Ghost Month

This lunar month is called "Ghost Month" in Taiwan.  I have asked several of my Taiwanese friends and language teachers what exactly this whole ghost month thing is about.

Ghost month is always the 7th lunar month.  This year that falls from August 10th - September 7th.  Basically, the Chinese and Taiwanese believe that the gates of Hell are thrown open at the beginning of this lunar month and the ghosts, or spirits, are free to roam the Earth.  During certain times of this month, more specifically the 1st day and the 15th day of the lunar month, the people set out "offerings" for the ghosts.  The streets are frangrant with the intense smell of incense.  All along the sidewalks, tables are loaded with snacks, sodas, tea, noodles, chips, chicken, etc.  There are containers bursting with flames as the 'ghost money' and 'ghost clothing' are burned for the spirits to bring back to Hell with them.  Businesses have these areas set up right outside and the workers will come outside to 'worship' or 'praise' the ghosts.  If they provide enough offerings and praises to appease the ghosts, they will be assured of a year of prosperity and peace.  Pictured above is one of the smaller tables of the many set up and down every street.

I asked one of my lau shi (teachers) about death and what that meant to her.  She told me that everyone went to the 'ground.'  There was no way to get straight into 'heaven' with the Gods.  She told me that only heroes got to go immediately to be with the gods.  The rest of the people all went to the 'ground.'  Based on how 'good' of a person you were and how much people praise you, you are placed into a level (for lack of a better word).  The really really bad people have to work in the heat of the ground with very little food and no clothing.  The people that were really 'good' do not have to work in the 'ground,' but get to stand in the doorways waiting to be reincarnated.  So I asked my sweet teacher if her ancestors were in the 'ground' and she simply replied, "Well, yes, but they aren't working" and smiled sweetly at me.  But she was quick to assure me that it wasn't religion, but just tradition.  Pictured above is the burning of the "ghost money."

As I walked through the streets with the incense frangrance nearly choking me and the smoke from the burning ghost money stinging my eyes, I was so completely overwhelmed with so many emotions.  Thankful that I have faith and hope in the one true God and I don't have to burn money, clothing, or give Him food so that He will provide me with peace and prosperity for the next year.  Broken hearted that so many of the Taiwanese people that I have come to love and care about are so trapped in this type of bondage.  Blessed to have a personal relationship with my Savior.  Frustrated that I didn't have the language capabilities to stop immediately and share the hope that I have from God with the people standing around, 'bai bai'-ing (worshipping) to the ghosts.

Please lift up my Taiwanese friends, believers and not-yet-believers, especially during the last few days of Ghost Month.  Please contact me if you would like to know more specific details to be lifting up to Father!              

Amazing...

This last week, I was so blessed to have the opportunity to head to the east of the island to a place called Taitung.  It was extremely hot the entire time, and I am pretty sure that I didn't stop sweating for 5 days straight.  It's a record somewhere, I'm sure. 

God used our team to share the Gospel with around 65 students and many of their parents.  It was definitely one of the hardest weeks in my life.  I was completely overwhelmed, um, 95% of the time.  I was humbled constantly by my need of interpreters, and many of those interpreters being much younger than me.  It was really hard to not be able to adequately communicate with the kids.  I used my broken Chinese, but most of the time no one understood me.  And they spoke so fast and quietly, I didn't understand ANY of their Chinese.  I don't think I have ever felt so useless at times.  I was thrown out of my comfort zone, and was challenged more probably than I have ever been before.  Above, Sady was a sweet little girl that I connected with.


Our team was blessed to see 7 new brothers and sisters join the family through baptism.

 We shared the Gospel in so many different and unique ways.  This is a technique where you fold a sheet of paper and rip down the middle.  Once you unfold the paper, you find a cross and scraps.  Without using the cross, the scraps spell "hell." With the cross added it spells "life." 

One of the nights, we were taken to Taimalie, where a typhoon caused a huge mudslide last August.  The amount of devastation is still unknown.  There was an entire village of more than 600 people that was completely wiped away.  These people lost EVERYTHING.  Luckily, the government built temporary housing that is available for all the survivors for 2 years.  Our group did VBS for the kids in Taimalie in 2008. 

 Above - this is where a village used to be.  The entire thing was swept away and buried.  The village is buried several feet below the mud.

Top 6...

Today marks my first 6 months in Taipei, Taiwan.  I truly love this country.  The people I have met are so wonderful!  I am so thankful to be spending time in this great country!  My heart is broken for the people that I have come to love and adore.  I thought I would celebrate this monumental day with my top ten most memorable/funny moments in Taiwan, so far!


