouse (depending on the year your born) youll have an amazing year!!! Also, Chinese new years is not only One day.. as it thought it was its alot of days! haha i think it may be like a little less than a week!
But ill write more tonight after the New Years Eve celebration!! yay!
Im acutally reading about CHinese New Years, and its about like 15 days, from the first of the Lunar New Year to the 15th days, where its the Lantern Festival.. Each days has its own rituals.. its really interesting.. heres the link if you want to read.. theres also alot of Rituals they do, and there acutally true since im kinda living them! hahaha
bye!
HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEARS!
bri
I think it just means lke Prosperity, good luck and happy new years!!
This is year is the year of the mouse, so if your a mouse (depending on the year your born) youll have an amazing year!!! Also, Chinese new years is not only One day.. as it thought it was its alot of days! haha i think it may be like a little less than a week!
But ill write more tonight after the New Years Eve celebration!! yay!
Im acutally reading about CHinese New Years, and its about like 15 days, from the first of the Lunar New Year to the 15th days, where its the Lantern Festival.. Each days has its own rituals.. its really interesting.. heres the link if you want to read.. theres also alot of Rituals they do, and there acutally true since im kinda living them! hahaha
bye!
HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEARS!
bri
dimanche 3 février 2008
New family!--HAppy CHinese New YEar!!!
Hello!
So my 3rd fmaily is AMAZING!! Ilove them soooo much!!! I loev their home because its so different then im used to!! Like, its a whole building (outside of Taipei, the city) wher eon the first floor its the machines that make clothes (well it makes the material) then on the 2nd floor is like material and like the tv place and where we sit and eat. Then on the 3rd floor is more materials for the buisness then on the 4th floor its their home, where tehres like a tv, and like all the rooms... my room is soo cool! it slike typical chinese room, like theres sliding walls, their not clear but not not clear hahah then like its just a matress on teh floor (very comfortable haha).. its really nice!!! I love it!! And my family is SOOO nice!! the parents are sooo cool! and the 2 daughters and son are really really wecloming and nice!! Im really happy with them!! Right now im at my 1st families house where i will be living with them for one week about because my 3rd family is gonig to sout htaiwan for chinese new years, and my 1st family is bringing me around taiwan!! its really cool!! it sreally weird though being back at my 1st familys home after such a long time!! hahah
Ill write later about my trip!!
bri
p.s HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!!
So my 3rd fmaily is AMAZING!! Ilove them soooo much!!! I loev their home because its so different then im used to!! Like, its a whole building (outside of Taipei, the city) wher eon the first floor its the machines that make clothes (well it makes the material) then on the 2nd floor is like material and like the tv place and where we sit and eat. Then on the 3rd floor is more materials for the buisness then on the 4th floor its their home, where tehres like a tv, and like all the rooms... my room is soo cool! it slike typical chinese room, like theres sliding walls, their not clear but not not clear hahah then like its just a matress on teh floor (very comfortable haha).. its really nice!!! I love it!! And my family is SOOO nice!! the parents are sooo cool! and the 2 daughters and son are really really wecloming and nice!! Im really happy with them!! Right now im at my 1st families house where i will be living with them for one week about because my 3rd family is gonig to sout htaiwan for chinese new years, and my 1st family is bringing me around taiwan!! its really cool!! it sreally weird though being back at my 1st familys home after such a long time!! hahah
Ill write later about my trip!!
bri
p.s HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!!
vendredi 1 février 2008
Changing families!
Hello!
This winter vacation has been amazing..I have slept, and went out tosee taiwan... i am now well relaxed and ready to go backto school..oh, i still have a week and a half of vacation! haha Next week is the Chinese new years!! I am so excited!! Things have been really stressull for me lately since i was supposed tochange to my 3rd family in March, but all of a sudden i was getting shipped off this saturday (feb.2nd) so i have been packing lately. I am going to south south taiwan for chinese new years!
