My life and other things that have happened

Coming home from Carrefour today, I was giving the taxi driver directions and on arrival at the flat he gave me a big smile and told me that my Chinese is very good. I can't tell you how chuffed I was. I haven't learnt a lot but I'd like to think that what I have learnt I'm saying correctly. Pronunciation is really hard and very important in a tonal language like Chinese, so I was really please when the taxi driver told me my Chinese is good. James and I haven't been taking lessons sadly but we're picking things up as we go along. Two of James' students are teaching him some words and I'm picking things up when I'm out and about shopping etc.  What have I learnt so far and more importantly what am I confident saying: Hello - Nǐ hǎo Goodbye -  Zàijiàn Thank you - Xièxiè ni Yes, thank you - Shì de, xièxiè nǐ No, thank you - Bù liǎo xièxiè  nǐ Turn right - Yòu zhuǎn Turn left - Zuǒ zhuǎn Zhongshan north road - Zhōngshān běi lù Tianmu Wes...

Those of Canadian heritage should find this quite interesting. I was reading through my Taipei travel guide that my friend Emma gave me and stumbled across this short note at the bottom of a section about Danshui. It refers to a Canadian by the name of George Leslie Mackay who was a Presbyterian missionary on the island. It says: "George Leslie Mackay (1844 - 1901) was born in Ontario, Canada. At the age of 28, he was commissioned as the first foreign missionary of the Canadian Presbyterian Mission. He set up his mission station in Danshui, where he stayed for the rest of his life. Besides his evangelistic efforts, he was a dentist and educator and despite being given the moniker "black bearded barbarian" by the locals, he was well respected for his medical work and benevolence. An important figure in Danshui's history, his legacy includes a nursing school, hospital, college, and an ethnography entitled From Far Formosa: The Island, Its People and Missions. ...

I had a fantastic day today with my friends Grace and Daisy at the Yongle Fabric Market. It's a huge building full of all the fabric that you could imagine. We all went looking for different things and I think we all came away happy. I got some cotton fabric to start a new quilt, some stripey linen for some new shorts and some lovely cotton/lycra mix material for a maxi dress. Three yards of the maxi dress material was only £15 which was great. The linen was only £15 and there is enough there that I'll have lots left over. It was really fun hunting through all the stores and feeling all the different fabrics. We have plans to go back :)   On our way to hunt for a taxi in the rain we came across a stage with some Taiwanese opera singers. It was lovely!

I seem to find out something new about Taipei and Taiwan every day. It's a country of many wonders but also some oddities! I think that's what makes it so special. People just don't seem to take themselves too seriously here.  Case in point. The  A380 In-Flight Kitchen, Taipei, Taiwan This Taipei spot replicates the in-flight experience with an interior designed to look like an airplane cabin. Servers dressed like flight attendants wheel around food and beverage carts.  I mean really.... where else in the world eh? You've just got to love it. In a previous blog post I mentioned the Modern Toilet restaurant where diners sit on toilets and are served out of miniature ones. Drinks are served out of urinals. Madness.  On another note, I am constantly astonished by Taiwan's beauty. I was surprised to learn recently that Taiwan has the second highest peak in Asia - Yushan (Jade Mountain) - which rises  3,952 metres (12,966 ft). Hiking is very popu...

Thursday was the Moon Festival or the Mid-Autumn Festival which is celebrated by various countries throughout Asia. We received some Moon Cakes from our neighbours which was really nice and enjoyed a lovely day off. This festival is the equivalent of Christmas here in Taiwan and people spend the time at home with their families. Here's the story of the moon festival which I think is really poetic.  http://www.moonfestival.org/legends/chango.htm The Legend of the Moon Festival  by Thomas W. Chinn, Historian Originally named the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Moon Festival is one of the most important holidays celebrated by Chinese communities around the world. Traditionally, it is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month in observance of the bountiful Autumn harvest. Although old rituals are no longer followed, families continue to gather for a day to relax and eat moon cakes. Upon this occasion, the legend of the Moon Goddess, CHANG-O, is often told to...

Just a short post to show you what the view is like on my commute to work every day :)

I'm sick. This is not terribly unusual however it is frickin annoying. I have the dreaded Taipei lurgi, which comes in the form of a throat infection, swollen glands, stuffy nose and general exhaustion. Went to the doctors earlier in the week and he was great. Immediate diagnosis and four different kinds of drugs. Antibiotics, tablets for the fever, something for a stuffy nose and another thing for congestion. All that for less than the cost of one NHS prescription. Sweet! I've been off work for most of the week and I was hoping I would feel better but I have to admit that I still feel like crap. I've been told that the bugs/illnesses here can be pretty nasty to newcomers so I'm not going to try and fight this. Apart from a few chores I need to do I'm going to try and take it easy.  James and I haven't been up to a whole lot the past two weeks. James came down with this bug two weeks ago and then I got it last Sunday. That's not to say that we've do...