On Saturday morning I slept as long as I could, but since my body had not adjusted to the thirteen hour time difference between Georgia and Taiwan I did not sleep in very late (despite waking up a couple of times during the night, or maybe in spite of). After Kristina and I got up we went downstairs for breakfast. We were on the 5th floor, and while breakfast was on the third floor, it was only one floor down. In Mandarin Chinese the word "four" sounds like the word "death," so a lot of hotels will skip from three to five (just like many tall hotels or buildings do not have a thirteenth floor in the U.S.) Since all my meals the day before were airplane meals, breakfast was my first real Taiwanese meal, which included vegetables on the menu. But hey, I like vegetables, and the way they cook them in Taiwan generally makes them taste really good. I also got to try a couple of different breads, including a steamed bun.
After breakfast we had some time before the taxi arrived to take us to the high speed rail
(HSR). I repacked my bags and Kristina watched some Taiwanese singers on the TV, telling me which ones were singing in Taiwanese and which ones were singing in Mandarin (I probably still could not tell you the difference between the two, unless I heard someone saying "thank you" - I do remember the word for that in both languages!)
Did I mention the bathtub? This hotel room had a bathtub/shower with legs on the bottom. Quite different from what I've always used - but not as different as what I would soon be using! My hotel shower was my most luxurious shower on the whole trip.
Our taxi ride from the hotel to the HSR station was short, but it gave me a good first glimpse of the country in the daylight. At the HSR station we got our tickets, and before long were speeding down the tracks
for the 1 - 1.5 hour trip to Chaiyi. The train car was full, so Kristina and I did not have seats by each other, nor was their room for my suitcase in the luggage rack. Fortunately, the seats have plenty of leg room. Since I was stuck in a middle seat I did not have the best view out the window, so settled down with my Kindle to read Oliver Twist (my trip book, which I read from start to finish before my return flight).
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| Bike Trail |
Once
we made it Chaiyi, we got some lunch from one of the famous Seven Elevens (the
reason they're famous is because they are everywhere in Taiwan, and nowhere in
Georgia). Next we took a Taxi to the Character and English Institute
(CEI) facility. It is located next to an
old sugar factory, which is a tourist attraction. Nearby a museum is also being built, but it
is over 1,000 days late in being finished.
Upon our arrival at the school campus, I met Fae (the Chaiyi team leader), who was busily working on laundry and deep cleaning. We dumped my junk in the office, since Kristina's room was still getting cleaned, and then biked to a nearby grocery store so that
Kristina could pick up snacks for the Bible club later in the afternoon.
This bike ride included going over the "scary bridge." (A suspension
bridge that looks sort of like a miniature Golden Gate Bridge; when you are on it you can see through the bottom to the ground and river below).
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| One of Kristina's methods of transportation |
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| Suspension Bridge |
After
we got back to the school campus Kristina showed me around some of the surrounding area, and then we
were picked up by Mr. Owens to go help with kids club. The most I did to help was play
Uno with some of the kids (because you don't really have to speak the same language to play
it). Afterwards we went to Pick Burger for supper (a guitar themed
restaurant) and then headed back. As soon as we arrived back at the CEI,
jet lag hit, and after sending an update to my family I went to bed.
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| Asian kids are so cute! |
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| Jill teaching about Moses |
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