I realize that I am writing this blog post two weeks later but these two weeks have given me enough time to truly reflect on my homestays which took place during my spring break on April 04-April 06. My first destination was Taichung and as I have mentioned earlier in my posts that I would return to Taichung but this time I received a much more traditional feel for Taiwanese culture that seems absent in Taipei.
Returning to Taichung--Da Jia Matsu
As someone who currently lives in Taipei and most of my view points about Taiwan have been influenced largely by Taipei, I was refreshed by the easy going nature of Taichung which seems less fast paced and this is the place where one can genuinely experience ordinary Taiwan, unlike what you see in all the touristy brochures, which tend to advertise Taipei as the representative of all of Taiwan. You rarely ever learn about cities like Tainan, Changhua, Taidong, and Hualien. I think Taipei can get boring easily and you have to venture out of Taipei to get another feel for Taiwan because this country has so many unique sights and experiences that cannot just be experienced in Taipei alone. Taipei is a great city to be in but many times it makes me want to go to other city where life moves at a slower and much more relaxing pace. It really gives you time to interact with others in depth. No one really has to go anywhere. Taichung definitely feels this way and in Taichung I can experience each and every moment just as I would like to. But back to the topic, I went to Taichung to see the celebration of Da Jia Matsu who is a goddess worshipped in Taiwan and known for helping solve other people's problems. I was fortunate to listen to Ma Ying Jeou speak at the temple as there were many people wanting to do the same but could not. This was my second time to be able to do so as I heard him speak at the 2.28 memorial. When I entered the temple I felt so stuffy to the point where getting out was out of question because more and more people crowded in. Thank goodness I am not claustrophobic or else I would have just had a scaring experience instead of a cultural one. However, I was able to pray to Matsu about my midterm grades which I hope are good and I swear to my grave I might give this religion some credibility if I get good grades. Nevertheless I had a blast peering at the traditional temple and experiencing people crowding in around me just waiting to pray.After spending 30 minutes to an hour shuffling through the crowd in order to tour around the temple, I was so glad there was a way out because the stuffiness simply wore out my patience. We did however get to go to random bakeries and try various deserts like Taro icecream--YUM.
Taichung--The Homestay
After shuffling through the streets eating random free food and deserts, we had all loaded in the car waiting to be dropped off at our respective homes. My lovely little sister Debby and I were anxiously awaiting whom we will stay with as CIEE did not inform us ahead of time even their names! We eventually discovered that we were living with three roommates--one who is in college, another who is working, and another who is working but not in college. To my surprise, I was able to hold a conversation with all of them even though I feel my Chinese isn't quite up their par. I must say I enjoyed their company and I wish to see them soon. I am so glad they decided to let total strangers--particularly me--spend a night in their homes. I brought them a small snow globe as a gesture of kindness and in hopes that they remember me. The next day we had breakfast with them and visited a nearby shopping mall.
Hsinchu
This is where I experienced the feeling of living with a host family and I think this may just be the highlight of my cultural experience because I got to meet my little sister Debby's parents and they let me experience their home town and its amazing delicacies. I truly adore Debby and her family for this experience. I had many frank conversations with them about Chinese culture and politics surrounding Taiwan as well as cultural differences between Taiwan and America. The amazing thing is that they were so open to the discussion and I realized that Debby's father and I both have an affinity for politics, which made the ice so much easier to break! The next day I visited Beipu, where I tried rather all sorts of drinks and deserts. Pictures will be uploaded soon! If I don't upload them, please message me on facebook reminding me to do so!
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