My host family (Max, Max's wife, and two daughters), my cooperating teacher (Sunny) and her family (husband Tommy, and son Renon), the school counselor (Rudy), the school director (Yovon) and her two boys (Jackie, and Jeffery) took me out for an adventurous day! Leading up to the day, I really had no idea what we were going to be doing, so I was a little bit nervous. However, I knew I was in good hands, so it took the nervousness factor mostly away.
The day started with me taking the MRT (the public underground subway system) a few stops further into downtown. There I got picked up by my teacher and and director! My teacher, Sunny, had brought me breakfast which was a Chinese style omelet, it was very delicious. It pretty much was the same as an omelet that you would have back in the States. It consisted mostly of egg, cheese, and i think spinach; so it was very plain but nice and light for breakfast! I miss cheese so much, they do not eat a lot of it here, so it was a special treat.
I road in the car with the school's director and her two sons on the way to our first stop! We were going to be in the car for about 30 minutes, so I was a little nervous how the trip would turn out, but I should not have been because it was a very interesting car ride. One of her boys, Jackie, is a senior in high school, and the other one, Jeffery, is a second year chem major at one of the local colleges. I loved getting to talk to them about life as a high schooler and college student here in Taiwan. As you would expect, it seems to be very different. In an effort to keep this from getting to long, I wont talk too much about that, there is much more to come.
First stop, Oil painting umbrellas!! How cool, right?! So we were driving for a while, and then I could tell we started to get closer but had zero idea as to where we were at all. We were definitely not in the city anymore, we were driving on small roads through small building structures that looked a little bit older. Once we parked the car, we walked through little allies, in between houses and buildings, short and tight squeezes. We finally approached a small house, nearly connected to other small houses around the area, with a small grass area in front, and darling picnic tables sitting out front. This is where we were going to paint umbrellas! It was a quiet area that was gorgeous in its own way. First we got to tour the house and area for the back story. So apparently this was a family generation that has been passed down for at least five generations; oil panting large umbrellas for purchase. This particular shop has a client who is one of Taiwan's most famous super starts. There was a large poster hanging in one of the rooms in the house of the woman actually holding an umbrella that one of the shop owners painted herself. She showed us how the umbrellas were made, from dried and striped bamboo branches, then how the material was threaded onto the top. It was incredibly detailed and precise work that was being put into each and every one. We were going to paint smaller versions of them, which I was thankful for because we would have been there all try trying to paint a large one. The designs on the umbrellas were so elegant, I have never seen anything like it before. Each umbrella actually had an engineered button that allowed the umbrella to fully close and open holding it in place. I'm not sure why, but I was not expecting them to acquire this feature. We got to pick a base coat to paint the first layer, and after that dried, we were able to use other colors to paint the design on top. Once they were done, she used a type of glossy liquid that quickly became sticky once applied to the umbrella. This made the umbrella impenetrable by the rain. However, they did worn us that is the rain was too heavy, it could possibly break the material; I don't think I would ever use these umbrellas for actual use, they were too memorable. This activity actually originated from the Hakka culture; which I had no idea what it was at the time, but soon learned that it was a specific branch of Chinese culture that specified to Hakka speaking regions in Taiwan. After a little more research, I learned that the Chinese symbols for Hakka, 客家, actually mean 'guest family'; which made it kind of sweet that I was being taken here by my host family and others that are making my stay so worthwhile.
From this spot, we walked to very small near by lake, that kind of looked more like a pond. It was called Meinong Lake (美濃湖). It is actually the second largest artificial lake in Kaohsiung. It has the capacity to store water for irrigating about 321 acres of farm land. The people I was with told me the lake used to be a lot more full than it is now. I wondered if it really was decreasing in size, or if it was just a seasonal things because they are not among their rainy season yet. Either way, it was beautiful. It had a trail around the outside that many people walked, ran, or biked around, and the mountains in the background made for a magnificent view. To add to the experience, there was an old woman and her husband who were sitting just off of the trail with a stand selling coconut water in small skinny bottles. They had actual coconuts there, that she would puncture with a machine, and then empty out the clear liquid that came from inside. The drink was served warm, but it was surprisingly delicious! So there I was, drinking my coconut water, and over looking a lake with a spectacular view, what a day already! (keep in mind, pictures do no justice any view here in real life!)
