Taiwan, a home away from home.

These past 2 weeks have been non-stop traveling, packing, and jet-setting. During the first weekend in October, all 64 Fulbright ETA's gathered in Gyeongju, a historic town one hour from Busan. It seemed like orientation all over again- familiar faces, jam-packed schedules, and non-stop chatter. However, instead of slumbering in the dilapidated (yet charming) halls of Kangwon National University in Chuncheon, we stayed at the Concorde Hotel next to a beautiful, lantern-lined lake. Hmm... not much really to comment on the conference except that we were able to exchange hilarious stories of our experiences at school, at home, and in our new communities. As the almightly Mrs. Shim would say, "Don't compare your experiences," because each of our stories will be different and unique. I hate to say it, but nothing can compare to my life on Jeju Island. Despite a few hurdles and challenges, life has been good. The conference also allowed me to see life on Jeju Island in a new perspective. I think what I treasure the most are the friendships I made with "The Gang of 4....+2." Since day one of orientation back in July (wow, was it really that long ago?) Emerald, Lauryn, Kate and I developed a friendship... it felt like we have all met before and were picking up where we left off. These girls, (plus Alex and Rafiq..hence +2) are my support group in Korea. Without them, I probably wouldn't have such a ridiculous life on the island. I mean, who else has the opportunity to star in not one, but two televised shows, watch ponies do what they do best (by that I don't mean racing...), sing "My Girl" in front of hundreds of perplexed Koreans, and spend excessive amounts of time (and won) at Holly's Coffee?

Currently the Go4+2 is planning a pretty sick trip to Bali, Indonesia. Be jealous.




Let's update on what I have been doing in Taiwan....

I arrived in Taipei last Wednesday (yup I am still here...) a day after I flew back to Jeju from Busan... Talk about speedy packing. The non-stop flight was under 2 hours. I met with two of my aunts at the airport... first stop... NIGHT MARKET!
I basically stuffed myself with food, hopping around from stand to stand on the streets and feeding my face. I might as well eat a lot now, because when I get back to Jeju, I'll end up losing the weight because um... the won't taste as good. The past few days have been spent running around visiting uncles, aunts, and cousins all over. It has been exhausting, but fulfilling. It's such a relief to hear Mandarin and actually understand the language. My mom's brother's family flew in from Shanghai for a few days, so we met up and ate tons of food. We also met with one of my grandfather's students, who used to be the fastest woman in Taiwan! She even won a gold medal back in the day...super famous and well respected.



This week-long trip has one goal- food. The first full day, I went to this famous restaurant tucked away in Yangmingshan mountain outside of Taipei. It's one of those "invite-only" places, and there is no menu. So you just show up, walk around this elaborate garden, and sit down for a three-hour meal. Who knew eating would be so time consuming! The food can only be described as a fusion of Taiwanese-Japanese. I kept laughing because if my dad were there, he would comment on how he could present the dishes even better... always joking. (Each food was presented like art, sometimes too pretty to eat.)







A few nights ago I went shopping at Ximending, the hip night district where the trendsetters hang out. It reminded me of Myongdong in Seoul, but much more spread out. I decided to visit my old apartment building I lived in 2 years ago...that was weird. Little has changed, except it seems like more people have moved into the area and new hotels have been built. Taiwan will always feel like home away from home...


Right now I'm still trying to get over a cold. I must have caught it from one of my students, or on the plane. I'm feeling much better though... because I've been pampering myself each day. Today I went to a salon to get a facial and threading. Threading is an age-old technique of pulling all the hairs off your face, also shaping your eyebrows, etc. It's slightly less painful than waxing, but the results are incredible. In about 30 minutes, I'm going to a spa with my cousin to relax even more. My body is just sore from being sick from the past few days of heavy traveling and little sleep.

Last night I watched the new Zhang Ziyi film "The Banguet." http://www.thebanquetthemovie.com/
It was a cinematic masterpiece, visually stunning and romantic... but the whole story line was awkward and over the top. I wouldn't reccommend it. Don't waste your money on this film. I'm getting tired of watching Zhang Ziyi play the same roles over and over again...

That's all for now. See you all back on Jeju!