ACC and Fulbright

My time in the ROC this summer was fun. I enjoyed seeing old host families, exploring more of Taiwan, and hanging out with friends. Without a doubt it was a great summer but more importantly it was a preparation for my time spent in the PRC.

I completed my Fall Semester at 中央民族大学 (zhongyang minzu daxue) in Beijing China. I was lucky enough to be accepted by the Associated Colleges in China (ACC) program, which is a prestigious language intensive program. Students were expected to speak Mandarin Chinese and only Mandarin Chinese all of the time. This included between students, when asking teachers questions, and when going out into Beijing or exploring China during a break. The students all signed a language pledge, indicating our willingness to speak Chinese and only Chinese our entire time at ACC. My family and friends back home asked how it was possible to enforce such a strict language pledge. What many people failed to realize is that the students who applied to the program were focused on improving their Chinese. Only speaking Chinese was a challenge but it was a challenge that the students were willing to take on. I personally loved the challenge of finding round about ways of talking, thinking, and creating new words out of my growing vocab. In general I would say that my Mandarin ability grew exponentially.

My time at ACC was a wonderful experience. I was able to meet amazing people from other Universities and I developed great relationships with many of the language instructors. I was even able to make a few Chinese friends at the University and I don't mean the "lets take a picture together because you're foreign" friends. I was truly able to connect and share experiences with some Chinese students. My time at ACC allowed me to explore on of the most historic cities in the world including Beijing and Xi'an. This experience gave me insights into Chinese culture and society. ACC was an incredible experience but it was certainly not a walk in the park.

I recently had a conversation with a friend about a foreigners experience in China and he described it as a constant battle. The pollution got to most everyone. Some of my classmates were constantly sick with coughs and colds because of the air. There were weeks where the sun wouldn't shine through the layers of smog. The only thing more depressing than not seeing the sun for weeks is not seeing the sun for weeks and knowing the air you're breathing is ruining your health. At times it was like living in a cigarette. The food was another problem, although cheap it often gave people stomach troubles. To put it frankly diarrhea was a frequent reason students were missing class. Some students lost weight. I didn't seem to have a problem with the food even if it wasn't Taiwan grade delicious. I thought I had an iron stomach that could take anything although enough time spent in China proved me wrong. Although my bout of food poisoning only lasted 12 hours it seemed to drag on for ages. Despite all the troubles and the constant battle that was playing out everyday I really did enjoy China.

I received a Fulbright Scholarship to attend ACC. I am very thankful for this support and the opportunity that it provided me with. I learned a lot and certainly plan on going back to China within the near future, maybe one day my dream will become true and I will be fluent enough to do translation work.

Kenting 墾丁

Last weekend I had the chance to go to Kenting, which is the most Southern part of Taiwan. Kenting is small and has a beach town vibe to it. It's a popular spot for tourists. The largest attraction is probably the beach and water activities which range from boating, tubing, to surfing and swimming. 

I went with my old high-school friend Feeling and her boyfriend. I was extremely grateful for her relatives in Kaohsiung who hosted us for the weekend. Unfortunately it's quite a trip from Kaohsiung to Kenting. Our methods of transportation were limited so we ended up riding motor scooters down the coast to Kenting. I most certainly did not take the risk of attempting to drive the motor scooter because that would cause my mother to lose years of her life moreover it's against the rules. Needless to say the view of the coast (from the backseat) was gorgeous. 

Kenting Beach 

My high school friend Feeling and her boyfriend 

Tell Jay my beach is better

Funny word play. The Chinese character reads "yi" making the sign read "email"

Fruit Beer and Flower Shorts

For those who are in Taiwan a post dedicated to fruit beer and flower shorts may seem strange. For those who don't live in Taiwan flower shorts and fruit beer may seem strange. 

Although I haven't tried grape beer the pineapple beer tasted a lot more like soda than beer. It was far too sweet. According to my own personal preferences having a beer that is fruit flavored is pretty sacrilegious. 

Flower shorts are a thing here. Actually flower everything seems to be in style and apparently the trend started in Korea. Anyway I couldn't help myself from purchasing a pair at the night-market. My dad claims he had wallpaper that looked like my shorts when he was young. I hope they make me look cool when I return to the States.

