Country Road, Take Me Home...

It's a different kind of pretty :)

Well, the plane ride was a doozy, but I slept through most of it and made it home. 
I feel like an emotional wreck.
Every time I start thinking about Taiwan I miss it so much and wish I was there. I just felt like I was doing the right thing, what God wants me to do, but now my responsibilities have to pull me back to where I don't really want to be.
Now, don't get me wrong, I missed my family and friends and some American foods. But when I'm here, I feel like I'm just floating along waiting for the next big thing to happen, and when I was there, I was living life like it should be lived. 
I have to go back. 
After graduation, I plan on going into mission work (either Maryknoll Missioners or Franciscan Mission Service) and serving in that sense for two years, but I wish I could just go back to Taiwan! 
I think I might feel this way because it's the only place I've been to that has helped me grow so much... I don't know. We'll see where the good Lord leads me. 
I've only been home for a little while, but it already seems weird.
Where are the squatting toilets? street dogs? chopsticks? Chinese signs? busses? and, most importantly, the Asians?! 
One thing I'm enjoying since being home is the food!

American much? 

Oh, cheese curds, how I've missed you!

Last night, I went to the Rutabaga Festival in Cumberland and had a KC pepper burger, cheese curds and a Mountain Dew. So tasty!

Doesn't really measure up to the night markets! 

I loved Taiwanese food, but I have been jonesin' for dairy products and mountain dew for a while. 
I don't know when I'll blog next...so until I find something to talk about...
with love from Taiw America,
Lauren.

Mini Donuts, jet lag and a sweater... must be in America.

Feels Like Home to Me

If you haven't been keeping track, I'll fill you in on a little secret...
Tomorrow at 9:55 am I will be flying around the world.
BUMMER.
I feel so normal here. How am I supposed to get used to western culture?! Fork? What's that? Oh dear...
Everything is ending and it makes me SO sad. 
On Thursday we had our closing ceremony and each class performed a skit that they wrote themselves.

taking their bows! :)

Not to be biased or anything, but I think my class's skit was the best! 
They worked so hard and had everything memorized in less than a week...makes a teacher proud!
I have been continually amazed by my class throughout all of the summer camp.

 We are obviously the best looking group as well. 

I knew that I was going to have advanced students, but they are just sheepin' awesome! They listened to me ramble, they followed my train of thought when even I couldn't follow it, they participated like champs and they had some really great authentic practice in English. 

We like to jazz up certificate distribution 'round these parts.

Could I ask for anything more?! 
Answer: No, I couldn't.

Korean food after the closing ceremony! I miss them already.

On to more touristy business... Yesterday I rode in a gondola through the mountains.
No big deal.
They're called the Maokong Gondolas and we had to ride for around 20 minutes to get to the top.
It was 
SO
GORGEOUS.
I feel like God really outdid Himself when He made Taiwan. 
It's so beautiful.
Unfortunately, the night before my camera jumped for dead from my hands on to the floor (may it rest in pieces), so I had to use other people for their cameras, and I don't have many pictures. (don't worry though, I bought a new camera at the electronics market for only 2500nt ($85)!)
Yesterday night I went to KTV.
KTV is karaoke, but it's totally different than American karaoke because you rent a room that has a karaoke machine and a big couch and rock out with your friends. Oh, and there's a buffet all night long. 
So legit. 
I'm going back tonight :) (to a different place, of course.)
The next 24 hours are going to be crazy. I'm sure of it.
Apparently, there's a typhoon that's projected to hit all of Taiwan tonight-morning. I really really really hope that it won't because that would mean that our plane could be delayed. We already have a two hour layover in Tokyo, and I'd rather get back to MSP on-time...
Well, I keep falling asleep at my computer, so I suppose I should probably gooiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiio (<-- there's a perfect example of sleep-typing. It's very dangerous.) 
Please pray for me, for the weather and for everyone to have safe travels!
With Love from Taiwan,
Lauren.

pi jiu ma? The Taiwan Beer Brewery was quite the happenin' place!

Asian Prom!

(First of all, sorry I haven't posted in a while, it's been CRAZY BUSY. I decided to split the two posts up so that you don't feel like you're reading a novel!) 


