The Day After

I'm home now! I had such a wonderful time on my vacation, and I look forward to many more vacations to come (to Taiwan, Japan, Peru, Italy, etc.) as the years go by. I have the travel bug and don't plan to just sit back and let life pass me by any longer. I guess what I came to appreciate more than anything else is the amazing connections with people that my job has given me over the years. I've met some of the most fabulous people from around the world who have all added so much to my own view of what the world is like and why.

Being back home means so much to me at this point. I know that there will be some stresses to deal with, as I get back into the swing of teaching and taking classes. I will miss my Taiwanese friends/family immensely. However, I look forward to seeing them again, so I did not say good bye when I left this time...only "See you next year." I was so happy to see my amazing "family" at home; to be able to hug my child (who has grown since I've been gone) was priceless. To see and hug Yessenia was wonderful in so many ways (I didn't realize just how much I would miss her while I was gone). It was also great to shake Jeff's hand and hear the words bienvenido and know that I was welcome home. Yes, the reality of my crazy of life is here, but living the vida loco is not such a bad thing when you're surrounded by such a crowd of hecklers (I mean good friends) as I am.

I wish all of my friends an amazing holiday season this year. May your lives be filled with joy and peace, even in the midst of crazy lives. I can't help but think of my parents right now and how they supported my "dreams" over the years. This vacation was dedicated to their memory from the beginning, and I bring back memories that will always remind me of the best that my parents represented.

Day 12 Morning

Well, my flight back is in a few hours. I'm looking forward to going home, but I'm ready to come back whenever the opportunity comes up. I finally understand a little bit of the mixed emotions that our students feel when they come to the U.S. to study. I haven't had a lot of contact with people back home since I've been here other than comments to my Facebook posts, which is cool too. I did my best to share the highlights of this trip, but there is so much to share that I didn't have time to post. I have so many pictures (average of 200/day--you can do the math), but it's the stories behind the pictures that are more important. I'm looking forward to spending more time reflecting on this experience and looking forward to new experiences as the years go by. Life truly is an adventure calling our name and saying, "Take me!" Who am I to tell it, "No!" I would rather give in anyway.

This is all I have to say right now. I hope you all are having a wonderful day.

Day 12 Morning x 2

I feel like I'm in the movie Snow day. I left on the 29th, and I'm getting back on the 29th. I am in the San Francisco airport, waiting for my flight, which will undoubtedly be a little late, as there is a blanket of fog covering the airport. However, it was a relatively easy flight from Tokyo. It was difficult to sleep (I may have gotten about 3-4 hours total), but it was 2 hours shorter than the trip going to Tokyo, so I'm not complaining.

Anyway, it is 10:20 am, and I have 2 1/2 hours until my plane leaves for Spokane. I would sleep except that I'm paranoid that I won't wake up for my flight. I guess I will get my sleep on the plane and on the drive back to Pullman. This is one of the consequences of traveling long distances, but I don't regret taking the trip in the slightest (tiredness and all). Again, I'm not excited to get back to work and deal with all of the stuff I didn't get done before I left, but I'm happy for the experience and look forward to doing it again next year.

I guess I'll write more later. Take Care everyone.

Day 11

Day 11:

How do you define Amazing? Phenomenal? Spectacular? Wonderful? These are all words we use to describe things in English, but they are not enough to describe this vacation. In fact, this has been more than just a vacation. It was a reunion and possibly even a spiritual journey. I felt a sense of belonging in a way and relief that I was finally in a place that I was supposed to be at the moment. These were my thoughts today, as we made our way back from the middle of Taiwan in Changhua to Taipei. I am having a very calm night now and trying NOT to think about dinner (I've eaten more on this trip than I normally eat in a month).

In this blog I'm not putting pictures because even pictures can't describe this journey. I've been on the edge of tears at many times during this trip, as I contemplated the events of May 11 and how this trip just happened to be rescheduled for a time when we give thanks for the many people who have come across our paths and for the events that shape who we are and how we perceive this world around us. We gain perspective by how life shapes our hearts and minds. Life is NOT what we make it, really. Life is a compilation of all that happens and how we respond to the people and events.

I have developed a love for the people of Taiwan and for how they truly live on a daily basis. I've seen people's artwork that shows a passion of spirit and mind. I've seen their ability to survive harrowing traffic and not really worry about it all the time. I've seen elderly people dancing in public places on the weekends and to overcome the stresses of the week rather than spending the weekend worrying about what the next week had in store. All in all, it's been truly life altering in many ways. It's like climbing to the top of a mountain to take a mental picture of the beauty that lies at the top, hidden from everyone except those who ventured to climb (or to ride in a van) to take in the precious moments.