6. Getting proposed to by an old man for his son on my first day here.  He literally starting telling me how awkward his son was, but that I should marry him anyways (all in Mandarin, of course).  I kept nodding my head like an idiot, agreeing to marry this awkward son who was standing right behind me.  Oops!  As soon as my supervisor's wife informed me of what I was agreeing to, I started shaking my head vigorously towards the man and his awkward son. 

5. Having an amazing birthday party thrown for me by my new Taiwanese friends.  They completely overwhelmed me with gifts, food, and fun!  I tried hot pot for the first time, and liked it!  We played Nertz (only my favorite card game ever) and made awesome music dance videos!  Anyone who knows me knows that nothing could be better!!!!

4. Learning my first sentence in Chinese.  "Wo bu chi chou dofu!" This translates to --> "I do NOT eat stinky tofu!"  Stinky tofu smells like the water (or what used to be water) of a porta-potty that has been living in the sun, baking, at a construction site with thousands of nasty men using it every hour.  Yeah - pretty terrible!  It tastes pretty terrible, too!  I have officially tried it twice now.  The first time, it was steamed and especially horrible.  The second time, it was fried and not as horrible.  It wasn't bad until the after taste.  That was pretty disgusting.  I immediately needed water to get that nasty reminder out of my mouth.



3. Nearly falling into the Pacific Ocean - in front of my boss, my coworkers, and about 300 Chinese tourists.  And I didn't just daintily slip.  I slipped on a massive seaweed covered rock.  I hit hard on my knees, my shoulder, and my forehead.  My purse even flew over my head and into the Pacific Ocean. Had a massive bruise for several days on my shoulder.  Definitely not awesome. 


2. Getting trapped in a birthday celebration for Matsu, a sea goddess, while visiting LuGong.  We were trapped for nearly 45 minutes or so.  Many people dressed up as gods and tons of fireworks.  There were several "scape goats" that were literally beating themselves with knives, pokey weapons, and burning their hands with incense.  It was intense.  It let me truly see how much bondage the people are caught in.  This continues to break my heart.

1. Seeing a scooter accident.  I know this sounds pretty morbid, but it was definitely eye opening as to how the Taiwanese handle these events.  We literally saw someone crash into a bicycle and fly over the handle bars of her scooter.  She skidded across the road on her head without a helmet.  Someone was checking to see if she was alive, but she was only knocked unconscious.  By the time we got near her, she was trying to sit up.  Our friend dialed 119 (Taiwan's 911) and thrust his phone at a Taiwanese man.  The biker that she hit came rushing over and made a gesture with his hand to show that the lady had been drinking alcohol.  She finally sat up and blood was streaming down her face.  She was a large woman, so it took several people to get her standing up.  She grabbed my hands and started to kiss them (yep, with her bloody face!)  She said, in perfect English in her drunken stupor, "Thank you!  Thank you!  You need to come to my house!"  We kindly refused.  The ambulance showed up, and she refused service.  We told them that she was drunk, and they said that they knew but couldn't do anything.  They left.  The police showed up and the lady said she didn't remember anything.  They let her go.  It was crazy!  In America, she would have been taken in, atleast for the night, to sober up.  Not here.  They let her go home.  She almost killed herself. (no pictures...sorry!)


DISCLAIMER ------>  I could have made a list of Top 600 and included my first concert, Kalie's visit, the Lantern Festival, Taipei 101, hot springs, etc. and so many other great events and people.  I thought I should limit it to the top 6 though.  Hope you enjoyed the stories as much as I enjoyed going through them.

Concerts, CosmosPeople, and Culture Shock...

(Culture Shock, the hip hip clothing store)

About a month ago, I went to my first Taiwanese concert.  I had a blast!  My friend Jenny called and asked me to attend a concert with a group of her friends that I had never met before.  I immediately accepted.  I had no idea what kind of concert I was attending, but who doesn't love concerts?!?!? 

Once we got to the concert, I found out that there were no chairs.  You have to stand the entire time.  Awesome!  Who really wants to sit at a concert?

The first group, OverDose, came on (LEFT).  Should have known by the name that it was a heavy metal group, singing in mostly Taiwanese, partly in Mandarin and one verse in English.  Honestly, I didn't even notice the English until halfway through the verse.  I know NO Taiwanese and not much Mandarin, so it was interesting. 

The second group, Cosmos People, came on (RIGHT).  They were more my style, even though there was NO English.  They sounded kind of like "Fall Out Boy" meets Jason Mraz.  They were really fun!  And they must have been pretty funny because everyone laughed at them.  I found myself giggling with them even though I had no idea what was funny!  I ended up leaving early because I was exhausted.  Turns out that I didn't love standing for several hours on end after being at work all day.  Ah, the joys of being a grownup. 

