New Years!

Sorry this post is late!

Christmas was a blast. I stayed up untill 1am at the Rotary Christmas Party. It was a lot of fun, but I was exhausted. Now, in only a few days, it will be the new year. The exchange students are all going to Taipie to celebrate. I am going to be missing a day of school, but that is just fine. This year is very exciting for Taiwan, because it is also the 100 year aniversary of Taiwan's independance. I will be exhausted. Wish me luck! Thank you for all of your support and love!

Zai Jian!

Nothing....Except Christmas!

Not much has happened lately. I did get the package from home and all of the letters, but that was the most exciting thing. I opened the chopsticks today, they are awsome! Thank you so much. I get to go to the Rotary student Christmas Party on Saturday. I have to read a poem. I don't have to memorize it, but it is still difficult. Thank you for all your love and support. I love you! Merry Christmas!

Zai Jian!

Still Tired

Even though it is Teusday, I am still trying to stay awake from my weekened. Saturday was a grand adventure in Taizhong. I went with two of my friends to a museum and saw an exhibit on Hans Christian Anderson. He was the guy that wrote The Little Mermaid. Then, we went shopping. After that, we went home. Overall, we spent about ten hours out and about. Maybe two hours was spent in transit on the train. On Sunday I went to one of my friend's house. She lives in the country. We biked around and lookaed at the different fields, her farm, and some goats. It was a lot of fun, but I was exhausted. Also, Wed-Fri was a sports competition at my school. My class did very well, even though we were not the best. I have about 35 people in every class. It is a good number, but I am still having trouble memorizing names. Thank you for all of your love and support. I'm sorry I haven't add pictures recently.

Zai Jian!

Winter?

It has been a little nippy lately, but not enough for me to need to wear a jacket. All of my classmates, on the other hand, have taken to wearing their warmest coats. Last weekend was different. All of my plans got changed, so I ended the weekend a little ticked off, but that is okay. Everything worked out in the end. School has been going well. I have to give a small speech in Chinese next Monday, so wish me luck. I hope everything is going well with everyone else. I am updating pictures soon, so I will post a few on here. Thank you for all of your love and support. I love you all for it.

Zai Jian!

TURKEY!

Rotary Feild Trip and Turkey!

I went on a feild trip all day with the exchange students last friday. It was insanley fun. I love hanging out with all of these people who can relate with me. Plus, it is fun to talk about stuff that I really don't get to talk about with anyone else: American polotics, music, movies, and other stuff like that. We went to many different museums and a traditional Chinese opera. One place we went to was a factory that sold 'chiken extract; in tiny bottles. I sent a postcard from there home, so enjoy. Unfortunatly, you will have to wait until I get back to see what it looks like.
Other things of intrest and a few answered questions:

I made a mistake, in Taiwan my handy crafts class(Tues.) knits continental, but my knitting/crochet class (Thur.) knits European. So, I have to learn how to knit continental.

Pineapple cake bakery: a bakery that specilizes in making pineapple cakes (about 1x1x2 inch pastrys stuffed with pineapple).

Fashin in Tawian is simular to that in the U.S., though my style is changing.

I got the turkey, it looks awsome. This must be how Rogane feels. :P

I finished my NaNoWriMo!

Everything is going well, thank you for all your love and support. I love you all!

Zai Jian!

Field Trips!

Sorry this post is late. Yesterday, I went with my sewing class to Taichung for the day. It was really fun. We went to a culture museum, then a mall, and then to a pinaple cake backery. My favoirte part was the photography exhibit at the mall. The photographs were beautiful. Today, Wed., I went shooting with my classmates. It was just targets, but it was difficult. We shot T-91's, they kicked a lot and were very difficult to aim.
I haven't noticed anything simular to Thanksgiving or Black Friday in Taiwan, but maybe there is something later.
I love you!

Zai Jian!

Taichong

Life has been going well. I am doing better with the language and making lots of new friends. Last Sunday, after church, I went to Taichung to see a movie with my host family. It was fun. The movie was horrible, but I had a good time anyway. It is always nice to be out with my host family. One of my host mom's friends came too, she brought her son. Her son was about ten years old, I think. After the movie, we all ate dinner together. It was delicious food, I had dumplings and some soup. I also had some pearl milk tea as part of dessert. It rained all day Saturday, and even a bit on Sunday. I had hoped to go take more photos last weekend, but the wheather had a different plan. Thank you foor all of your love and support, it means the world to me. I love you all!

Zai Jian!

PICTURES!

Late! Sorry.