I am not sure when I'll have time to write a Day 12 entry, so to those of you in Taiwan who might be reading this, I want to express my heartfelt thanks for all that you've done for me. For those of you in the U.S. who have ever thought it would be wonderful to take an adventure somewhere...regardless of where...I say take it and not worry about the pocket book. Give up some other things to experience the adventure...the Journey is so much more than the destination. In this case, the destination and the journey have collided in a wonderful way. Yes, there have been some adjustments in thinking that I've had to make, but it's all been worth it. My world has expanded, and I hope to continue expanding it from this day forward.

Day 10

Day 10

Again, I'm writing this entry the day after, so I hope I don't forget too much because there was a lot to remember. I had a VERY busy day, starting with getting up at 4 am to drive to a mountain. I actually slept in the car on the way up to the mountain, but the long drive was absolutely worth it. I will have to write to my friend Jane to get the name of the mountain again (Jane if you're reading this, please comment with the name somewhere), but the basic meaning is that when you go to that place you will forget your problems. I have to say that it's very true.

At the beginning of our hike, I wasn't sure if we were going to make it. The incline was about 60%, and I was worried we would have to climb up through the tea tree fields that dotted the hillside. However, there was a paved road going up the hill, which made it a little easier (although, I can see how it would have been a little slippery at times). I'm not sure how far we hiked (maybe a mile) up this hill, but when we got to the top, I was absolutely amazed. It could have been better if we had gotten there earlier when the mist was still on the pond at the top, but this is one situation where I can't describe it in words so much. It was a very spiritual experience and one I will never choose to forget.

After coming back down from the mountain, we stopped by a replica of a Japanese village. This was the obligatory tourist trap visit, and WOW, there were people everywhere. However, we got a few pictures, and I was still glad we stopped there, if for no other reason than having something different to do.

Probably the most emotional experience of the day was a visit to one of the most beautiful schools I have seen. It's an old Japanese era elementary school that is still being used today. On the weekends, they allow people to visit the school grounds and take pictures. For those of you who knew my mother, she was a devoted elementary school teacher who loved kids. I think if I were to share the pictures, her eyes would light up more from these pictures than any of the others, especially since she also had a passion for history and learning about the past. Anyway, I held back tears the whole time I was there, but it was amazing to see a part of Taiwan's history that is so amazingly beautiful and STILL is functioning today.

I don't have any pictures right now to share for my next stop, but I had the opportunity to attend a traditional Taiwanese wedding party. I was fascinated for more reasons than the fact that I was the only white guy there (an honor in and of itself to have been invited). This was the first time ever (and possibly the last) that I've crashed a wedding. I was not really prepared to deal with a 12 course meal (including appetizer and dessert). What an experience...truly an honor to have had the family come over and thank me for being there. All I have to tell them is "Kongshi" (congratulations).

After the wedding we went to Taichung, where I saw a lot more temples, a lot more people, and had a traditional Taiwanese snack (sort of like ice cream). I was pretty tired after this part of our visit and decided to pass on the night market, so we went to dinner at a Hong Kong style restaurant that was more similar to an American style restaurant (sort of) and then came back to the house to rest. Once again, it truly was an amazing experience that I will never forget, nor do I want to forget it. I hope next time others will join me on this adventure of a lifetime.

Day 9

Day 9:

I'm writing this on day 10 because the day was long, and it was late when I got around to getting on the computer. Anyway, day 9 started out pretty slow. I ate my breakfast at the hotel, which was pretty darn good compared to eating KFC for breakfast. After breakfast, Ricky showed me around a few more places before we had lunch and made our way north to Changhua to meet up with Shannon, Notti, Abi, and Jane. The drive was about 2 1/2 hours, so I slept the whole time so that I could be more rested for the long night of seeing new things and meeting new people. I was thoroughly impressed with Notti, Jane, and Tina's (Jane's sister...also a former IALC student) family. What amazing people they are.

We went to a botanical garden where we had tea and took some pictures and then went to Notti and Jane's family factory (they make egg cakes...kind of like an egg-based tortilla or a flat omelette). After meeting up at the factory, we went to dinner at a place that specializes in Lamb with a Hot Pot (a big boilling pot that you put meat and vegetables in to cook them at your table). It was such a wonderful dinner...I learned a new way to cook lamb, so I was excited...it's definitely something I can do at home...Yay!!!

After dinner we had tea at the factory then they took me to the family shrine, which is in progress right now but already very beautiful. It was amazing to get the story behind the parts of the shrine. I have gone through a LOT of shrines here, but this was the first time I was able to learn what the parts represent. It was a cool experience. I've decided I really like meeting the parents of our former students because there is always a back story behind the students' lives that we will never know until we visit them in their environment. Notti, Jane, and Tina's dad is an amazing man with a passion for what he does and says. It was a pleasure to listen to him talking to the many people around him. I had no idea what he said (until my translators let me know), but it was truly an amazing experience.

I came home to the family home exhausted but amazingly happy to have met some absolutely amazing hosts.

