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
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
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
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