Day 18: Student Presentations, World Religions Museum, & PTSA Dinner

We began our day with a visit to Museum of World Religions, which I was really excited about! The museum is dedicated to all faiths and promotes peace, understanding, and most importantly, universal love.



"The doors to goodness, wisdom, and compassion are opened by keys of the heart"

Upon entering the museum, we stopped at the purity waterfall. 

Standing at the Purity Waterfall

One of the parts of the museum I really liked, was the many quotes imprinted on the walls. 

Seen below is one of the golden pillars in the museum - the love and peace pillars are written in 30 different lanuages from around the world and surround a representation of heaven and earth.

My favorite part of the museum was the "Hall of Great Religions." Here, several major world religions are showcased: Zoroastrianism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, and Shintoism.  This was so informative and very exciting for me because I teach about all of these religions. 

The coolest part of the hall were the miniature religious buildings aimed to recreate the facade and interior furbishing of famous religious buildings.  The buildings are perfectly scaled and looked identical to the real thing! 

Minature of the Dome of the Rock

 

Students hard at work on their presentations

Jacki, Kelly, Jim, and I had to judge the presentations.  Many of the students came up with several innovative ideas on how to make Taipei more eco-friendly and "green." I was happy that my assigned group won 1st place! I helped them develop their idea of creating a "green friendly" school.  They applied the knowledge they had learned and created a model school using solar power, renewable engergy, and recyclable materials.

All aboard the solar train

So many of the presentations were really great! The students used skits and humor to impress us with what they learned. After the presentations, we debriefed with our groups and so many students were anxious to find out what they could do to improve and make their presentations better.

Posing with my student group that took 1st place

That night we had a wonderful dinner sponsored the Yong Ping HS PTSA and staff



With the staff of Yong Ping and PTSA



Seen here with Wendy (from my host family)

Picture of the team

Ending the night relaxing with Jackey #3 and Principal Lee

We headed back to Yong Ping High School after the museum.  Students were finishing up their presentations on what they learned about eco-friendly buildings. Furthermore, the students had to do their entire presentations in English! Very impressive.  

Day 17: Buddhist Education Center, Guandu Temple, and Beitou Library

We accompanied the students of Yong-Ping high school to the Tzu Chi Buddhist organization.  The Buddhist organization provides social and community services, medical care, education, and humanism all over the world.  

I'm also happy to report that there is another Jackie on the trip!  Kelly and Jim are now staying with Jackey #3 for their homestay. They have numbered us to keep track of things and yes, they do call us, Jacki #1, Jackie #2, and Jackey #3. Seen below, we are holding up our numbers.

L to R: Jackey #3, Jackie #2, and Jacki #1

Jackey #3 is a riot. We got a kick out of trying to "Americanize" him.  He is such a fun-loving guy and we had so much fun with him.  

Jackey #3 posing in what he calls his "American guy" stance

The Buddhist foundation is also dedicated to conservation and recycling - the students embarked on some recycling efforts that day as well.

Students of Yong Ping recyling

On the way to the bus, I came across this adorable little white fluff ball.  I can't resist taking pictures of cute little dogs while I'm here - poodles and Shi Tzu's are very popular here, I've only come across one Yorkie.  It makes me miss my little guy Nemo.

Arf Arf Arf

Our next stop of the day was at Guandu temple.  Although not as famous as Longshan, it is an incredible temple that once again, displays the beautiful and intricate detail of Taiwanese architecture.

Guandu temple

The temple was built for Matzu, goddess of the sea, but like the other temples, it houses many deities.  Seen below is a Happy Buddha - many believe that if you rub his belly it will bring you happiness, prosperity and wealth.

Happy Buddha

Guandu is a very large temple - we had to climb several flights of stairs to reach the top, but once we did, we had some amazing views of the city below. 

View from the top of Guandu temple

After the temple, we were dying of thirst so wee stopped and got some soda pop that is very popular in Taiwan.  We were so happy to be refreshed - the picture taken below is with Principal Lee of Yong Ping High School and an history teacher.

