My apologies for disappearing :) The past few weeks have been interesting and busy. I'm in the Intermediate level Chinese course, so I've been working hard in my free time to catch up with grammar and vocabulary. Hope all is well with everyone.
Video of Typhoon Fanapi from my balcony.
Our building shook from the wind and our classes were canceled for a day. But Carol and I were very lucky. Many people in Kaohsiung experienced severe flooding. Entire first floors were filled with water, scooters and cars floated away. Other cities, particularly on the east coast of Taiwan, were the most damaged. Luckily, the government took greater precautions this year and evacuated high risk areas beforehand. The Taiwanese would not stand for a repeat of August 2009's Typhoon Morakot, which took many lives and destroyed entire villages in mudslides.
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| We attempted to go out in the typhoon, but this was the mess that resulted. Luckily, our friends in Taiwan go to ridiculous extremes to take care of us. One friend went out and bought us dinner and enough food to last a few days! She brought it to our house in the middle of the storm! | |
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| I've recently purchased a pool pass and I swim 4 to 5 times each week. It is a great way to exercise in this heat! Swimming caps are a requirement in Taiwan, thus me and my little friends looking like eggheads. |
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| These three photos are from a very traditional home in the countryside of Tainan, the oldest city in Taiwan. It is my friend Winnie's aunt's home and I went with her family to celebrate 中秋節, the Mid-Autumn Festival. |
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| Winnie's parents, her two daughters and her sister went with us to celebrate. We barbecued, rode bikes, set off fireworks and sparklers, and looked at the moon. The holiday is also called Moon Festival because it is celebrated on the day when the moon is fullest. There is an ancient folk story about the woman who lives in the moon. | |
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| Fish on sticks, spicy sausages, and corn...why do I look so freaked out? |
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Though I'm very focused on Chinese, I am also applying for scholarships to help me pay for U Michigan Law next year. I need to find outside funding targeted at women, Chinese speakers, or persons interested in international financial or human rights law. If anyone knows of any relevant scholarships, please point me in the right direction!
