Speeches

I have to give a speech in a few days. It is my Rotary Club's birthday, and it is the job of the exchange student to give a speech. The speech is all written out and now I just need to add the finishing touches to my memorization. I didn't have school the other day, so I went and took some pictures. Sorry this post is short. Love you and thanks for everything!

Zai Jian!

The Taizhong Art Museum

Last Saturday I spent the day out and about. My morning was spent sitting in a MacDonald helping one of my friends prepare for an English exam. It didn't actually involve me needing to say too much English. Mostly I had to make sure she understood the questions. Then, I took the train to Taichung. It is a 45 minute train ride, and I was very glad to have my mp3 player. Then, I hoped on a bus. Of course, I accidentally hoped on the wrong green number 75 bus. I went to the end of the line, and then hoped on a bus going the other way and eventually made it to the museum.




I had a great time. They had some great exhibits, and beautiful sculptures outside. I had a great time, but was quite exhausted from my bus rides. I spent most of the next day asleep, which was quite a nice change from waking up early. Thank you sor all your love and support!

Zai Jian!

Taiwan Exchange Student Confrence

Last Saturday and Sunday I went to Tainan for the giant student conference. Only one district from Taipei wasn't there, so I didn't get to see Taylor. I did get to meet some great new people and see my other friends. We listened to a lot of speeches and had two discussion. The speeches were... interesting. The discussions were good. I was in one discussion about how to learn Chinese, and another with the Americans and outbounds going to America. We mostly told the outbounds to be outgoing and talk to people. None of them had any questions, so either they didn't get the message or they are very well prepared. I had a great time, but was exhausted by the end. We road the bus 3 hours back to Taizhong. Then, I took a train home. The train was packed. Close your eyes and imagine for a second. People were pushed close together and piling onto the train. I had to pass up 4 or 5 doors onto the train because there were so many people. It was just a wall of bodies. I ended up getting home just fine. Thank you for all of your love and support!

Zai Jian!

Balloons and Exhaustion

Important info: Our school P.E. uniform is a different color for each grade. 1st years are red, 2nd yellow, 3rd blue. Our school crest is also made up of those colors. So are the uniforms on the Enterprise.

So today was the anaversery of the school. In "celebration" all of the students formed the Crest of the school. To do that, we stood around while the school officers and teachers directed us on where to stand. Then, we would run back to through the crowds and stand with our class. After that, we would run back to form the shape of the crest. We did this for a bit, and then people showed up and watched our final preformance. We ran into place, sat down, bent over so that our backs were showing, and the snapped a picture. Then, we ran back to our previeous grouped formation and stood around for a while. After a lot of boring speeches, the 3rd years were given balloons. They held them up in the air and relesed them on cue. It was beautiful. The ballons floated gently up into the air and were slowly swept away. Then we did more running around until it was time for lunch. Happy Birthday School! Thank you everyone for all of your love and support!

Zai Jian!

Um.. so, yeah.

Not much exciting has happened lately. I have been riding on a lot of trains lately. I find it quite enjoyable, the people watching and landscape out the window. I've had to go to Changhua most recently. I needed more fabric. There isn't a fabric store in Yuanlin, but the ride to Changhua is only about $1 U.S.D. The other day I had p.e. with some of the first years. It was interesting. We played volleyball for a bit, then I taught one of my friends a bit of soccer. I've been haveing a good, calm time. Thank you for everything. Your love and support mean the world.

Zai Jian!

Sewing

My current school life is mostly made up of sewing and other craftiness. Plus chinese. I have 7 hours of sewing classes a week, and 2 dresses I want to make by July. My crocheting/knitting class has moved on to quilting. Everyone is going to make a quilted bag. I decided to design the pattern for mine, and I start cutting my fabric on Thur. In handicraft class we are croceting, so I need to figure out a project. Any ideas?
I moved back to my first host family last Sunday. It is going well and I'm back to my old rutine (which is pretty much the same as my old rutine). The weather is hot again, so it is nice to be back to a house where I know how to work the air conditioning.
Thanks for all your love and support!

Zai Jian!

Penghu

This last weekend, Friday-Sunday, I went to Penghu with my district and 2 others. Lots of exchange students and lots of fun. Penghu is a small group of islands in the Taiwan strait. We went fishing in the ocean (caught 2 small red fish), fishing in a squid "tank", swimming, and haveing a great time. Squid fishing was interesting. You attatch a fish head to a line and toss it in. Then, the squid grabs it in it's tentecals and you reel it in. When they come to the surface they squirt water everywhere. It is a tone of fun, but after a while the squids get quite tired. It was fun to hang out with the other exchange students and be on a beach for the second time since moving to an island. I met a lot of great students and I can't wait untill the end of the month. We have a country wide confrence and all the students will be there. Liz is asking every week, so my expected return date is 7/11. Love you all! Thanks for your help!

Zai Jian!