Im really excited to see how it is!!
byee
bri
This winter vacation has been amazing..I have slept, and went out tosee taiwan... i am now well relaxed and ready to go backto school..oh, i still have a week and a half of vacation! haha Next week is the Chinese new years!! I am so excited!! Things have been really stressull for me lately since i was supposed tochange to my 3rd family in March, but all of a sudden i was getting shipped off this saturday (feb.2nd) so i have been packing lately. I am going to south south taiwan for chinese new years!
Im really excited to see how it is!!
byee
bri
lundi 21 janvier 2008
3 day trip to South Taiwan. SO awesone
Day 1
Its saturday! and Im finally in winter vacation until February 12th!! WOO So we leave Shulin (taipei) at about 1pm and we got To Jia-YI for Wedding number 1!!! Its about 3 hours and a hlaf from Taipei. At a 'wedding' all we do is that we go to the place that they chose and we eat. Because of their religion, the wedding is mostly done at their homes, wit hthe close families,and then they come celebrate with us by eating alot and alot!! It was really fun this wedding cause I saw my 1st host fmaily so i got to talk to them and also i saw my 1st host brother who i get along with very well so it was really fun, After the wedding, we went about 30 minutes from Jia-Yi to a SMALLLLL town called Jiji.! It was in the mountains and its soo cute!! Theres a little citycenter, and its really a farming and small buisness community. its soo cool! We slept at my host moms uncles house. Well im not sure whos house it was because in towns like these, and more south Taiwan and in the mountains, families share houses becuase they work together and live together. So this house, the groom (that was getting married on Monday) lived there with his parents, his grandparents, some uncles, some aunts.. the house was huge, 3 stories but lots and lots of rooms. So we stayed there on Saturday Night, Also, when the groom gets married, the bride and he will also live in that house (the bride with move in with him in his room). This is really traditional, because its rare to see this in Taipei since everyone lives in appartements so theirs no room for family. I really love how family is so important here. It makes me really appreciate their culture.
Day 2
Sunday! I wake up super early to come downstairs and i find about 30 people outside cooking some delicious smelling food. South Taiwan ,weddings are always carried out the traiditional way, and its one tradition for the neihbours to come help to prepare (i think the whole town was there hah) We made this delicous pastry-like food (only in taiwan) and its tradition to eat the the day before the wedding. it was really good. Then we went in Jiji, to go sightseeing and it was SOOO nice, I love the town. It really reminds me of small township in Canada, until i see chinese signs haha But i saw bamboo farms, tomato fields, rivers, etc.. it was soo great. THe mountains were beautiful. Then we came back and ate a good meal (i think it was a thankyou meal for the days work)and i went and listenned to some of my uncles sing karaoke (they were good). I relly liked that house cause everyone was SOOO friendly and trying to speak to me in Chinese (even though most of them speak more Taiwanese because the elders speak it more also more and more south of taiwan you go, more its taiwanese over chinese). The night, the house was to crowded (there were like 8 families staying there) so we went to stay at my aunts (i love her shes soo nice) houses just down the road. I LOVE HER HOME! because it was really different from the other one. 1)its was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by PALM TREES and with a backround of MOUNTAINS 2) it was like 3 rectangular builsings (ill put a picture up in the blog cause i want to live here haha) that formed rectangle itself :
I love it. I got to sleep in the building on the left, alone, and it was soo cool because i just layed there and listenned to... NOTHING!! since i came to Taipei, everynight i hear, cars, and cars and noises, and it hit me how AWESOME it was to hear NOTHING except the wind, and some animals (okay that kinda freaked me out) but it was just awesome.