Taking a break with some pop

After the temple, we hopped on the bus and headed to Beitou Library.  Although a library, this was my favorite stop of the day.  Beitou is considered to be one of the top 25 most beautiful libraries in the world! The library is an eco-friendly building built with "green" architecture and reusable material.  


Beautiful Beitou library

I would love to have studied inside this library!

The open windows allow more natural light, and the rooftop is surfaced with solar panels to turn sunlight into electricity. 

Posing with the teachers of Yong Ping High School outside Beitou Library

After an exhausting and busy day, Jacki, Kelly and I stopped at a great Thai restaurant before heading back to our host families.  On my way home, we weaved through a local night market and Wendy and her mom treated me to a Taiwanese favorite, shaved ice.



Taiwanese shaved ice

 

Day 16: National Taiwan University and Longshan Temple

Today at Yong Ping, the students continued to participate in an Eco-Camp - here students learned about environmentally safe buildings and how to make Taipei more "green."  We accompanied them to National Taiwan University to visit the Eco-House. The Eco-House is a "green building" on campus and it showcases green architectural design and thus, sets the model for eco-friendly building throughout Taipei.

We then took a tour of the campus of National Taiwan University (NTU). NTU is Taiwan's most prestigious, top-ranked university.  We took a stroll through the campus and visited a few buildings and stopped for some fresh squeezed watermelon juice to combat the heat.




Entrance of National Taiwan University



The Bell Tower - the symbol of the campus

After the university, I met up with my mom and headed over to Longshan Temple with my host family and Jacki #1 and Kelly.  Longshan Temple is one of Taiwan's oldest and most famous temples - it dates back to 1738.  Upon entering the temple, you'll notice the exquisite detail of the sculpture, woodcarvings, and bronze.  Crowds of people stop at the temple to pay homage and pray to the dozens of Buddhist and Taoist deities it houses.  The temple's main deity is Guanyin, the goddess of mercy.

Front courtyard of Longshan temple where worshippers offer food and bow in prayer

Waves of incense fill the air in the background of the temple

Longshan temple exemplifies classic Taiwanese style architecture at it's best It was such an experience to see how ornate the style really is.



With Kelly and Jacki outside the temple



With my mom and my host family, Amy (mom)  and Wendy (daughter)

Day 15: First Day @ Yong Ping HS and Revitalization Day

Today, we switched host families and went to our sixth and final high school visit - Yong Ping Senior High School.  We were greeted enthusiastically and were taken on a tour of the campus.  A few of the buildings had very interesting architectural designs. A picture of the library is below, where students spend a lot of time.  The library is open until 9 PM in most schools here.





A view of the Yong Ping Library





Front view of Yong Ping High School




Another swimming pool here at this school




I thought this was interesting that the track went under the building

 We stopped to watch the table tennis team practice.  They were very good! They take table tennis here very seriously. It was fun to watch the students play that fast.



Another student artwork of Chien Ming Wang when he played for the Yankees

 After our tour, we listened to a welcome presentation by the students.  Their presentation was so entertaining - I was cracking up. It seems very typical to use some sort of skit in presentations here in Taiwan.  They spoke to us about their school, clubs and sports, and of course, their favorite food. Seen below are a few of their favorites: black rice cake, stinky tofu (and yes, it does smell!), and milk tea with bubbles.


Student presentation on their favorite Taiwan foods




Group shot with the teachers and students from Yong Ping

 After lunch, we had a real treat - we went to a salon and had our hair done.  As I said in a previous post - it is extremely cheap to get it done in Taiwan.  This was my second time and it was amazing once again! I was glad that Kelly and Jacki had the chance to experience it. Next, we went to get a massage - for back and legs it was only less than $7 U.S. Dollars!


Kelli and I at the salon




After photo of our hair

 That evening I went to my new host family.  They live very close to the school - 10 minutes walking distance.  I am staying with Wendy and her mom, Amy.  Wendy is an 18 year old student who just graduated from Yong Ping. She just finished her exams and is waiting for her scores on the edge of her seat! Wendy and her friend, Apple took me to a park nearby the house, called #4 Park.  The park was awesome! There were so many things going on there. It is so hard to find open space and greenery in Taipei so this park was an anomaly. Even at 9 o'clock at night people were working out on the ellipticals, doing Tai Chi, running, dancing, and playing basketball.


