:D

Hello all!

Sorry...my post is long overdue. My internship in Taiwan is going well, although life here is so busy and I'm still trying to get used to the working hours here. Looking back at the two week trip we had together, I think it was an experience I couldn't have had at any other school or with any other teachers! The itinerary everyday was superbly planned out and the activities and excursions definitely helped me understand my second homeland a lot better than before. (speaking of homeland, I just received my Taiwan National Identity card and Health Insurance card two days ago!)

Some highlights from the trip that were the most...culturally invigorating for me were the Yingge and Yilan trips, and finally the trek to the "5 finger mountain" for the tea ceremony.

Here are some photos from each place:

Yingge: museum and pottery making. woo!

Amazing architecture.

So glad I got a glimpse at the new exhibition on the ...4th? floor!! Such great pieces. This one is called "to accept or to reject" by Huang Chi-Cheng

"Sharing the Sweet Flavor of Happiness" by Hsieh Pei-Tsen

"words" by Lin Li-Min

"Dragged" by Lian Shian-Li (so cute!!! i love this last picture)

my first egg vase..."egg" by christine yeh heheh

my second ceramic jar (i have no name for it yet!)

the final products! glaze included :D

At Yilan for tea picking

complete with ponchos and conical bamboo hats (or dou li)

close up of a ...grasshopper type creature on a tea leaf! (with penny in the bg!)

and then the tea ceremony place

such beautiful interiors. i love tatami!! perhaps reminiscent of Japanese colonization. this was our class's view of the tea ceremony performance.

and the view of the outside. even if it was raining, the place was still so beautiful! extremely peaceful, simple and elegantly designed...i wouldn't mind living here.

Anyhoo! That concludes my pictures show-and-tell. I hope you all are doing well and that your summers are awesome! Can't wait to see more posts. :)

Christine