You read that right...
Asian.
Prom.
When I was preparing to come over here and thinking about lesson ideas, I never would have thought that we should do a culture lesson on high school dances. 
How commonplace, right? Well, that's what I thought until I brought it up in passing during class one day and my students were so confused. 
You see, elementary, middle and high school here kind of suck for kids (no offense intended if you're a Taiwanese person reading this! wo ai ni!) 
The reason I say that is because, from an American perspective, the kids never have a chance to be kids. They go to school and then cram school (usually for English or test preparation) and then lessons (dance, piano, etc) 
On Wednesday, I went to a preschool/kindergarten cram school.

The atmosphere of the school was really great!

That's right, 6 year olds are already in cram school. Now, to be honest, the cram school wasn't desks and lecture, but still! I talked to a little girl who is 8, and she said that after she goes to school she goes to cram school, and then, depending upon the day, either piano or dance lessons. That means that she is busy until at least 9 at night. 

I think I will take one of these home with me. :) SO CUTE!

crazy.
Anyway, back to prom.
So, Dayna was the first one to notice the discrepancy in knowledge about prom and spearheaded the whole prom throwing business. 
You know how long it takes a Junior class to plan prom?
months.
We planned it in less than three days. 
in a foreign country.
It was pretty intense (let me tell you, explaining what a streamer is is not an easy task!), but it ended up being SO AWESOME!

It's pretty easy to tell they're in my class :) 

 We had a prom king and queen, we danced to fun music and ate seaweed chips. 
Overall, a fantastic success. 

Our king and queen were so cute!

I felt very mei guo ren buying so much junk food! 

The summer camp had 150 students approximately, and the attendance at the prom was roughly 50.

This might not sound impressive, but we only gave them one day of notice that the dance would be happening. 
SO COOL! 

sometime girl penguin not such a good dance partner with boy penguin. Oops!

Also on Wednesday, my class and I decided to eat lunch together, so we ordered dumplings and bubble tea and ate them in the classroom. They also shared some Taiwanese and Chinese singers they thought I would like, and I did! Chinese music is so pretty to listen to :) 
It was wonderful. 
I love my class so much! They are all crazy and fun and kind and so motivated! 

 Eleen's got attitude! 

I love how much happiness there is in this picture!

I'm extremely sad that summer camp is done. 
When I say this has been the most amazing experience of my entire life, I'm honestly not exaggerating. 
I have always wanted to be a teacher, but teaching for these past three weeks has made me realize how much it fits. I just feel so blessed. So many people wander around wondering what they want to do with their life, but I just know. 
So, so blessed. 
After prom, I spent the evening looking at all of my belongings and hoping they would pack themselves... Unfortunately, they didn't, so I had to pack because we moved out of the dorms and into a youth hostel (which is so nice! Except it's far away from Jingmei) 

Every prom needs a post-prom ;) notice the fancy cups!

What an amazing night. 
With love from Taiwan,
Lauren.

snack time! 