Hello, I'm sorry this post is late. I have been so busy and I am sending a letter home today, don't worry. This weekend was fun. On Saturday, I went for a walk and took pictures. They turned out really well, but there are too many to put in now. I'll add them in a new random post tomorrow. On Sunday, I went to church again. It was nice, but I am still a little confused. Then, I went shopping with my host mom's sister's daughter (Host cousin?). I had fun, and I like to look at all of the different styles, even if I only buy one thing. Thank you for being so supportive. I am so sorry this was late. I love all of you, and thanks for everything.

Zai Jian!

P.S.

In Taiwan, they knit continental, not European.

Shopping

I have been updating my wardrobe to Taiwan's fashions, but it has been a little difficult. There are plenty of places to by things, the night market, or the giant clothing market by the train station, but size is an issue. I am taller then most of the girls my age, and I have gained weight since I came. I haven't found any jeans I like yet, but I have plenty of new shirts, skirts, and a few dresses. On Sunday, I got to go to church. It was all in Chinese, so I didn't understand it, but it was fun to watch and listen. I hope I will be able to go next week. Then, After I had lunch, I went on a bike ride around town. I needed more supplies for my crocheting, and a few other things. Then, I went home and we went to dinner, just me and my host parents. That is when i found out that I was going to a barbecue. It was really fun, their was a guy from the U.S. there, so we talked a bit. He has been living in Taiwan for 12 years, and speaks Chinese very well. It was fun to hear his views on the culture, and the things that the people in Taiwan won't tell you. Like how the laws are more of suggestions, and they don't really kill people for dealing drugs. I have been having a good time. My school doesn't do anything like homecoming, mostly people study. I have everything I need (money, clothes, food, and my host family is letting me borrow a guitar), so don't worry. I love you all!

Zai Jian!

Birthday!!! and Lugang

Today was my birthday. It was a lot of fun. I got to open the package from home this morning. Thank you for all of the letters and the presents. At school, every single one of my classes sang happy birthday to me. My home room class got me a cake and some presents. It was a lot of fun. My Chinese teacher got me some note cards with Chinese sayings on them, they also have the English translation on them.
Lugang is a town near mine. We went last Sunday to visit a temple there that is dedicated to the goddess Mazu. It was very interesting. All around the temple were vendors selling many different things. Some had food, but there were also clothing and toy vendors. It was very fun. Thank you for all of your love and support.

Zai Jian!

Jiji and keyboards

Last Sunday, I went with 4 of my friends to Jiji. It was a lot of fun. We took the train from Yuanlin to Jiji, and then we rented bicycles. We got 2 tandem bikes, and 1 regular one. I got to ride on the back of one of the tandem ones. We rode to two temples, one outdoor museum/exhibit, and all around town. The temples are beautiful, the colors are so vivid the architecture is amazing. The collapsed temple collapsed 11 years ago during a large earthquake. It was still beautiful and interesting, even though it was damaged. The museum/exhibit was of old military vehicles. They were interesting, but not nearly as fun as the rope swing there. For lunch, we went to a local restaurant and had dumplings. It is banana season in Jiji, so everyone was either buying, selling, or growing bananas. I had a lot of fun, and my friends got me a souvenir puzzle as an early birthday present. I got the package that my mom sent, opened it, and put it away. I plan on saving my present for my actual birthday. All I know, is that it includes bubble wrap :D. Thanks!

Zai Jian.

Rotary Weekend

This last weekend has been all about Rotary. Saturday, I wen to the District President's home and made dumplings with some of the other exchange students. It was a lot of fun, we didn't spend a lot of time making dumplings, mainly we just chatted. It was great, we had so much to talk about. It helped that their were only 10 of us, 6 from the U.S., one from Canada, one from Mexico, and two from Thailand, so we were able to talk as one big group.
Sunday was Taiwan's National Day, and the exchange students in some of the districts got to be in a parade. (It was the anniversary of the day when the dynasties were overthrown in China, and a new government was formed. This is not the day Taiwan became its own country, that is Jan. 1.) I left Yuanlin at 7:30 and arrived in Taichung at 8:15. All the exchange students in my district met in Taichung, then we took the bus to Taipei. It was about a 4 hour drive, maybe a bit shorter. When we arrived in Taipei, we got of the bus and waited until the parade started. There, we met with the exchange students that are living in Taipei. It was great to see all the people I meet at the airport, and to trade stories. Taylor (from my U.S. district) was there, so we got to catch up too. When the parade finally started, everyone was already tired from the bus ride, so the 5 kilometers (about 3 miles) was a little annoying. We had a good time, and ended up in a lot of newspapers and on t.v. I took some pictures, but I haven't had time to put them on facebook yet, they will be there soon, along with the pictures of a keyboard.
Thank you everyone for your love and support. It means a lot to me that you want to know what I am doing. I'm sorry you haven't gotten any letters recently, I have been so busy. I will try to send them every 10 days or so, every week if I can. I sent one yesterday, so give it a week and it will be there. I love you all!

