An Afternoon Exploring and the Petting Zoo
- Greta Rauch
- Oct 15, 2017
- 3 min read
I slept in a bit Saturday morning! I spent the rest of the morning talking to my family and working on homework. For lunch, my host family brought home some delicious fried chicken.
In the afternoon, I decided to go exploring. My original plan was to find a coffee shop to study at for a few hours. However, the temperature was 79 degrees and overcast. It felt so nice that I didn't want to be inside! This is by far the coldest it has ever been here so I decided to take advantage of the nicer weather.
I first took the bus to see 鳳儀門, or FongYi gate. This gate is the best preserved part of the wall surrounding the Old Zuoying City. The Qing Dynasty controlled Taiwan from 1683 to 1895. At first, they did not allow walls to be built in fear of rebellion. However, they eventually allowed this wall to be built in 1721. Old Zuoying City was one of the first towns in Taiwan to be surrounded by a wall.
鳳儀門 (FongYi Gate)
Next, I took a bus to see 天主教左營聖女小德蘭堂, or St. Therese Catholic Church. The church had a recreation of the grotto at Lourdes. The inside of the church was very beautiful, I’m glad I took the time to visit!
天主教左營聖女小德蘭堂 (St. Therese Catholic Church)
Afterwards, I went to a nearby store that had a really great sale and picked up some Christmas gifts for a few of my siblings.
I then decided I would maybe finally go to a coffee shop and study. However, as I was walking around looking for a coffee shop, I found a path that lead up the side of a hill in a forest so I decided to go hiking instead. At the top of the hill, I was greeted with a beautiful view of the city. I also stumbled upon some old stone buildings. I wasn’t sure what they were at the time but my host mother helped me research it when I came back home. Apparently, it was a military dugout that was built by the Japanese in 1938 when Taiwan was under Japanese control. The dugout and tunnels are no longer in use and have since been reconstructed. My host mom did not know about this place and only my host brother has seen it before so we are going to go see it together next weekend. I’m excited to visit again, especially now that I know what it is!
龜山登山步道 (Turtle Mountain Hiking Trail)
Because the lighting was poor, I could not take good pictures of the fort. Here is a picture from Google Maps instead.
I ended up walking home because the buses were re-routed due to a festival nearby. We ate dinner at a restaurant we frequently go to. Then, I went to Wenzao for Mass. My host sister and her friend came along! In the evening, we played board games.
On Sunday morning, we woke up at 6am to go run a 3K. When my host family first told me about this race, I was under the impression I was going to need to run six miles on a mountain in the heat. Thankfully, I had just misunderstood. We instead ran just under two miles on flat ground around the mall downtown in unusually cold weather. I achieved my goal of running the entire time and finishing respectably. I actually really enjoyed the race! Apparently there will be quite a few more such races once winter comes so hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to race again!
Group Excerise Before the Race
The 3K
After the race, we ate soup dumplings for breakfast. Then, we went home to shower and take a quick nap.
Next, we headed out to 淨園農場 (Jing Yuan Leisure Farm) to celebrate Lina’s birthday along with all the other NSLI-Y students and host families. The farm was a mix between a zoo and a petting zoo. I saw hippos, hawks, lions, and raccoons and pet bunnies, goats, horses and llamas.
In the center of the farm was a place for barbecuing. Barbecuing, or 烤肉, is very popular here. All of the host families brought food to cook. Lunch was delicious! Afterwards, we had a pinata. Then, we ate cake! The cake was filled with bubble tea flavored ice cream. After the cake, we had a massive water balloon fight.
Lina's Birthday Party
We then went to the back of the farm where you can see the Kaohsiung airport.
Kaohsiung Airport
When we arrived home, I finished Robin Hood and ate dinner. I am currently taking a break from studying. Hopefully, I’ll be able to go to bed early tonight. I have a busy week ahead!
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