Sometime Girl Penguin Tired

I think my lack of sleep has finally caught up with me. 
I'm exhausted.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still loving it, but I'm just tired.
We seriously never stop moving. Tonight, I decided to stay in the dorm, and it was SO strange. 
And wonderful.
And quiet.
You see, I'm a country girl even if I don't want to be at times, and sometimes I just need to be alone.
So I listened to some Justin Vernon, ate oreos and decorated cards.
Lovely.
Unfortunately, going to bed before midnight seems to be impossible, so I decided I should catch up the viewers at home.
If you haven't been paying attention, this is my last week in Taiwan.
:(
On Sunday I will time travel.
I'm definitely not looking forward to leaving or the plane ride although it will be nice to be normal.
I won't need someone to translate if I want to print pictures.
I won't need to sleep in a dorm room.
I won't be sweating like a 700 pound woman in a sauna.
Maybe if I was living here, It would be easier. I think because I'm only here for three weeks, I am trying to cram everything possible in and there's just not time. 
Speaking of not time, English Summer Camp is almost done :( 
I am going to miss my class so sheepin much. They are amazing. 
On Thursday, they have to perform a skit they created for a 200+ crowd, and they've taken on the task without batting an eye. 
And the skit is good.
It's damn good!
I'm really proud of them and their creativity. I can't wait to watch them perform onstage!
Today in class we did a debate portion, and every single stereotype I've had about Asians being quiet was broken. 
We did an activity where I would say _______ or _______ while pointing to a side of the room, and the students would pick which side they preferred (ex: light or dark, sandals or sneakers, guitars or pianos). When we got an even split, they would pair up and debate in order to persuade their partners to join their side.
There was screaming.
Seriously.
And the funniest part was that one of the quietest students in my class was the one yelling the loudest. 
Like, REALLY loud. 
People in the classroom a floor down could hear us.
I'm so proud! 
In the world of food... Yesterday, a group of us went to a thing called a hot pot. It's sort of like fondue except you use broth or soy sauce. SO TASTY! 
We ate like royalty. 
It was at quite a fancy joint, and we could even buy mixed drinks! Except they didn't taste like there was any alcohol in them...
That's definitely something I miss.
No, I'm not an alcoholic, but I do appreciate a good mixed drink once in a while, and it seems like they don't really exist here.
You can drink tea until you turn blue in the face, but try to find a margarita and you'll be stumped.
Add that to the homecoming meal menu, mom! :)
If you haven't noticed, there are no pictures in this post...Sorry!
I kind of sort of haven't charged my camera since Hualien, so I haven't taken any pictures.
Deal.
Tomorrow is my last day of class, but it's also prom! Yes, that's right, we're hosting a prom for the camp! It's gon' be a hoot and a half! 
With love from Taiwan,
Lauren.

 I can't let you forget what I look like!

oh.mylanta.

This morning at approximately 7am I returned from the most amazing, life-changing, beautiful trip I've ever been on.
I went to Hualien.
SO SHEEPIN' GORGEOUS.
Seriously.
You know those screen savers with the mountains and clear, serene, blue water?
Yeah, pretty sure all of those pictures are taken in Hualien.
Our whole group decided to go last week, and it was quite the undertaking to get everything planned. (Hualien is 3.5 hours away from Taipei, so we had to get train tickets and find a hotel and drivers)
Luckily, we had Frieda (I'm tellin' ya, this girl is beyond amazing) and she planned pretty much everything.

I love Fre Fre! :) 

Hualien is a very popular vacation destination, so getting tickets for eleven people is not always an easy task (especially since we started planning so late) so a group of six of us went on Thursday afternoon and the other five came on Friday.
We took a train that went through Taiwan's countryside, and I was more and more surprised.
Taiwan's got it all.

I enjoyed seeing the farms during the train ride!

Big cities, small towns, countryside, jungle, mountains, waterfalls, ocean, lakes, rivers... all in an area that is not a whole lot bigger than Wisconsin.
Insane.
Don't get me wrong, I love Wisconsin.
I appreciate farms and fields and Madison, but I have fallen in love with Taiwan.
I don't want to leave.
Next week at this time, I will be home.
No offense mom and dad, but I don't want to go home.
I want to stay here.
And it's not just the scenery that's making me want to stay, it's the people, the food, the culture, the language, everything mashed together into one beautiful Asian love affair.
Anyway, back to my Hualien trip.

On Friday morning, we woke up, had some tasty breakfast, and headed to an area where Frieda had been before.

eggs, eggs, eggs. Oh, and mango. :) haha 

 Unfortunately, because it's a protected area, the amount of visitors was exceeded by the time we got there, so we had to wait until the afternoon.
That was okay though because we went to Liyu Lake instead.
The lake was gorgeous (even though we couldn't swim in it because it was too "dirty" ... you couldn't see to the bottom... yeah, I didn't understand that logic either) and we went paddleboating around it.

Obviously, this is an incredibly dirty and disgusting lake... Obviously...

Then we went swimming in a beautiful river that was so clear I could see my feet even when the water was up to my chest.

 the ol' swimmin' hole

Did I forget to mention the waterfall? Must have slipped my mind...

breathtaking.
After we finished swimming, we went to the most amazing noodle shop I've been to yet.
They fry their noodles, so the noodles are crunchy. SO GOOD.
Libby, Dayna, and I each ordered different toppings so that we could share (look at us being native!) so we had beef (me), pork (Dayna) and seafood (Libby).
When they say seafood around here, they mean seafood.

 seafood platter, ma?