Day 3
The most amazing morning of my life. I get waken up by, no not my host family, no not cars.. but BIRDS!! i was so happy (yea i missed hearing birds in the morning)! I got up quickly out of bed (at 7am!! wow!!) and ran outside half expecting to be in Callander, but no, i open the door to be : sweating in January, seeing unknown birds, surrounded by Palm trees and seeing the mountains. Usually when i get these little misconception (wherei think im back in Canada) i get homesick. but this time i was like OMG' I LOVE IT HERE! IM SO HAPPY IM NOT HOME! (excuse-moi maman et papa, mais c'est vrai!) I really wish i could move back to a place like this.. its so beautiful and i was so happy here. Ispent all morning drinking some Chinese tea( that i love, the way they do it is soo cool, im defaintly bringingsome back to Canada) and i was just so happy. Then we went back for the weddings. Iwas really lucky this time because i got ot see what went on in a boudhist wedding since i was already at the grooms house (the celebration was there also). So the groom left at about 9:00 am in a car with red ribbons on it, and followed but many other cars . His mom was in the car with im and it was driven by someone else) THey came back about 3 hours later (so i am pretty sure there was a rituel or traditoin in the brides home) and then when they arrived, there were firecrakers,to announce their arrival. Prior to this, and i think they did it at the brides home, they picked a piece of meat, to give them luck in their lives (which is very important in the weddings) when they cme back, there was a big huge branch attached to the car, and when the bride comes out of the car, the mother in law holds something over her head. In the wedding on saturday, i got to see this also, but the mother in law was holding a biece of wood in shape of a circle over her head. this means that she is not pregnant (but she will have kids).This wedding, the mother in law was holding a black umbrella which means that the bride is acutally pregnant. If the bride already had children, the in the car, she would have to sit on a mattrace of some sort (this is what i understood for a chinese explanation so im not sure if its true the last part). Then bride and groom went to pray and they were followed by the brides stuff (becaus shes moving in) and a rooster, because rooster indicate the way to her new home. When the bride entered the house, she had to step over a bucket of fire and walk on some ceramic and crack it for goodluck. THey then went upstairs (where to boudha is) and they pprayed for a while. After that they sat down togeth (outside of the grooms roon, and the brides new home) to await goodtimes. During this time, we had firecrackers going (to annouce they were married) and we burned this special kind of paper that they burn whenever they want to tahnk the gods for what has come. This culture is SOO amazing, its soo traditional, with the meat and the roosters and the wlaking over the fire, and im so eager to learn more about it . I am so thankfull that i got the chance toreally experience this kinds of wedding since I am sure this opporunity will maybe never come again.. I really love the culture here becuse its soo interesting and just so awesome!!
Ill write more about my vacations and CHINESE NEW YEARS!! Yay!!
P.S : THERES LIKE OVER 600 PICTURES OF MY EXCHANGE ON FACEBOOK, and including pics of this weekend, so if you dont have facebook and you want to see my pictures, maybe oyu can get facebook, its really really easy, just go to facebook.com and create an account and add me as a friend!
Bye!!
brianne
Its saturday! and Im finally in winter vacation until February 12th!! WOO So we leave Shulin (taipei) at about 1pm and we got To Jia-YI for Wedding number 1!!! Its about 3 hours and a hlaf from Taipei. At a 'wedding' all we do is that we go to the place that they chose and we eat. Because of their religion, the wedding is mostly done at their homes, wit hthe close families,and then they come celebrate with us by eating alot and alot!! It was really fun this wedding cause I saw my 1st host fmaily so i got to talk to them and also i saw my 1st host brother who i get along with very well so it was really fun, After the wedding, we went about 30 minutes from Jia-Yi to a SMALLLLL town called Jiji.! It was in the mountains and its soo cute!! Theres a little citycenter, and its really a farming and small buisness community. its soo cool! We slept at my host moms uncles house. Well im not sure whos house it was because in towns like these, and more south Taiwan and in the mountains, families share houses becuase they work together and live together. So this house, the groom (that was getting married on Monday) lived there with his parents, his grandparents, some uncles, some aunts.. the house was huge, 3 stories but lots and lots of rooms. So we stayed there on Saturday Night, Also, when the groom gets married, the bride and he will also live in that house (the bride with move in with him in his room). This is really traditional, because its rare to see this in Taipei since everyone lives in appartements so theirs no room for family. I really love how family is so important here. It makes me really appreciate their culture.
