October 5, 2009

I haven't updated in so long! The main reason being that last week I missed an entire week of work because I had pneumonia. I am pretty much fully recovered and now back at school, thank goodness. That week of rest was much needed after pushing through my symptoms the week before. And I was able to finish my law school applications in between sleeping and doctor visits. I feel very free to engage Taiwan and Kaohsiung now and just wait to hear back from the various schools.

        The main occurrence other than my illness was the Moon Festival this past weekend, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Saturday, once I was feeling better, I met up with my host mom and sister. We visited my mom's school and a traditional market. That is where I want to start buying all of my groceries! The veggies and meats so are so fresh. In fact, I saw them tossing chickens into the de-feathering machine and saw several whole chickens, heads, necks, and feet still attached, laying across tables. Tracy should be sending the accompanying photos soon.

        After this lovely trip, I went to Winnie's parents house for some traditional food and fireworks. Her mother cooked tons of dishes, including some fish, which I actually found delicious. Her father and a couple of his friends also knocked back an entire bottle of Hennessy, each shot toasting "Zhang chao jie kuai le!" or "Happy Moon Festival!" We also bought several fireworks. Winnie, her sister, her two daughters and I went behind a local temple where there was an empty slab of concrete and lit them up. Sparklers, a couple of rockets, and one giant sparkler that I held over my head, made the evening a blast. The moon was at its fullest and we were able to see it clearly. It was a beautiful night and I felt very at home with Winnie's family.

        More updates soon; I hope to travel in the coming weekends and am making progress on my women's group. Kaitlyn and Kristin want to help me organize the events and we are planning to have our first meeting on the 25th of this month. This week we are visiting a local women's center to talk about volunteering with them in November and throughout the year.