Libby's plate of noodles was covered with squid, shrimp, possibly scallops, and ...OCTOPUS!
We were real excited that there was octopus on the plate because we hadn't had that yet.
Yes, you read correctly, I (along with the other two) was excited for octopus.

it gives your tongue a massage while you eat it! How handy!

It was real tasty too! (Way better than squid.)
I'm so adventurous now; I'll eat anything (except chicken butts...maybe).
After lunch, we went back to the protected area and were able  to enter. In this area, there is a beautiful river, HUGE rocks, and a bunch of cliffs.
If you add cliffs, huge rocks (that dam up parts of the river) and a river you get...
CLIFF
JUMPING
Yes, that's right, friends.
I, Lauren Stephanie Hanson, cliff jumped.
There is video proof, and my scream may still be echoing off from the mountains right now.
The cliff we jumped from was around twenty feet (maybe less, but I'm not exaggerating) and NOT flat.

See that cliff on the left? Yeah, I jumped off that. nbd.

It was SO intense.
I absolutely ABHOR heights.
I get shaky, start crying and swear like a sailor (all things you can witness in the video taken of me pre-jump), and this was probably the craziest and highest thing I've ever jumped off.
But, we've had this saying with our group since the first day...
"When in Taiwan..."
It's probably the best motivator I've had. It might seem silly that three words could motivate me to eat stinky tofu, pig blood cake, octopus, to jump off cliffs and take a taxi by myself, but it works.
See, I figure I can only live once, and if I miss out on these opportunities, I will always regret it.
So, I cliff jumped.
The other half of our group arrived at about 6pm Friday night, so we went to eat and then night marketed.
Pardon a bit of back-tracking, but it is necessary to know that for the past week or so, Dayna and I have been talking about chewing betel nut.
Betel nut is a "drug" but not really. It's more like all natural chewing tobacco.
It's a sort of nut/bulb that grows on these trees that look like palm trees. After it's harvested (when it's still green), it is wrapped in a leaf.

betel nut trees

Many of the working class people chew it here because it is supposed to be a stimulant.
So, back to Hualien... Dayna was getting pretty anxious to try betel nut, and I decided "when in Taiwan"  and said I'd chew it too. Betel nut is not illegal in Taiwan, but because it's fresh, you can't buy it in stores and since Dayna and I can't read Chinese, we needed help. Luckily, our driver helped us out. Frieda told him that we wanted to try it, so he bought some for us, and we brought it back to the hotel.

the goods.

There's pretty great video of us trying betel nut for the first time.
It tastes HORRIBLE.
I mean, I've tasted some pretty nasty things, but this was real bad.
And, it changes the color of your spit to a red-orange color, so it looks like you are bleeding.

mah spittoon. 

Ridiculous.
But, we chewed it.

Nothing happened! It was kind of a disappointment, but at least I can now say that I've chewed the betel nut! (It makes me feel pretty badass)
On Saturday, we went to Taroko National Park to see the Taroko Gorge.

there sure was a lot of nature out.

Talk about a testament to God's living presence on the Earth!
Holy guacamole was it GORGE-ous. (haha I'm punny)

isn't that neat?

We drove all around and just about died a few times (one lane roads with mountain on one side and gorge on the other are kind of scary when a double decker tour bus is coming from the other direction...)

I'm artsy...sometimes.

Then we went cliff jumping again (we couldn't let the other group miss out!)
The second time, we had to hike to the area we were going to swim at.

(Timon and Pumba were right behind us)

We hiked through essentially the jungle (I don't know what else you would call it) for twenty minutes, and when we got to the swimming spot, I could see why Frieda's friend wanted to walk that far.
Pure beauty.

The area was the aquifer for the town, so it had a pump station, but there was also a cliff to jump off from. I didn't jump again (I was still in a leeeetle bit of pain from the day before) but it was fun swimming in the beautifully clear water.
Oh yeah, and we went to the Pacific. nbd.
It was beautiful, and I am happy that I now can say that I've touched both sides of the Pacific!

 that's pretty neat!

Chacos love the ocean.

