Apologies for not updating for a while! I have had a somewhat busy couple of weeks. Truth is, it's a bit difficult/annoying to update the blog from the iPad, so that's a major reason why I haven't. I plan to get a keyboard for it though so maybe that will make it easier. I guess I will just try to list the highlights this time!

Last Sunday, I met up with Viola in Nangang and we went to her boyfriend's 3v3 basketball game. Then we went to lunch with some of her classmates who I was meeting for the first time: Hope, San Ru, and Bug. They are cool people :) We ate at a sushi place. I am a little wary of raw fish so I had a cucumber roll, a tuna salad roll, and other cooked "sushi." They coaxed me into trying half-cooked/half-raw nigiri and then convinced me to try actual raw nigiri. I tried a small bite...the flavor was fine but I was not crazy about the texture. Fully raw sushi...not my thing. But I am glad I tried it. (I think most of y'all know how I am about texture!) After lunch we all went to Ximending to see a movie. It was so crowded there! It reminded me a bit of Times Square...lots of billboards, ads, lights, shopping, and very crowded! We had a couple hours before the movie so we walked around and got snacks and tea at Lattea. I had grape tea and it was amazing! The English title of the movie we saw is You're the Apple of My Eye and it is a movie made and set in Taiwan that is based on a book. It was in Chinese with English subtitles (thankfully!) and it was outstanding! A really great story and it was hilarious!! The subtitles didn't take anything away from it. I was laughing right along with everyone else. After the movie, Viola and I met up with our friend ChiaYen near FuZhong station in Banqiao and we ate pork chops for dinner. ChiaYen ordered for me...and ordered pork chops stuffed with cheese. They were really tasty of course but I definitely could not eat all of it! ChiaYen and I had tea (at another Lattea) while Viola went to visit her cousin. Viola's cousin has a stall at a night market there so we went there after tea and I got shoes and a dress both with nice discounts, thanks to Viola's cousin. ChiaYen drove me home on his scooter, which took an hour....longest I have ever been on a scooter, and yes I was a bit scared/nervous. haha. It was fun too though and obviously, I am fine so I really had no reason to be nervous.

On Monday, Cyndi and I went to Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall (Sun Yat Sen was an important figure in Taiwan's history...I will let you research the details on your own haha). It is quite grand. We caught the changing of the guard which is always a neat thing to see. Next we went shopping at Sogo Department Store and we found a self serve froyo shop, which of course made me quite happy!!

On Tuesday, I had lunch with my friend Lynn, who was a student at NTSU. We had Korean food at Taipei Main Station. It was really good to see her again. We then went to Taipei City Hall and had bubble milk tea while we waited for Viola and Paul (Viola's boyfriend) to arrive. Viola, Paul, and I took a bus to Yilan to go surfing at the beach there. We met up with San Ru and rented 2 surf boards and 2 boogie boards. I did actually get on a board and somewhat attempted to surf (I paddled but never stood up). It was my first time and I certainly had no idea what I am doing...I don't think I am quick enough to surf haha. To my credit though, the waves weren't great that day...even the skilled surfers didn't catch many decent ones. Viola, Paul, and I had curry for dinner in Taipei Main Station. It was nice to go to the beach even though it was only a couple of hours....I haven't been to the beach in a while. Yilan is very beautiful and the water is very clear even though the sand is quite dark.

On Wednesday, Cyndi and I went to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. Chiang Kai Shek is another important figure in Taiwan's political history. This place is absolutely phenomenal and quite grandiose. The size and beauty of the plaza and buildings at this place is indescribable and the pictures do not do it justice. The National Theater and National Concert Hall are located here (which you know that I loved). I would really like to attend some events there just to see the inside! haha. At the National Theater, many dance groups gather to practice, using the windows as mirrors. I was so excited to see some dancing. I wouldn't to stay and watch all of them but I thought it would be a little awkward since no one else was gathering to watch. Plus I don't think Cyndi was very interested in sticking around to watch them. haha. Next we went to the Xinyi shopping district, which is a pretty upscale area and is near Taipei 101 (tallest building in the world until recently...now in 2nd place after some new building in Dubai). By the way, there is a Gordon Biersch here! I was really surprised considering it's not even a big chain in America. I know where I am going when I want some quality American food (aka...not McDonalds). We also went to Taipei 101 mall and walked around a bit.

On Thursday, Cyndi and I met up with Jo at Raohe St Night Market and we ate and shopped and walked. I found face threading here!! Yay! It makes my life so much easier haha.

On Friday, Cyndi, her brother, and I went to CostCo. Fun times. We ate lots of samples and then had lunch there. That afternoon I went to Taoyuan to NTSU. I met up with Viola and we went to a BBQ with some NTSU alumni, including many of the students I met 2 years ago. It was really great to see them again and to meet some new people. Seeing and hanging out with all of them made this night one of my favorite memories so far. I spent the night with Viola in her dorm that night.

On Saturday, we had lunch and got foot massages and then I went back to Taipei. Cyndi and I went to Carrefour that night and went grocery shopping. The amusing part is trying to get everything back to the apartment on a scooter.

On Sunday, I was supposed to go back to Taoyuan to Viola's home and have dinner with her parents and siblings but I had a migraine and felt terrible, so we rescheduled.

On Monday, Cyndi and I went swimming at Neihu Sports Center. It was cheap and was fun! You pay around $2-3 to use the swimming facility for as long as you want. This includes spa type pools too...warm tub, hot tub, cold tub, sauna, steamroom, water massage-type area. Note: You have to wear a swim cap in pools in Taiwan. I still hate them. It was nice to get some exercise and swim and such. Swimming is one of my favorite activities so I certainly enjoyed it and it really helped my migraine.

On Tuesday, Cyndi's father came to visit and while he was here, we found out that Cyndi's cousin had her baby so we went to Keelong to see the baby! The baby is very cute of course...a little boy. The newborn's big brother was there too and he is absolutely adorable! Cyndi's dad treated us to Thai food when we got back to Neihu and it was quite delicious.

On Wednesday, Cindy took me to her dad's company, Studio Classroom, which teaches English through magazines, television and radio.  It is a pretty high tech place...recording studios, television studio, etc with lots of expensive and awesome equipment! It was really cool to see that stuff. Everyone there is so nice! They have invited me to go to their weekly Bible Study, which I definitely plan to do. It will be a great way for me to strengthen my relationship with Christ while I am here, as well as making some new friends. Cindy and I are planning to go next Friday. Later that day, Audi took me to a ballroom dance studio. I wasn't sure what to expect or exactly where we were going...turns out the studio belongs to his dad's friend and is a really serious studio. We watched a young (middle or high school age) girl and boy's lesson. They seemed to be preparing for a competition and are both very talented. We watched them dance samba, paso doble, and jive (to the theme song of The Jeffersons, by the way). Those are some of my favorites to watch, with paso being my absolute favorite to watch (no clue how to dance that one though). The teacher told Audi about some classes around Taipei that would be suitable for me and Audi and I are going to go to one later this month, so I am super excited about that! I really loved seeing the studio and watching the lesson. After that, we went to a nearby night market to eat dinner. I tried an oyster omelette! Well sorta...I didn't eat any oysters. haha. We ran into our friend A Ru and her coworkers who told me about a job opportunity where they work.

The last couple days have been kinda lazy for me. I have gone out and shopped and walked around but I have mostly been taking it easy. I hope to go to a salsa night or something soon. I haven't danced in a month and it's driving me a little crazy! haha Sorry for such a long post!! I really will try to keep up more often!