Week Twelve Top Five

1. My host mom makes great pasta

My host mom made pasta twice this week. It tasted almost exactly like the pasta I would eat in America, except for a few additional vegetables inn the sauce. I really appreciated having American food for dinner!

2. The dumpling place is still my favorite restaurant near Wenzao

I first ate at the dumpling place on the day we first visited Wenzao back when I had just arrived in Taiwan. Since then, I’ve eaten at many different places around campus and have found a lot of amazing food. However, this dumpling place is still my favorite. It’s fast, simple, cheap and the food is delicious!

3. Taiwanese is an incredibly difficult language

We started to study the lyrics to a Taiwanese song in our morning class. We are hoping to perform is when we visit a nursing home in a few weeks. I had so much trouble just pronouncing the words, let alone singing them to the correct tune. It reminded me of how I first felt when I started learning Chinese. Chinese no longer sounds impossible to me, but Taiwanese certainly does! It's interesting how your perspective changes.

4. Taiwan has a rich and fascinating history

I was so grateful to have the opportunity to go back to the Tainan history museum this weekend. Before coming to Taiwan, I knew almost nothing about this island’s history, so I learned a lot at the museum.

5. Spending Thanksgiving abroad made me even more aware of how blessed I am

This was the first large holiday I have spent away from home. I definitely was homesick at times during this week, but my host family did an amazing job of finding ways to make Taiwan feel more like home. For example, my host mom made pasta and we took a family trip to Tainan. I'm definitely thankful for them! The inability to be physically with my family this Thanksgiving made me even more grateful for them. I was also reminded of how fortunate I am to have this incredible opportunity to study here in Taiwan for a year. I really am blessed!