We went back to Taipei on a red-eye train, and rode the MRT back to Jingmei.
I still went to church this morning (probably one of the activities I'm most proud of because I go by myself which is sometimes a challenge) and only got a few hours of sleep, but I feel so awake. I know I'll pay for it tomorrow!
Oh well, Ed's has tasty coffee.
Tomorrow in class, we are talking about high school dances because on Wednesday we're throwing a Prom! I'm quite excited!
Until tomorrow,
With love from Taiwan,
Lauren.

Coconut anyone? 

An Ode to Frieda :)

So...long time no blog!
Sorry, I was doing this thing called living life. :) 
Actually, not too much has happened since I last wrote...
besides a bajillion things. 
You see, it's hard not to do a ton of stuff when you are living in such a bustling and energetic place.
I am under the impression that Asian people do not sleep.
Seriously.
I feel like a tortoise when I only get six hours of sleep (which is becoming the norm for me... Yes, mom, I know that it's bad for me. No, mom, I don't care. Live or life!) and they're suggesting we go to KTV (Karaoke) from midnight to 6 am?! 
That's crazy talk. 
Anyway... 
This weekend (aka Thursday) we are going to Hualien (which I may have said in an earlier post...I'm real excited, deal.) and it's going to be amazing, but only because of one person. 
Frieda.
Frieda is my Taiwanese angel.
She has helped us with SO MANY THINGS.
Our whole group fails at speaking Chinese which starts to be a problem when you want to plan a trip. Going to Hualien is kind of a big deal because you have to book train tickets and find a hotel and rent a car with a driver and a bunch of other things. Can you imagine doing that... in another language? 
Yeah, me neither.
Luckily, Frieda has helped us with everything.
I know for a fact that this experience would be much less fun and interesting if I didn't have a friend like Frieda here to help ease the culture shock. 
I'm so blessed.


In class, we've been working on mystery (which was a hoot and a half! We played Mafia and had so much fun!), romance (SO INTERESTING! Weddings here are COMPLETELY different than weddings in America. Crazy.) and food. 
Today was the day we talked about food.
Talk about a conversation starter.
Let me preface this by saying that my class is fleepin' amazing.
Seriously. 
They are game for anything I throw at them (and usually it's pretty crazy and off the cuff.), but sometimes it's difficult to have a conversation.
See, in Taiwan, the teachers stand at the front of the room and lecture at the students. 
I think one of my students said it best when she said,
"Taiwanese professors are afraid of the question."
Students are NOT encouraged to participate or give feedback (generally), so when I try to facilitate discussion it is sometimes a challenge.
Not today.
We compared and contrasted regular meals in Taiwan and in the US, and it was so interesting! 

 So interesting!

I love Word of the Day! :)

Then I assigned the students to comment on a photo album I made with pictures of American food, and I've been enjoying their comments all evening. 
My favorite is:
(Looking at a picture of a plate of brownies)
"There's a flood in my mouth!" 
:) so clever!
I.LOVE.TEACHING.
It never gets old. I'm always thinking of things to change or adjust. 
It's amazing. 


As for sightseeing the past couple of days, I have gone to Gongguan (where National Taiwan University is located. Pretty much a hub for entertainment and eating near Jingmei) for steak (AMAZING.), 

visited Taipei 101 (it's a tall building...yup.) 

 thar she blows!

 So much city so little time

 Holding errthang together...with glitter!

 Quite the elevating machine. 

Beer float, ma? (I do not endorse putting frozen yogurt into your beer.)

eaten at Modern Toilet (a restaurant where you eat out of toilets) 

Was it the tastiest thing I've eaten? Nope. Was it the funniest thing I've eaten out of? Yup.

and gone to the Shilin Night Market (the biggest, baddest night market this side of the Great China Sea.)

 Guess what? CHICKEN BUTT! But seriously... chicken butt.

Deep fried milk on a stick= tasty deep fried pudding heaven

I just keep having fun! 
For all you blogaholics who need to hear from me every day: Because I will be going to Hualien, I don't know how much access I will be having to the internet. Therefore, don't expect a blog from me until Sunday :) I'm sure it will be filled with beauuuutiful pictures!
With love from Taiwan,
Lauren.