 

Unexpected Inspiration

Since I have been in Taiwan, I have been so blessed by God's pouring out of inspiration on me in such unexpected ways.  He will overwhelm me with new enlightment from a song I have heard a thousand times.  He will take my breath away with the beauty of the city of Taipei and the people in it.  He continues to teach me how to give more and more of myself through fellow coworkers and nationals. 

The most recent of these situations came from one of my Lau Shi's (teachers).  Zhou Lau Shi has become one of my favorite people in Taipei!  My first 3 months of language, I had her only 1 hour a week and I was glad because she was intense and speaks so FAST!  Now I have her 3 hours a week, and she blesses me every single time.

Just a few weeks ago (April 3rd), me and a friend, Sharyl, got Z LASIK surgery done on our eyes.  I was pretty nervous about not only having surgery, but about having surgery in a foreign country and being so far from my family during recovery.  I told Zhou Lau Shi about my surgery prior to the event.  She was very nervous.  A few days after the surgery, she called to check on me.  She knew that I lived alone and that my family is far away.  She wanted to let me know that she was concerned for me and that she was praying for my health.  She said she even thought about bringing me some food because she just knew I didn't have any food in my house.

Since that day, Zhou Lau Shi and I have gotten close.  She knows why I am in Taiwan and she is a fellow believer.  Every class we talk about what opportunities we had that week to share His glory with others.  She has become almost like an accountability partner for me.  Every class since my surgery, Zhou Lau Shi makes a comment that the Lord will be glorified through my eye surgery and that I will be more effective now that I can see.  I giggle everytime. 

Honestly, I hadn't thought about the surgery that way.  I just thought, "Awesome!  I don't have to wear glasses or contacts anymore.  It will be much cheaper in the long run!  And really convenient!  Oh, and my sister's will be jealous!"  But, Zhou Lau Shi made me re-evalutate.  I am so lucky to have this opportunity.  I am blessed financially that I could pay for the surgery.  I was blessed with an amazing doctor who spoke a little English to make me comfortable.  I am blessed with no complications.  I had 20/20 vision less than a week after the surgery!  I was blessed to have a friend come to translate for us during the entire process.

So in conclusion, keep your eyes and your heart open, because the Lord wants to bless you.  You just need to be open to seeing those blessings.

Once Upon a Time...

this really AMAZING thing happened. I had a dream that one of my best friends came to visit me in Taiwan.

Oh, WAIT! That happened!!! Kalie came to visit me and it was AWESOME.

I cannot even begin to explain how much fun we had! I am still recooperating a little from our non-stop sight seeing adventure! I am only going to put up a few pictures from each day, but know that I am saving you a year's worth of your life by not putting up all 700 or so pictures that Kalie and I took.

Day 1 --> We went to Danshui with some of my friends from a university here. We had so much fun trying interesting food, ie. octopus balls, shrimp cookies, and more.

Fishing with rice paddles. It was pretty tricky!! I caught one! Kalie did not, haha!

Eugene, me, Erin, Gayo, Amy, Daniel, and Kalie

Day 2--> Day O' Sightseeing in Taipei - Chiang Kai Shek, Longshen Temple, Snake Alley, & Sun Yat Sen Memorial where the Lantern Festival was taking place.

Jumping for Chiang Kai Shek!

Lantern Festival with Simon.

Day 3--> Coastal Drive & quaint village, Jiu Fen

Kalie, me, Bev, and Diane in JiuFen

Day 4 --> Haircut at Aveda, Van Gogh, and Ximen. A haircut here is essential. You get an awesome shoulder and back massage before getting the haircut. It is 1.5 hours of goodness for only $36US.

Van Gogh Bus that took us to the exhibit. We had lots of fun trying to name the art.
Then we headed to the Ximen area--> We ate at TGIF's.

Day 5 --> Beitou Hot Springs, Taipei 101, and Shilin Night Market.

Bev went with us to the Beitou Hot Springs. It is beautiful! We even got in some public hot springs. We kind of felt like celebrities, because every eye was on us. Have no fear, this public hot spring requires swimsuits!

Kalie and I at Taipei 101 - the second tallest building in the world.

Sharyl, Kalie, and I went to Shilin Night Market. We had bowza (steamed dumplings) and jin jui nie cha (black pearl milk tea) while we shopped through the crowded stores.

Day 6 --> Wulai (pronounced ooh lie) is a village about 40 minutes south of Taipei. It has a huge waterfall with a cable car that goes right over it. It was breathtaking.