Next, it was time to get lunch, not too far from where we had already been, they were taking me a famous noodle restaurant. Which, if you know me at all, you would know that I was so excited. Going out and trying new foods was great, but I have noticed, that when you have people with you that are familiar with the places, can actually read the menu, the experience becomes all that better. So, how could it get any better, I was with a bunch of people that could speak both Chinese and English to help me order from a menu instead of ordering from pictures! I still could not tell you what exactly I had to eat, but it was delicious, it was a kind of noodle (I think made from rice, but do not quote me on that) that had shaved pork in it, and some bean sprouts I think , and some green stuff that looked like the stem of spinach, but did not really taste like it. We had a variety of appetizers, that I also couldn't tell you what they were, but also really good. Either way, it was good, and I was so full following this meal. (The only thing I have found that I do not like here is tofu, and most seafood is a no-go but that is anywhere I go).
After we had lunch we went to an old famous Chinese market. It looked similar to what a farmers market would like like but all of the stores/shops were inside and there were way fewer of them. The stores were full of famous children's toys, foods, candies, and items that are unique to the Chinese culture. There was a shop with a man making shoes, they had a famous tea store where you blended your own power for the tea, they had old style games, and household decorative traditions. It was very unique and I was so happy I got the opportunity to see it with no one better than the experts themselves. I got to see the most famous snacks that are the most popularly eaten during the Chinese New Year. I found out that I am not good at playing with some of the toys that the children used to be play every day. Something that I did learn, that I would not have learned for if I was not with my host family and teachers, is that the Hakka culture that I mentions earlier has a floral like print that they exclusively used mostly to make clothing or in drawings. When we went to this market, many stands had their tables lined with the very same fabric. My host family actually generously bought be an adorable hand bag that has one of thees famous patterns on it; a black background with a pattern consisting of a type of famous Chinese flower. The location of these markets is exclusively known and I left extremely lucky to have the opportunity to go.
Once we were finished here at the market, we were off to somewhere else, that I was unaware of, but was very excited because everything had been so wonderful already. We were only in the car for a few minutes before we arrived at our next destination. It was an old sugar factory where places from all over Taiwan would import sugar cane to, via train as transportation. This place is no longer a sugar plant, but they creatively turned it into a ice cream and candy shop with an outdoor court yard that has a small performance stage and outdoor seating area. There are abandoned train tracks that lead up to the old factory. There is actually three train cars that remain stationary on the tracks that they have painted and turned into a play area for children to run around near. They had more flavors of ice cream than you could have imagined, some interesting flavors to say the least! The ice cream was better than however you are imagining it. My head was not attached during this stop because I failed to take any pictures!
After this, we went to a market that was in a more populated area. It was basically a street with a lot of vendors lining the sides, just like the ones around our apartment that you have heard about but much better. They had food shops, shops on the street, shops inside, places to buy knickknacks, places to by traditional candy and food, places to buy traditional food and new food, and places to actually shop for clothes and what not. We parked at the top of a giant hill, and walked down to the street the markets were on. The view, again, was nothing less than what you'd expect, absolutely beautiful. There must have been a a nearby place that grew a lot of bananas, because there were many places selling various products including many bananas! I had banana cake, which was pretty much the same thing as our banana break, it was great to have a familiar tasking food. I tried a banana egg roll, yeah it kind of sounds gross, but it was like a dried rolled up cracker with banana flavor to it, it wasn't half bad! We walked around here for a while, and then decided to call it a day. I ate so much, I did not eat dinner this night because I was so full from all of the things I was treated to today. I am so grateful to have met such amazing people that take such good care of me while I am here. I would have never had the opportunity to experience any of this day without them.
What a great day for the books!! I am so fortunate for everything I have gotten the opportunity to experience this far. This place is full of great people, for sure!
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