Day 2
Sunday! I wake up super early to come downstairs and i find about 30 people outside cooking some delicious smelling food. South Taiwan ,weddings are always carried out the traiditional way, and its one tradition for the neihbours to come help to prepare (i think the whole town was there hah) We made this delicous pastry-like food (only in taiwan) and its tradition to eat the the day before the wedding. it was really good. Then we went in Jiji, to go sightseeing and it was SOOO nice, I love the town. It really reminds me of small township in Canada, until i see chinese signs haha But i saw bamboo farms, tomato fields, rivers, etc.. it was soo great. THe mountains were beautiful. Then we came back and ate a good meal (i think it was a thankyou meal for the days work)and i went and listenned to some of my uncles sing karaoke (they were good). I relly liked that house cause everyone was SOOO friendly and trying to speak to me in Chinese (even though most of them speak more Taiwanese because the elders speak it more also more and more south of taiwan you go, more its taiwanese over chinese). The night, the house was to crowded (there were like 8 families staying there) so we went to stay at my aunts (i love her shes soo nice) houses just down the road. I LOVE HER HOME! because it was really different from the other one. 1)its was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by PALM TREES and with a backround of MOUNTAINS 2) it was like 3 rectangular builsings (ill put a picture up in the blog cause i want to live here haha) that formed rectangle itself :
I love it. I got to sleep in the building on the left, alone, and it was soo cool because i just layed there and listenned to... NOTHING!! since i came to Taipei, everynight i hear, cars, and cars and noises, and it hit me how AWESOME it was to hear NOTHING except the wind, and some animals (okay that kinda freaked me out) but it was just awesome.
Day 3
The most amazing morning of my life. I get waken up by, no not my host family, no not cars.. but BIRDS!! i was so happy (yea i missed hearing birds in the morning)! I got up quickly out of bed (at 7am!! wow!!) and ran outside half expecting to be in Callander, but no, i open the door to be : sweating in January, seeing unknown birds, surrounded by Palm trees and seeing the mountains. Usually when i get these little misconception (wherei think im back in Canada) i get homesick. but this time i was like OMG' I LOVE IT HERE! IM SO HAPPY IM NOT HOME! (excuse-moi maman et papa, mais c'est vrai!) I really wish i could move back to a place like this.. its so beautiful and i was so happy here. Ispent all morning drinking some Chinese tea( that i love, the way they do it is soo cool, im defaintly bringingsome back to Canada) and i was just so happy. Then we went back for the weddings. Iwas really lucky this time because i got ot see what went on in a boudhist wedding since i was already at the grooms house (the celebration was there also). So the groom left at about 9:00 am in a car with red ribbons on it, and followed but many other cars . His mom was in the car with im and it was driven by someone else) THey came back about 3 hours later (so i am pretty sure there was a rituel or traditoin in the brides home) and then when they arrived, there were firecrakers,to announce their arrival. Prior to this, and i think they did it at the brides home, they picked a piece of meat, to give them luck in their lives (which is very important in the weddings) when they cme back, there was a big huge branch attached to the car, and when the bride comes out of the car, the mother in law holds something over her head. In the wedding on saturday, i got to see this also, but the mother in law was holding a biece of wood in shape of a circle over her head. this means that she is not pregnant (but she will have kids).This wedding, the mother in law was holding a black umbrella which means that the bride is acutally pregnant. If the bride already had children, the in the car, she would have to sit on a mattrace of some sort (this is what i understood for a chinese explanation so im not sure if its true the last part). Then bride and groom went to pray and they were followed by the brides stuff (becaus shes moving in) and a rooster, because rooster indicate the way to her new home. When the bride entered the house, she had to step over a bucket of fire and walk on some ceramic and crack it for goodluck. THey then went upstairs (where to boudha is) and they pprayed for a while. After that they sat down togeth (outside of the grooms roon, and the brides new home) to await goodtimes. During this time, we had firecrackers going (to annouce they were married) and we burned this special kind of paper that they burn whenever they want to tahnk the gods for what has come. This culture is SOO amazing, its soo traditional, with the meat and the roosters and the wlaking over the fire, and im so eager to learn more about it . I am so thankfull that i got the chance toreally experience this kinds of wedding since I am sure this opporunity will maybe never come again.. I really love the culture here becuse its soo interesting and just so awesome!!
Ill write more about my vacations and CHINESE NEW YEARS!! Yay!!
