Over the past few weeks I have traveled to several places in Taiwan and met many wonderful people. However, I have not been diligent in updating my blog, so this afternoon I have decided to catch up on my blogging.
The week of July 19th I was fully immersed in the culture of Taiwan Rotary. The day after my first Rotary meeting (which I already described) I was invited to visit the Lily Rotary, an all female club in Taipei. I went with my friend BainBain who gave a speech over lunch about Rotary's Youth Exchange Program. At the meeting there was another student visiting from the Netherlands, and two students from Taipei which the club was sponsoring to participate in a youth exchange to the United States. We were all given a few minutes to introduce ourselves. My introduction was mainly in English, but I said a couple sentences in Chinese to demonstrate what I had learned so far. The women were friendly and clearly believe in the value of creating opportunities for students to engage in cultural exchange.
The week of July 19th I was fully immersed in the culture of Taiwan Rotary. The day after my first Rotary meeting (which I already described) I was invited to visit the Lily Rotary, an all female club in Taipei. I went with my friend BainBain who gave a speech over lunch about Rotary's Youth Exchange Program. At the meeting there was another student visiting from the Netherlands, and two students from Taipei which the club was sponsoring to participate in a youth exchange to the United States. We were all given a few minutes to introduce ourselves. My introduction was mainly in English, but I said a couple sentences in Chinese to demonstrate what I had learned so far. The women were friendly and clearly believe in the value of creating opportunities for students to engage in cultural exchange.
First picture: me introducing myself to the club; second picture: President Alice presenting me with the club flag and postcards displaying artwork made by local children; third picture: BainBain giving a speech about the Rotary Youth Exchange Program; fourth picture: Lily Rotary group picture.




First picture: We were all a little confused about how to assemble the harmonicas; second : Uncle S. Jung with his daughter (notice the tiny chairs we were sitting in!); third: Stomp symphony, making beautiful music with buckets, pots, and pans!; fourth: Uncle Danny and Steve rock out; fifth: Group picture at the music store.





First and second pictures: View from the Lakeside Cafe; third: Uncle Danny's wife, Alice, and President Blue on the hiking trail; fourth: Stopping for fruit on the hiking trail; fifth: group picture on bridge crossing the Dahan River; sixth: Old market in Dashi; seventh: Uncle Danny displaying a delicious summer dessert with peanuts, tofu, and shaved ice.







We ended our day with a delicious Chinese dinner at a nearby restaurant where I tried many new foods. I enjoyed the fish and vegetables, but I decided I could go without eating chicken feet ever again. After the meal, we sang karaoke at the restaurant and even on the bus ride home. I tried to convince them that I am not a good singer, but they insisted I join in. I sang My girl with a Rotarian named Danny and a couple other English songs with Steven. It was fun to listen to them sing Taiwanese songs. They challenged me to learn and perform one Chinese song before I go home. IPP (Immediate Past President-this is his Rotary title) Resin has recently sent me a Youtube video of 20 Chinese songs to help me learn. I am thinking this performance will be very, very interesting!

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