Laundry In Taiwan

A cultural difference between Nashville and Kaohsiung is laundry. Earlier this week, my closet was becoming dangerously close to having no underwear; therefore, I decided to wash my clothes.

sTePs tO dOiNg lAuNdRy:

1.     Put soap in the washer, add clothes

2.     Remove a single item of clothing

3.     Rinse off suds from individual item of clothing

4.     Wring out the said item of clothing

5.     Repeat steps 2-4 until all of the soapy clothes have been rinsed off

6.     Stick wet clothes into other side of washing machine

7.     Remove items individually and place on hangers to dry

8.     (repeat steps for dark or light laundry)

It was actually pretty fun, especially when Jubbie, her mom, and I were all helping to rinse and hang up clothes.  I figure I’ll need to laundry about 3 times a month or go naked. 

 The outside said “Shake it up girlfriend”. Thanks DG (won't use your name to avoid the stalkers). This was an absolutely amazing postcard. Also thanks McDad, Asha, and Mikeie!!!

1st Week of Wenzao

TAIWAN!!!!!!!!

We had a long weekend September 10-12 in honor of 中秋節 (Mid-Autumn Festival). We celebrated by barbequing (very, very popular here) and fireworks and no school on Monday. Ya Shu Mammy brought home super delicious moon cakes. At our barbeques, we enjoyed vegetable-green things, something that looked like hearts of palm, okra, corn-shrimps, and a plethora of beefs and sausages. Jubbie said the most important part of this festival is spending time with your family, and my large, extended Taiwanese family got together for a barbeque on Sunday night. 

 Jubbie’s extended family (and me) at the BBQ

Wikipedia on the Mid-Autumn Festival

It’s so beautiful here! I feel like I’m still on summer vacation, because it’s hot, and I’ve been able to read a lot for pleasure. Our NSLI group took a day trip within Kaohsiung, and IEARN did a great showing us around. 

Decoration on the dragon building

Enter through the dragon's mouth and exit through the tiger's for good luck!

NSLI Taiwan Year +Jubbie+ IEARN coordinators=A Great Time

Ready to carry a Taiwanese baby (at Kaohsiung's history museum)

Taiwanese Flag from when Japanese were occupying Taiwan

 keai, keai

Couples here like to wear matching T-shirts in public.

I’ve started to establish my Taiwanese routine and adjust to my new life. After our weekend of barbequed foods, Jubbie had her first day of the new semester on Tuesday, and I began my new classes. (We started our official Chinese class a week before the Taiwanese students.) It’s great being at Wenzao; they have so many class/language options.

            My current class schedule includes two-hours of Chinese a day and then other classes that meet for two hours on various days of the week. My non-Chinese classes include Spanish Conversation, Aerobic Dance, Spanish Movies, History of Spain, Introduction to Italian, Spanish Writing, and a Calculus class taught in Chinese.  It’s pretty sweet. One Spanish teacher is from Mexico City, two are from Spain (adjusting to vosotros), and one is Taiwanese. The Calculus class was an hour of half of introduction in Chinese (so I was lost) and then the teacher put a number line on the blackboard and defined real numbers and I understood. I’m really excited about my upcoming semester. The library at Wenzao has eight floors, and the fifth floor is full of movies in tons of languages along with a bunch of computers with DVD players. The second floor is filled with the most current issue of magazines in Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, and English. I can read Forbes or The Economist or Seventeen or Cosmopolitan (in Spanish or English) or Time or Muy Interesante.  It’s so awesome. The library is incredible. 

            Gideon Yu in Forbes in Taiwan

It’s busy and great. I got my first package from home, (thank you family!) and I’m enjoying rationing my new stash of granola and granola bars from Nashville.

 I love getting mail from the United States (hint, hint). Holler at Henriette, Shannon, Kathy Greene, Sandra, Christie, McDad, Charlie, and the rest of the clan in Nashville. (It takes about two weeks to go home or get here.) I’ll write more soon. Let me know when you get my postcards!

Love,
McKenzie

Blogging and Biking!

Last weekend, Nora and I biked 50 kilometers to Tainan! We're triumphantly finishing our ride back to Wenzao.



OTHER EPIC PICS

Our group before the 50 km ride. Our group consisted of 3 NSLI students (Brandon, Nora, myself), our Resident Director, Abby, the Wenzao Outdoors Club leaders, and cool Indonesian students & Taiwanese students from Wenzao.


Taking off from Wenzao...



On the road...



Resting at "Lover's Wharf"

Energy still running high. The "palm-out peace" is very popular in Kaohsiung.

Group picture in Tainan!

Hey Y'all!

Nora, my friend and NSLI scholarship winner, also has a blog! Check it out using this link:  http://noranoranoratheexplorer.tumblr.com/.









After biking for over SIX HOURS, I'm partially crazed and extremely

excited to make it to the Tainan train station.

Acupuncture

Just Another Breakfast in Kaohsiung:

Nutella toast, blueberry flavored oreos, tea

Recent highlights: seeing the Taiwanese film, “You’re the Apple of My Eye” with Jubbie and her friend Jennifer, eating Family Mart Bueno Bars, trying the Night Market’s stinky tofu for the first time, realizing Starbucks takes American Express and serves frappacinos (green tea flavored is 很好), discovering the great curry restaurant near Wenzao. (So much of this is food related. I’m going to document a sample of the delicious, different dishes I’ve eaten and share. 我愛包子.)

Green Tea Frappacino

Because I’m in a continued battle with my knee, a woman in the Chinese Language Center at Wenzao offered to take me a to Taiwanese doctor after school this week. I had my surgery about 5 months ago, but it had been particularly sore (and ice hadn’t helped) that day, so I agreed to go to the acupuncture doctor. Accompanied by Abby the RD and the Taiwanese teacher, we walked to the office at 4:oopm. I paid the medical fee and sat. (Our student group will actually qualify for Taiwanese medical insurance after living here for 4 months. If I had this universal insurance, the medical visit would have been 100 NT dollars cheaper.) Almost immediately, the doctor invited us into his office, and I explained my ACL surgery and pain with the help of my two adult translators. When everyone was on the same page, he asked me if I wanted to try acupuncture. I’d already paid to be there, so I said yes.

They say I have great legs...

Should I go into details? The 10 minutes of needle in my calf didn’t hurt as much as pulling the needle out (it was a bit like an IV) and the pre-needle, aggressive, left-cheek massage. It was painful, and after the doctor recommended 6 sessions to help with my knee. I’m doubt I’ll go again, but my health problem gave me an interesting experience.