Zai Jian

Sitou

Sitou is the name of the mountain I visited with my host family last Sunday. It was beautiful, but very rainy. We went on a short hike and looked at the oolong tea plants that covered pieces of the mountains. Unfortunately, that was the same time the rain decided to show up. We had to leave early, because it was just horrendous. Because I have so many pictures, I am putting the rest of them in a folder on my facebook. Otherwise, it would just take up too much space. If I am not friends with you on facebook, tell me in a comment and I'll friend you. You could try to find me, but there are over 5,000 'Jenn Lewis's on facebook.
I have been having a lot of fun. Everything is going well, and I feel comfortable when I go around town or to the park alone. Everyone is nice, and I have many new friends. I love all of you, thanks for keeping up on how I am doing.

Zai Jian

1 Month

I cannot believe it has already been one month. I am having a great time, and learning so much. My classes are going well, and everyone is so nice. People are always saying hello to me at school. It can be annoying, but it is sweet that they are trying to be friends with me. As promised, though a little late, here are the pictures of my uniform. It is actually quite comfortable, and it is nice to blend in a little. It sounds like people are confused as to what moon cakes are. They are a baked dessert eaten during the Mid Autumn Festival. Their are thousands of varieties, but I only have tried 4. My favorite is filled with green bean paste and 1/2 an egg yolk. I think it is delicious, and the yolk adds some salt to all of the sugar. Also, in handicraft class, we made bracelets. They turned out better then i expected. Thank you for all of the encouragement, I love you!

Zai Jian

Tuesdays (The pictures are in reverse order and I don't know how to fix it, sorry)

Tuesdays are very interesting days, especialy this Tuesday. So, I wanted to let everyone know what my Tuesdays are like. Here are pictures from throughout my day, start to finish. It begins with me biking to school with my neighbor. Then, I go to the kindergarten for 1 hour. The kids are insane, but it is fun. I don't think I could last for more then an hour there, it is just a little to crazy. Then, I have sewing for 3 hours. We were working on small test shirts today, and mine is almost finished. After that, it is lunch time. The food isn't amazing, but that is to be expected, it is school food after all. Then, I have chinese class in the library, the giant elevator-less building in the picture. Then I had free study time, so no pictures.
After biking home, I go to dinner with my host mom and dad. Tonight, we went to Japanese food. The food pictured is what I ordered, beef and rice. The desert was a rice ball. It was all really delicious.
Then, we went to a Rotary gathering to celebrat the Mid Autumn Festival tomorow. It was awsome, their was great food, fireworks, and nice people. In the final picture, my host dad is on the far left, my host mom is on the right, the man next to her is one of their friends, and his daughter is standing behind him. The girl infornt of me is another one of their friend's daughters.

Uniform!

I finally got my uniform today! Now I can send in some pics next time. Here is my school schedule:

-Monday: Math for 2 hours, Multimedia Design for 2 hours, Self study for 1 hour, Handicrafts for 2 hours, P.E. for 1 hour.

-Tuesday: Help in Kindergarten for 1 hour, Sewing for 3 hours, Chinese for 2 hours, P.E. for 1 hour, Self Study for 1 hour.

-Wednesday: Cooking for 4 hours, Class gathering, school gathering, and then club. I don't know what I club I will join yet.

-Thursday: help in Kindergarten for 1 hour, Crocheting for 2 hours, Self Study for 1 hour, Clothing Design 2 hours, Chinese for 1 hour, Piano for 1 hour.

-Friday: Activity Design for 4 hours, Piano 2 hours, Children's crafts for 1 hour, Self study for 1 hour.

I am very happy with my schedule, and I think it is going to work very well. I am having a lot of fun, and studying plenty. The weather is still insane, and I hope it will clear up soon. Cooking class is my favorite, along with sewing and fashion design, and the moon cakes turned out delicious. Moon cakes are a traditional pastry during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The ones we made were stuffed with green bean paste and some other ingredients that I don't know what they were. I have cooking again tomorrow, and I have no clue what we are making, though my Chinese teacher suspects we will make a different type of moon cake. The Mid-Autumn Festival is this weekend, so that should be fun.

Here are the answers to the new questions:

I call my host mom 'Jenny' or 'A yi' which means aunt. I call my host dad uncle or Jin.