Day 8

Day 8

I'm writing this the morning of day 9 because I was too tired last night to write. At any rate, yesterday was a pretty amazing day...that's sounding like a broken record, I guess. I got on the Taiwan High Speed Rail at 8:50 am and was 200 miles away in Kaohsiung City by 10:23 am. That was by far the fastest ground transportation I've ever been on. Anyway, Ricky picked me up at the train station and started out right away showing me around the town.

I was impressed from the beginning with how many fewer cars there

were. Granted, it was the middle of the morning, so most people were at work. However, I could already tell that it

was a little bit more peaceful of a city, yet it's still a city. One thing I have been struck by throughout this whole trip is the

fact that even in T

aipei where there are an insane amount of people, the streets are pretty clean. They make a major effort to keep things clean around here. Ricky and I were talking about this a little bit yesterday as well. The people here take pride in their country and want to preserve it. I think that's great.

Well, yesterday we drove around the port area, and we climbed a lot of stairs (hehehe). The first stop was to a

former British consulate's residence high on a hill that has a shrine built next to it. We were unable to go inside the residence (I guess I'll have to save that for next time), so I got a few pictures of the harbor from behind the shrine before we moved on. Ricky explained to me that he had been in the Navy in his younger years, so he showed me where he worked, and

I took a picture or two there. Our next stop was the Martyr's Shrine before descending into town to eat lunch with Ricky's parents.

After lunch we went to Lotus Park where I got some really cool pictures of the dragon and tigers. I didn't feel like climbing the towers because the better pictures were down below. We walked around the lake a little bit and got some pictures of turtles sunning themselves, another shrine, etc. before we went to take a ferry to Cilin island. On the island, I got a picture of the bay and

then we hiked up to what we thought was going to be the lighthouse on the hill, but it was actually the former living quarters for the army stationed there. We walked back down the hill and up again to the lighthouse to find out that it had just closed for the day, so we walked back down the hill and meandered back to the ferry.

Ricky drove me around the city at night so I could see the many really cool buildings including an 85 story building (Taipei 101 is 89 stories) and one of the biggest malls I've ever seen (nope, didn't go into it--too much walking already). Finally we made our way to a quaint little restaurant where we waited for an hour to eat dinner, and boy did we eat...wow...I was

really stuffed. After that Ricky dropped me of at my hotel, which he had paid for. I am very impressed with this hotel. It is much nicer than the one I stayed at in Taipei, but I think it may be a little bit less (not sure since I didn't pay for it). Have I mentioned that I have some ama

zing friends?

So far, after 8 days here in Taipei, I have had absolutely no regrets about making the trip. I do realize just how confusing it must be for our students coming to the U.S. at first. My non-existent Chinese means basically that everything I hear around me is noise (and lots of it). I once in awhile hear an English phrase or conversation between two people or a group of people, and my senses become aware that people are actually communicating. Definitely before I come back here again need to learn enough Chinese to at least understand more so that I don't fee quite so lost in the conversations. That is one of my goals for the remainder of this school year and into the next is to learn some basic Chinese so that I can thank Ricky's parents more properly and so that I can say more than hello, thank you, and good bye.

Day 7

Day 7

Phew!!! Today was a busy one, but it was great, just the same. The irony is that I have fewer pictures to show for the day because

much of it was spent inside the National Palace Museum (a HUGE museum) with Yuan Chuang (Shannon's sister) and Yuan's mother where I couldn't take any pictures legally (although, I did get one with my iPhone that I will upload when I get back home...shhhhh). However, the experience wa

s amazing. I was able to see artifacts from Chinese history galore, to include wonderful pieces of Jade & Bronze, pottery from various Dynasties, A whole lot of Calligraphy, to includ

e a multimedia calligraphy room that had some really cool learning tools. I was able to buy a calendar and got a lot of brochures that I will have to read through when I get some of that elusive free time that people keep talking about once I g

o back to the states.

After the museum, we (Shannon, Yuan, and I) went to lunch at another little eatery before going over to meet Shannon to go to Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101. I was able to get a map of Taiwan and we sat for an hour to rest and have some coffee and dessert. It was a much needed break after the walking we did through the museum.

I think maybe the best part of the day, though, was getting to go to the 73rd floor of Taipei 101 (a REALLY tall building) and visit the Google Office there. I started thinking it would be

a really fun place to work for sure...maybe not my cup of tea, but fun. Anyway, I got some pictures of the city from one of the rooms, but it was a little bit dark to get any kind of panoramic pictures (Sorry Jim). I DID, however, get some cool pictures of the building lit up at night, which is pretty amazing to see. I no longer feel like I have to go to New York except maybe to compare it to Taipei.

After our adventure to the top of Taipei 101, we went to dinner at a Sushi place where we ate what I considered a lot of food...hehe...and had a great time just chatting. This was good for Shannon and Notti because Shannon's mom watched Abigail for them so they could actually enjoy the time...I think they really appreciated it.

All in all, it was another great day. My most sincere thanks go out to Shannon and her family for being such wonderful friends, hosts, and tour guides. I look forward to some day being able to return the favor.