Fruit Beer 

Flower shorts 

Family

My return to Taiwan has certainly helped me improve my Chinese but that wasn't the sole reason why I returned to Taiwan. When I wrote my scholarship application I mentioned how important it was for me to return to Taiwan to see my host families. The last time I was in Taiwan my host families did everything from taking me to the doctor's office to keeping me full (not an easy task). During the past two months I've been able to see all three of my host families and it's been great. During these few months I've seen my host father become president of the Rotary club, gone to the zoo with my host sister, visited the beach, watched my host sister's dance performance, and gone hiking with my host brother. Out of everything that Taipei and Taiwan has to offer my favorite moments have been spent with my host families. I'd rather eat a meal at their house than go to Din Tai Fung. 

I'm frequently asked why my surname is 林(lin) and I always get a laugh when I tell them it was my first host family's surname. I never thought I'd use the term "host cousin" but in fact I eat meals, go hiking, and hang out with my host cousins. My host uncle even picked me up from the airport. 

I owe so much to my host families. I hope they understand how much I appreciate all of the meals. I can't thank them enough. They continue to encourage and inspire me to learn Chinese. I know that my parents are also thankful for everything that my host families have done for me. I hope that one day they'll have the opportunity to meet. 

Rotary meeting with my host sisters and host father 

Host mother and a wonderful meal

Nothing beats home cooking

My host father and even found me a running partner

My host sister and I kayaking

Mango Ice with my host family

Hiking trip with my host brother and host cousin

Family dinner 

Whats for breakfast?

The only thing I enjoy more than breathing is eating breakfast. The breakfast shops in Taipei are bountiful and serve some delicious food. Coffee is served with sugar and an unhealthy dose of cream. It's delicious, although I prefer the fresh soy milk, which is particularly refreshing on hot summer days. Some of my favorite things to order are radish cake, eggs, and beef buns. But the best part of the meal might be the price. It would be strange if I spent over 3 USD on one breakfast.

Fried radish cake or 蘿蔔糕

Radish cake 蘿蔔糕

Beef bun or 包子

Soy milk 

Bun with sesame seeds and green onions 

Egg wrapped in green onion pancake 

Breakfast shop coffee

Snow Mt. Video

Last weekend I completed my first hike in Taiwan with my friend Alex. It was an incredible experience. I've been hiking mountains since I was 4. If given the choice between the beach or mountains I would pick mountains every-time. Taiwan may not be world renowned for it's hiking but it should be.

Earlier this week I was standing on the summit of Snow Mt. (雪山）which is the second tallest mountain in Taiwan with an elevation of 3,886 meters. Although Snow Mt. is not as famous as Mt. Fuji in Japan it is taller. In Taiwan it is common to climb in a group and pay someone to carry and cook food. I certainly wasn't going to pay someone to lead me and carry my pack. This made my host family nervous and even my Chinese teacher.

On day 1 my friend Alex and I took a bus from Taipei to Wuling Farm. From Wuling Farm we hitched a ride to the trail-head. Here we had to watch a rather silly safety-video. It only took us half an hour to reach the first cabin. We were supposed to stay the night there but with so much daylight we decided to move on to the next cabin. The trail was well maintained and fairly easy. There were even benches to sit on at one point. In order to get to cabin 369 we needed to cross over the "Crying Slope”. The name comes from the slope's difficult appearance. Unfortunately on day one there was too much fog to see any good views, fortunately it didn't rain. We made it to Cabin 369 and stayed the night at what I would consider a 5 star resort. There was a bathroom, a kitchen with running water, and bunks.

Day 2 started with a beautiful sunrise. After some bread for breakfast Alex and I started our trek for the summit. The trail started out at the "Black Forest". The sunlight coming through the tall straight pines was a great sight. We made it to the summit early around 7:30. From here we went on to explore some trails and even hiked down to the highest lake in Taiwan. The weather was perfect for hiking and the views were breathtaking. We made it back to Cabin 369 around 2:00.

Tired and smelly we hiked down and out on day 3 and returned to Taipei.

I've attached a link to the video of the hike.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vexu_zVXH4&feature=youtube_gdata

Snow Mt.

At the trail head 

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. and prayer paper? 

Sun set 

Sunrise at cabin 369

Summit of Snow Mt. 

Alex and I at the summit 

Sunrise day 2 

Sunrise day 2

View from Snow Mt. 

View from Snow Mt.