I do live in an apartment, but it is huge. It is 4 stories tall, and each floor is a good size.

I think about 400 SCRATCH THAT 1,200 STUDENTS IN MY SCHOOL students in my school, but I am not sure.

Their are 3 types of high schools. Schools for people that want to major in history and language, and those that want to major in math and science. Vocational high schools are also very common.

People get to choose what school they go to.

I am about 120 miles from Taipei, and 30 from Taichung.

Thank you for all of your support. I feel the love and prayers all the way over here. They have kept me going strong when I am weak. I love you all!

Zai Jian

Monsoon!

We have had at least 3 monsoons in the last week. The weather has been insane, monsoons aside. It is always hot and humid. It can be sunny in the morning, and raining the whole ocean down by lunch. I started riding a bike to school this week. It is relatively flat, so it is a quick, simple ride. This week, I also started my schedule. My only academic classes are my Chinese, and one math class on Mon. Tomorrow, I have cooking all morning, and I heard we will be making moon cakes. My classes are going well, and I am having a lot of fun. I do not have a uniform yet, but I promise, their will be pictures as soon as I do. Here are some answers to the questions I have received:

I am in math class with the first years. I am not sure what level it technically is.

I am not sure if hibiscuses are naturally occurring in Taiwan.

I am not taking any science classes, but because my school is home ec. and bossiness, I don't think their are any.

I have no clue about the constellations. I live in the middle of the city, so their are a lot of lights all of the time. Plus, I am exhausted by the end of the day, and I fall asleep fast.

I don't think I will ever get to meet my host brothers. One is in Brazil for a year, and the other is in New Zealand.

My Host mom and dad are very helpful and supportive.

Thank you everyone for being so helpful and kind. Love you all,

Zai Jian!

School and vacation

Today was my second day at school. I have not gotten a uniform yet, but I promise, there will be pictures as soon as I do. My school is great, and everyone is very nice. I got to make my schedual today, and it is mainly electives and chinese. My only realy academic class is math. My host family is very nice. My host mom speaks some english, and is very helpful. My host father speaks no english, but is very nice. Last weekend, I went with my host family and the local Rotary to the Peiking creek resort and spa in the mountains. The girl in the picture is Jessica, her parents are in Rotary too. Thank you all for being so supportive.

Zai Jian

The Round Forrest

I finally made it. My bags are unpacked, and it is only 10:30. I am glad to finally be here, and excited for the days ahead. Sorry I didn't post on Tuesday, I kind of lost a day during the flight. I met some of the other exchange students at the San Francisco air port, and we traveled together until we went with our host families.

Zai Jian!

Flights

It's weird that the countdown has changed from weeks to days. I have gotten my 'ethnic costume' together, and it isn't half bad. All the final paperwork is being sent in, and all final arrangements being made. I don't start packing my suitcase for a few more days, but my room has been in the cleaning/packing process for a while now. One odd thing is that school at Placer starts tomorrow, and I don't have to go; not sure how my teachers are going to react. I'm a little nervous, but I am much more excited.

Zai Jian!

Almost there!

I am excited to leave, but a little sad. I am going to miss everyone, and everything. Especially English for a while. I have almost everything I need. It appears the only thing I am lacking is an 'ethic costume'. That took me by surprise. What type of ethnic costume am I supposed to wear? The only thing my mom and I came up with is western wear. I don't know. We will figure it out. I really appreciate all the support I am getting. Thanks for staying beside me!

Zai Jian!

3 weeks...again?

Yes, it is true. It has come to my attention that I have 3, not 2, weeks left. I will be getting my final departure date soon. Whenever I leave, it will be 2 flights. A short flight from Sacramento to San Francisco, and then I have my 10 hour flight from San Francisco to Taipei. I am itching to go, but their is often another hoop to jump through before I do. Everything seems to work out in the end, so their will be a new beginning. I have been asked a few questions in the last week. Here are your answers: Zai Jian means goodbye, and I do not have a planed big going away party. Rotary suggested I don't do anything big when I leave or get home.

Zai Jian!

Jenn

3 Weeks.

In just 3 weeks I will leave to Taiwan. I am very excited to go, and don't have much left to do. It is odd, knowing you are leaving. It hasn't really effected me, and I don't think it will, at least, not until I get on the plane.

Zai Jian!

-Jenn

The Start

Everything has to start somewhere, and I am starting here. At the moment, I am one month away from leaving Auburn to travel across the Pacific Ocean. Here, I will tell of my travels, and all the amazing things I am doing. I hope you enjoy the blog. Please visit often, as I will try to update once a week.

Zai Jian!

-Jenn