Nantou

Friday, after my last class Gem and I caught a train to Taichung City where we parted ways for the weekend. She to go to a team leaders meeting and I to go spend the weekend with the Nantou Team, which is the team Josie was on.    

Natalie and Riana from the team met me in Taichung City were we

 got Subway for dinner, then headed  to Nantou.

Ying Pan Elementary where the team lives.

We went to the breakfast stand near the school Saturday morning.

Josie was quite insistent that I order her favorite breakfast: "Bacon Dom Bing."

It was DELISH along with some milk tea.

                 

I attended my first real sports day at Ying Pan.

Here are some pictures from it.

                                   
To start of the events some important people gave long speeches in Chinese.
Then, there were some performances, Above, some people dancing in huge costumes.
Does anyone else find them a bit disturbing, or is it just me?


                                   

Chinese Yo-yo

They are sooo good!

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They also had some games for the students and a tug of war which I participated in.

Of course my team lost both times.  :-(

                                 

In the afternoon we went on a a bike ride to a park and played basketball.

I actually made a basket! So proud of myself. ; )

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These are some trees at the park, they are sooo cool!

Some people were selling and flying kites.

The rice fields and foothills (look closely) behind Ying Pan Elementary.

It's hard to admit, but in truth, Nantou is more beautiful than Da Ja.

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Also, I've never gotten sunburned in March before!

In the evening, we rode the bikes to a cute little restaurant.

Tim, Nick, Caroline, Riane, and I.

Sadly, they ran out of dumplings at the restaurant (hum...who was it again that ordered TWENTY!)

Anyway, we rode another mile or two to McDonald's to finish our meal.

I got a kiwi yogurt drink from a stand nearby. YUM!

Sunday morning, Riane and I went to church together and hung out 

while we waited for my train.

Just me, my sunburn, and my milk tea.

That's right folks, I took the train and the bus by myself for the first time!

Round of applause!

Four junior high kids kept me entertained for the fifty minutes I had to wait for the bus. They were all too shy to come talk to me, but had no problem giving each other ideas of what they could say to me in English. I was only standing a few feet away and couldn't help but overhear.

 "Go ask her if she knows how to speak Chinese." 

"Say, my name is..."

One of them either spit or threw an ice cube at my shoe and the other three all exclaimed in Chinese this time. "Say you're sorry!" The fact that I could understand something they said in Chinese was worth it, even though he never got around to apologizing.

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Overview: It was really fun getting to see where Josie lived for the two years she was in Taiwan, travel, and meet new friends and others :-(   just kidding! (About the others, that is)

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Time to get back to the grind!  

HAPPY PALM SUNDAY, everyone!!!