Look to the left of the above picture and you can see the waterfall. Beautiful.

Above the waterfall after we took the cable car up!

Day 7 --> Taipei Zoo! It is the best zoo and it only cost $2US.

Day 8 --> Miramar. Kalie and I met my dear friend, Jenny, at Miramar. We saw Alice in Wonderland in 3D and IMAX. It was such a stimulating experience. I loved it!

3D glasses...

Miramar Ferris Wheel. We took it up and saw the beautiful lights of Taipei city.

Day 9 --> Miramar again ... Kalie's mom is a teacher at WT. She has taught several students from Taiwan. Several of her fomer students wanted to take Kalie out for lunch. It was so fun. Simon (see Day 2) was one of her mom's students.

Day 10 --> Took Kalie to the airport. It was a sad day for both of us. We got so used to being together again. I had the most wonderful week with her and am so blessed to have such a sweet friend in my life. I thank my God that He dropped her into my life at that perfect time when I needed her. She is my most special surprise friend.

Please check out Kalie's Blog for more details! Kalie is a much better blogger than I am... and she did it in a timely manner, too!

This is to leave you anticipating until the next Kalie and Danielle Adventure...

Check back New Year's 2011 in Paris.

When Kalie Comes to Visit...

For larger size, click here:

Chinese (Lunar) New Year - Year of the Tiger

Last Saturday was New Year's Eve of the Lunar calendar. Sadly, I didn't do much of anything that night. It also hasn't stopped pouring down rain in over a week now. But, I have been enjoying the break!

Dihua Street Market


A few of us went to Dihua Street which is known for it's Chinese New Year Market. It sells snacks, decorations, toys, etc. There were huge bins filled with anything and everything. I didn't know what was in any of them.

~

Friends

Bins of who knows what?!?!?

Chinese New Year Decorations - Red and Gold

~

This week, I went to Yangming Mountain with friends. It was so beautiful. I can't believe that it is basically in the middle of my city! A huge mountain with breathtaking waterfalls, monstrous volcanos, and about a million fumaroles. It literally rained on us most of the day, but we all had a blast anyway.

Wonderful Weekend

I had a wonderful weekend. It really didn't involve a huge activity, but it just involved people.

Saturday

Bev, Sharyl, and I went to the flower market. We walked through so many stands of beautiful flowers and pots. Also, it is nearly Chinese New Year, so there were several stands with decorations for the holidays. It was beautiful. I purchased my first set of flowers for my apartment.

Here is our load that we had to carry back. Bev and I each had an 11 pound bag of dirt. We made it halfway across the park near by before we gave in and got a taxi ride home.

I bought all the flowers in my flower box for $100NT (the equivalent of $3US).

This orchid was a little more expensive. I paid $100NT for it. But, like Bev told me, get something that you think is beautiful and enjoy it! So, this beauty sits on my TV for me to enjoy.

Let's just hope that I can keep everything alive. Cross your fingers for me!

After the flower market, Sharyl, Ken, and I went on an adventure in search of Carrefour. Carrefour is like the equivalent of a Walmart Superstore on mega-steroids. It was 4 HUGE floors of anything and everything. It was very overwhelming, but so much fun! I was able to buy a few fun presents for some of my favorite little girls. We even stopped by McDonald's on the way home for a treat!

Sunday

I visited a church near my home. This is the second time that I have attended that church. I liked it better this time. I really like the people that attend the church. All the members truly have genuine joy, which can sometimes be hard to see in the States. I have been challenged in finding a church where I fit in. This church could be the place. I just really need to pray about this decision. Please lift me up as I continue this search that He would give me discernment.

Also, this afternoon I was so pleasantly surprised by a Bible Study. A friend asked me to come to her and her husband's Bible study that they have with young, single adults. I showed up a little early to chat with the couple. Turns out I didn't need to show up early, because everyone showed up an hour late! haha! Taiwanese time is a little different than our time. Anyways, it turned out to be such a wonderful time. The group was so inviting and asked me so many questions. We read through John 9, where He heals the blind man with spit and mud. It was so interesting to discuss certain words that I would have totally skimmed over and thought nothing about. It was also intriguing to hear what they learned from the passage. After the Bible study, we went to The Diner. This is for sure my new favorite restaurant in Taipei. It has Dr. Pepper! And juicy cheeseburgers! And ice cream! What could be better?!?! We laughed all through the meal as the American's used their broken Chinese. I had such a lovely time! I will definitely be joining them again! So many of them are very close to accepting Him and jumping faithfully into His loving arms. Please lift up my new friends that they, too, will see the Light and have no more fear, but everlasting life!