Ellipticals in the park




Wendy and I on our walk in the park




Tai Chi in the park


 The picture above reminded me of the Mystery of Chi video - Heather B. will appreciate this :)


Basketball tournaments are very popular



Days 13 & 14: Visit with my family

I spent most of the weekend with my mom, aunt, uncle, and cousin.  My cousin Chen Hui lives in Banqiao District, so I got to venture back there again.  She took my mom and I to get our nails done.  To get a manicure and pedicure in Taiwan it averages about $300 NT (new Taiwan dollars) - this is equivalent to less than $10 U.S. dollars!  A manicure is only $100 NT, which equals about $3 US dollars!  It's so cheap. I'll definitely be heading back there again before I leave.




My pedicure




The busy streets of Banqiao

 After getting our nails done, my cousin took my mom and I to a hair salon to get our hair washed.  I told her that I could just wash my hair at home but she insisted I needed to experience this in Taiwan.  She was right! I have never in my life had such an amazing head massage - they massaged it for 45 minutes (my head, neck, and back) and then dried it and styled it. This cost just $120 NT or a little over $3 U.S. dollars.  I was in shock. I would get my hair washed there every day of the week if I lived there!


For dinner, we stopped at an outdoor night market for some noodles and tofu. Like nails and hair, food is something that you can buy in Taiwan very cheaply - especially at a vendor.  One of the best things (amongst many) is the food in Taiwan.




With my mom on the streets of Banqiao



With my cousin Chen Hui and my mom



On Sunday, I arrived back at my host family's home.  They took me to a delicious restaraunt for a good-bye dinner. I had a ton of good food once again - we said our good-byes and I headed upstairs to pack up my things. I will be moving to a new host family tomorrow when we head to another high school called Yong Ping.

It's been a great 2 weeks in Taiwan so far! It feels like I've been here much longer. I've met some great friends, collaborated with both FCPS and Taiwanese teachers, met some of the kindest and most generous people in my life, visited some great schools, spent time with my family, and visited some amazing sites.  I still have so much more to go though...another 20 days in Taiwan left!

Day 12: San Chung High School

Today we visited San Chung High School.  We arrived and found out that we would be returning to the National Palace Museum.  The teachers at this school did not realize we had already been there.  It was okay though, because our second trip to the museum ended up being very informative and completely worth it.



San Chung High School




Outside the National Palace Museum - 2nd time around


 At the museum, we took an English speaking tour and learned so much more than we did the first time we were there. Plus, since there are so many artifacts, it would take one approximately 12 years to view them all.  The museum houses the largest collection of Chinese artifacts in the world!  They only display a small fraction of their artifacts at one time. 

Our tour guide was awesome - I would have loved her to be my history teacher any day! The museum was great for me because my favorite kind of history is Chinese history.  I learned details and insider information about the porcelain, jade, vessels, and calligraphy at the museum. The hand carvings that were made out of ivory and jade were truly remarkable.  In China, the emperors would have their artists come up with innovative designs and then pay them extra if they were truly special. 



With the ladies from San Chung High School at the National Palace Museum restaraunt


 After the museum we arrived back at the school and took a tour.  It was one of the nicest high school's I've seen - they even had a pool!  One thing that really impressed me was the beautiful artwork they had displayed around the school.




View from the inside of San Chung High School



Student artwork



Student calligraphy - I wanted to take it home!

San Chung High School Pool - I really wanted to go for a swim

 We finished our time at San Chung by watching some aborigine dancing in their gym.  Students from high schools in the area were attending a summer camp.  Jacki and I participated for a bit, but weren't very good. We took a break and I had a chance to get a video of Jim:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFm9qFGjYqM&feature=g-upl

Jacki and I ended our day with a trip to a mall with her host mom, Mrs. Cheng and daughter, Joselin.  I was so tired, that I wasn't even in the mood to shop - that rarely happens :)

My mom is now in Taiwan, so her and my aunt and uncle picked me up at the mall and I went to their house in Taipei city to spend Friday and Saturday night.