P.S : THERES LIKE OVER 600 PICTURES OF MY EXCHANGE ON FACEBOOK, and including pics of this weekend, so if you dont have facebook and you want to see my pictures, maybe oyu can get facebook, its really really easy, just go to facebook.com and create an account and add me as a friend!
Bye!!
brianne
jeudi 17 janvier 2008
The Month of January!
hELLO!
So we are approching the end of January ( already ahhh) and its actually my 5 months anniversary tomorrow. August 18th, I arrived in Taiwan for the best year of my life!! This month has been pretty good! I went to school ad recently all the exchnage students had a placement test again, where we all had to write a chinese written test (characters...ahhh) and speaking test than afterwards we were re-divided in 4 classes (A with the people who got the higher scores to D)! I was in class B beofre the test and remain in class B! So I am pretty happy. There are 12 people in my class and out of 12, 6 of them (including me) speak french! soo I think its going to be really fun! My Winter vacation will be great!! I started January 16th and its for about 25 days!! This weekend I am going to the south Taiwan for 2 weddings!! Then I will come back to my home for most of the vacation where i will catch up on ALLL the sleep i lost to go to school so early!! haha and also go see my friends and of course study chinese......:)! Then after I am going for 4 days with my first family around Taiwan and on an island in the south Taiwan (becaise its really beautiful)! This will be near Chinese New Years, in February. Chinese new Years, my Taiwan friends say that how most people celebrate it is by staying home with families or oing back to their home towns in the rural Taiwan and then they play Majong or cards by gamblling (my host dad says its the only night of the year where he considers gambling alright haha) and theyjust speak to each other all night.Also, the kids receive money from their parents instead of gifts. Its relaly interesting and I am really looking forward to it ! Yesterday I sent my second quarter report ( i have to send in 4 reports throughout my year to inform them of my experiences etc.) and i couldnt beleive that that meant that I was done half of my year here! I still cant beleive it.. HALF MY YEAR!!! wow! It went by really really fast!!
Byebye
Brianne
So we are approching the end of January ( already ahhh) and its actually my 5 months anniversary tomorrow. August 18th, I arrived in Taiwan for the best year of my life!! This month has been pretty good! I went to school ad recently all the exchnage students had a placement test again, where we all had to write a chinese written test (characters...ahhh) and speaking test than afterwards we were re-divided in 4 classes (A with the people who got the higher scores to D)! I was in class B beofre the test and remain in class B! So I am pretty happy. There are 12 people in my class and out of 12, 6 of them (including me) speak french! soo I think its going to be really fun! My Winter vacation will be great!! I started January 16th and its for about 25 days!! This weekend I am going to the south Taiwan for 2 weddings!! Then I will come back to my home for most of the vacation where i will catch up on ALLL the sleep i lost to go to school so early!! haha and also go see my friends and of course study chinese......:)! Then after I am going for 4 days with my first family around Taiwan and on an island in the south Taiwan (becaise its really beautiful)! This will be near Chinese New Years, in February. Chinese new Years, my Taiwan friends say that how most people celebrate it is by staying home with families or oing back to their home towns in the rural Taiwan and then they play Majong or cards by gamblling (my host dad says its the only night of the year where he considers gambling alright haha) and theyjust speak to each other all night.Also, the kids receive money from their parents instead of gifts. Its relaly interesting and I am really looking forward to it ! Yesterday I sent my second quarter report ( i have to send in 4 reports throughout my year to inform them of my experiences etc.) and i couldnt beleive that that meant that I was done half of my year here! I still cant beleive it.. HALF MY YEAR!!! wow! It went by really really fast!!
Byebye
Brianne
samedi 5 janvier 2008
New Years!
Hello! well this new years eve was the best one ive been too in my entire life!! i went to see Taipei 101 , the fireworks and they were soooo amazing! we went to this park that was near the building (which is i think the tallest building in the world currently) and it was the last year that they did the fire works starting from the building.. it was soo amazing!! it was really great here is my favorite picture of the Taipei 101 :
See you guys soon....haha
byeee
bri
See you guys soon....haha
byeee
bri
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