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!

Shang Er Kuai Le (or something like that!)

Yesterday was my birthday (now technically in both Taiwan and USA). It was a perfect birthday. I was so blessed to have so many wonderful friends to be able to spend it with. On Sunday night, about 12 people came over to my apartment to cook "hot pot." It was wonderful. Hot Pot is basically throwing tons of different types of food into a hot pot of water. It was so tasty! I loved it. I have no idea what I was actually eating, but let's be serious, I think that is better for me not to actually know! Haha!

They gave me a wonderful beanie and cozy sweater. (See above picture!)

We made a music video (don't worry! I will add it as soon as it is done!) We played Nertz! which happens to be one of my favorite games. Everyone learned it soooo fast. They said I was so good at it because I have big eyes!

Hot Pot

Yummy Cake!!! MMMMM!!!!

Banana,Viola, Lola, Amy, Vivian, Daniel, and me!

Apparently we were making a ghost face! Didn't get the memo! Haha!

My office also got me a cake. It was also very yummy! It was covered in fruit and chocolate! What could be better?

Last night, friends from the university also took me out to eat Japanese. Curry Champ is a delicious restaurant. They also got me a cake! Lots of cake, huh? They made me a very cool card/scrapbook. It was so sweet! They cut out pictures and chinese characters!

It is very special to me.

Shine, Jenny, Ex, Me, and David

Jonah, AKA Danielle

So, I feel the Lord wants me to share my journal entry from this morning. I know it is to hold me accountable. I am begging for your support. Thank you.

1/3/2010 - Jonah 1:1-5, all of chapter 4

Wow! So I have been here for a month now, and I have not had one quiet time! Why am I so wicked? This morning, You wanted me to come to Starbucks and listen to a couple of sermons on my IPOD. At first, I felt like it was an easy way to check off "church" on my list of responsibilities. Wow, how wrong I am! It would have been loads easier to just sit in a pew and take notes. You wanted me to examine my heart. Ouch! I hate when You have me do that. I am so wicked, Lord! Everyone kept telling me that once I get here, I will just run to You and my walk with You will just grow and grow! I guess I am the exception. I have only felt this far from You a few times in my life...

I have crammed my life with activities --> language school, concerts, dinner with friends, sleep, Skype, and sadly, television. How is it that I am in East Asia and I watch as much TV as in the States? This morning, You led me to listen to 2 sermons about Jonah (from Houston's First Baptist). Gosh, I hate the book of Jonah because it always relates. Who wants to relate to him? He is so whiney, scared, disobedient, indifferent, and at the same time full of vengence. I am all of these things!!! After listening to message 1 and 4 of the series, I have realized how much I am like Jonah! He EVENTUALLY goes to Nineva after lots of trials and acts of disobedience. He storms away from Nineva when things don't turn out quite like he thought. God provides him with a plant "to save him from his discomfort." You, Lord, also provided me with my own plant to save me from my discomfort. Her name was Sarah, my roommate! She took me all over Taipei, introduced me to so many people, and let me debrief with her every night. She was such a comfort to me. I didn't realize how reliant on her I had become until You took that plant away from me. Sarah is (well should be) back home in the States! I am happy for her to be back with her family. Since Thursday, I have been feeling weak and sickly. I even slept straight through class Thursday morning. At some point this morning, You showed me that I was depressed. I was depressed that You took away my plant, a plant I didn't even know about until I got off the plane here in Taiwan. Instead of being grateful that You provided a "plant" that I did not deserve, I was so angry that You took it away. I am so like Jonah!!!!

Why am I so focused on my own comfort? I knew coming here would be uncomfortable. A dear friend once told me, "He (God) is not concerned with my comfort, but with my obedience." Thank you, Father, for showing me my wicked heart. Even though it hasn't been fun, I know that it was necessary to get me to see. Why do I constantly have to be hit upside my head to see? Thank you for reminding me why You sent me.

Holly Jolly Christmas!

I had my first holiday overseas! I spent the day eating wonderful American food with great conversation! We had turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, sweet potatoes (that I may or may not have burned slightly), ham, green bean casserole, homemade rolls, DR. PEPPER (thanks, Jeff!), a tollhouse pie, and peanut butter cookies! I am sure there was more than that! I had so much fun playing with all the kids! They made me think of my special little girls back in America!

The Gasses, The Rileys, Paul, me, Sarah, Matt

(Not pictured - Jeff and Cameron)

Sarah and I

After lunch, Sarah and I hung out at the apartment watching Christmas movies and cleaning for a slumber party with friends! Christmas night, we went and saw Avatar in 3D. Here in Taiwan, when you buy your movie tickets you pick your seat as well. We were only an hour early for the movie, so we got TERRIBLE seats!!! We were on the front, right side of the theater! Avatar is a 3 hour movie, so just imagine what a terribe crick we all had in our necks. Paul, Sarah's bandmate, even moved and sat on the steps in the aisle!

When we got back to the apartment, Amy and Gayo were there prepared for a "lady party!" We had decided to exchange gifts. I really like Amy and Gayo! They are extremely lively and super funny. But, that night, I had my first breakdown. I lost it! It was 11 PM, I was tired, I had a crick in my neck from the movie, I wanted to talk to my family but one of my sisters wasn't there yet. These were all factors of my mini-explosion. I think what shoved me over the edge was communication. We tried to watch a movie, but because it was Taiwanese, it wouldn't work on my computer and I think Amy and Gayo were a little frustrated. They started only speaking in Mandarin. I couldn't understand, and all I really wanted was to talk to my family on Christmas day! So, I just started sobbing. Ridiculous, I know! But it truly couldn't be helped. They were very sweet to me, but didn't really understand why I was upset. They don't really have a comparison of this holiday. Chinese New Year's is all about the party, and maybe not the family time. Well, I excused myself and ran to Skype my family. My mom cried with me. My sister cried with me. It was exactly what I needed! They know me so well and were able to calm me down! I love my family! I even got to see Reesie take a few steps! It was perfect! I am so thankful for Skype! After I calmed down and watched my neices open some presents, I went back to my "lady party!" We had lots of fun! Amy gave me a super cute pink wallet and Gayo gave me a cell phone cover (so maybe I won't forget it all the time)! I gave them each little wooden plaque that said a verse from Psalms.

Christmas Party on the 11th Floor

Saturday, December 26th

Total guests was around 85 (ahh!)

Shine, Jenny, and I

Amy and I

Lola, me, and Example

Matt, Sarah, Me, Cameron, Jeff, and Paul

The Longrun Players have finished their term and are heading back to the USA!

I am going to miss you guys!!!