Yingge

I visited Yingge with my aunt and grandfather yesterday, about a 30 minute drive from Toayuan.  It was a Sunday, and we arrived at around 4PM.  There were many tourists, and it was still hot (at 4PM).  Yinggee is a ceramics town.  We walked on Old Street, a looping street with many ceramics shops, upscale and low.

There is a very small shop that sells reproduced vintage candy on Old Street.  I visited this place and bought what looked like matchboxes, thinking that it was candy, since there are many candies wrapped-up to look like household things.  But, when I opened it, it was matches.


I have been reading Digital Fortress by Dan Brown.  It's captivating, with multiple characters interwoven together by the situation.

Taipei

I traveled with my aunt by car to Taipei, a 45 minute drive from Taoyuan, to her work at CTS (news production company).  We brought sushi for breakfast, about 40NTD (about 1.50$)--this was in addition to my bread/cheese and fruit breakfast.  I have been trying to eat as much of the fruit here as I can, because it's fresh and
I used my laptop there for the most part.  After, one of my aunt's colleague took me outside to show me to Eslite Bookstore, a 5-story bookstore open 24 hours.  In Eslite, the colleague left, and my aunt met up with me at one of the dining areas there for lunch.
Inside of Eslite

Afterwords, I took the metro and train back to the house.  The metro ride was a few minutes, then I changed vehicles to take the train.  I took my time to find the train, and I had a some trouble finding it.  When I did make it on the train, I stood for the 45 minute ride (in heels).  After, I walked 15 minutes to the house.

I have not been taking many photos.

Huǒ lóng guǒ

This is preparing "dragon fruit", or pitaya, for consumption.  I have been eating up to a few of these a day.

Ba-la

I have been eating a lot of fruit in Taiwan.  This is a picture of ba-la, or guava; I like it.

Rain

It has been raining in Taiwan since I arrived here.  (Including the previous past 3-4 weeks of rain in Maine, this is my 5th week of rain.)  Tomorrow, the typhoon is predicted to hit this area.  So, it will rain a lot tomorrow.  I am tired of constant rain.  However, rain makes it cooler here.


I have not gone out much; I've gone out very few times since I arrived here.  I have been talking to my family, knitting, and interneting.


I always miss eating cheese when I am in Taiwan, so I have gotten cheese.


I finished a book today titled Room by Emma Donoghue.  I thought that it was interesting and emotionally powerful; very thought provoking.

Now I'm over jet-lag, not sick, and the typhoon will be over in two days: I plan on doing things.  I would like to visit the National Palace Museum and go swimming most.


Tomorrow, students from Ohio will visit NLHS.  I plan on visiting them.
This year, Taiwanese students visited my high school; I spoke Chinese to them.  Now, American students will visit NL high school, and I will speak English to them.

Taiwan

I'm in Taiwan now.  My things are unpacked.  I'm about to go to bed.  I am very comfortable and tired.

Portland

I got very little sleep last night.  I had breakfast with coffee and Ibuprofen (because I'm sick).  I'm worried that my ears will be very painful during take-off/landing, because I have congestion.

I am in the Portland Maine airport.
-I was allowed to check in two luggages, so I'm bringing it (49lb and 38lb).
-On my person (carry-on), I have a backpack: travel pillow, laptop (movies), iPod, food, thermos, cellphone.  It's has weight, but it's compact.  So far, I enjoy traveling "lightly", without a large carry-on.
-I'm pretty comfortable wearing pajama pants, an exercise shirt, and socks with sandals.  It's allowed fashion-wise, because the socks and sandals are both black.  Everything I'm wearing is black; I kind of feel like college-version of 007.
-I'll probably sleep on this flight.
-I'm not looking forward to the 5 hour layover in Chicago.  I don't like to wait when nothing is happening (it's fine to wait while traveling in a vehicle); it feels purposeless.
-There are some people here.  It feels like it's about to get busier in the airport here.
-Another flight (Washington-Dulles) is boarding at my gate now; I'm on the next flight.
-I have an air-travel concept (that would benefit me).  Instead of paying by person, you go in weight increments.  So, if the limit is 250lb: a 100lb person could have 150lb of stuff, or a 200lb person would have 50lb of stuff.  This would benefit people with less weight.  Overall, it's not a practical idea.

(I think that these times are local times of the destination.)
Depart from Portland to Chicago - 5:52AM.
Arrive in Chicago - 7:36AM
Depart from Chicago - 12:53PM
Arrive in Narita - 3:30PM
Depart from Narita - 6:10PM
Arrive in Taipei - 8:45PM

Graduation

I am happy and grateful that my family attend graduation.  It means so much to me that they were there.

Graduation dinner, the night before graduation was yummy and I loved seeing my family.  We had Thai food.

Graduation occurred.  It felt like it took a while, but it was nice overall.  I received my diploma.  Now, I'm a graduate; this seems surreal.  It hasn't sunk in yet.

After graduation was a reception for the new graduates, family, and friends.

After the reception, the graduates went to Gym C, where we each received a bag, each labeled with a name.  It had a big towel and sweater, both labeled with our high school name.  There were make-your-own subways there, snacks, and water.  We changed from our graduation clothes into more comfortable clothes.  Then, we separated into 4 groups, for the 4 buses.
We drove 2 hours to a mountain adventure place in New Hampshire.  My friends played an intense game of life on someone's phone, and we talked.  I was tired during this ride, so I was half-asleep.  There were 3 rides open to us, and I was bitten by many bugs.  I didn't care for this place, nor did most of the students, but we were only there for 2 hours.
Then we drove for 15 minutes to have a buffet dinner at an indoor water park.  After dinner, there were different things to do.  With friends, I did: swimming, hot tub, arcading, made smores by an outdoor fire, and watched a movie.  We left at 2:00AM.
And, we drove to a secret destination in Maine.  For the 2 hour ride back to Maine, some of my friends talked, while the other graduates were asleep (on the bus).  I wasn't too tired for this ride.  We went to the beach, where there was a bonfire; the donuts and coffee were 40 minutes late.  The bonfire was a nice touch, something that the school "owed us" (according to the chaperoned there) because the school did not allow a bonfire during Homecoming this year.
Then we got back to the school at 6:00AM.  I slept until 2:00PM, and then wrote this entry.

Now, I am mixed up with time.  My internal clock says that it's about 10AM, while it's 2:30PM, and I have to get used to the 12 hour difference in Taiwan soon.  I'm leaving for Taiwan in about 36 hours.