Saturday March 30th, 2013
Let’s start this successful, eventful day shall we? ;D
Right after eating lunch at the house, I headed out to my
University’s campus for a practice Chinese test called the “Pilot TOCFL” (Test Of Chinese as a Foreign Language). It’s a test that Rotary required us to take to see
whether or not we would want to sign up for the real thing. The real test can
provide Chinese credit in college, that is if you make a high enough score.
Arriving nearly forty minutes early, I stopped by the
General Merchandise store to (finally) buy good quality earbuds. The JVC’s
marshmallow kind in fact. I’ve had them before, I know they’re comfortable, I
know they have a good sound and most importantly, will last me a good long
while. Actually, I came to Taiwan with the same type of earbuds, which I had
for a year or so. If these break on me before arriving in America…I might just
cry from defeat. XD
Next was quenching my thirst with a drink from 7-Eleven I’ve
had my eye on for a bit. An appetizing sounding ‘Almond Milk.’ Its delicious
name matched its delicious taste. Mmm so good! ^_^
Beginning at 1:30, the Listening TOCFL test commenced. It
was entirely computer based with individual headphones and computers for each
test-taker. Though all of my Rotary district was there, many other foreigners
were present as well, some from other Rotary districts, some not related to
Rotary at all and some greatly varying in age. Twas a mosh pit of 外國人 (foreigners)! Everyone finished at pretty much the same time because
the test entirely controlled the period length spent on each question. It read
out each question and answer twice, provided a five-second pause for you to
choose your answer and then automatically moved on to the next test item, not
allowing you to manually go back and forth, replay, etc.
The results were
quite surprisingly because everyone I asked got within the same grade range. My
outcome was 73, which I found to be the majority result. Some got 75 or 78
while the highest I heard was 80. In my opinion, 73 is actually very good
considering two things. First, you needed to get a 60 or higher to get the
highest rank. The only possible ranks were Level 1: 41 and Level 2: 60. So
technically I did get the highest score. :P Second, this test covered the
material in both Book 1 and Book 2 of our Chinese textbook series. My class
hasn’t even finished the first book yet. XD So I’d say that’s pretty good to
get a 73! Just goes to show how much I learn from outside of University class.
;)
When 3:30 rolled
around, the Reading TOCFL was next. (There are Listening, Reading, Writing
& Speaking test types but only Listening and Reading of Band(/level) A
(lowest) was available today.) The Reading one was free range in that you could
navigate the test as you wish but had the time limit of an hour.
All the people I
knew in my district came out with the same reaction, a heavy sign with bulging
eyes huffing an ‘oh my god.’ See the Listening was ok for us because we learn
speaking and listening from interacting with Taiwanese. Reading on the other
hand…not learned as easily. Oh my goodness there were so many characters we
haven’t learned yet and some that we did were used in a different way, which
can give it a totally different meaning. For example, if you use “方” in “方便” it means ‘to be convenient.’ If you use it
in “方子” it means ‘house.’ The same thing can apply
to a chain of three or even four characters. One unknown character can make the
meaning completely different from what you think it is. Confusing, eh?
Same with the first
test, everyone I asked got around the same score. I scraped by with a grade of
55. I knew others who got between 49 and 59. This test’s ranks were Level 1: 42
and Level 2: 60. At least I achieved the first level, huh? XD I still think that’s
pretty good since, as I mentioned before, the test covered both the first and
second textbooks. That’s a whole book plus one lesson that I haven’t covered
yet. Considering that, a 55 is perfectly fine. ;)
Afterwards Akiko and
I, later to be joined by Maxime, went to ‘Louisa Coffee’ for a beverage while
waiting for dear friends to meet up with, Kelly and Leo (remember those love
birds?).
Akiko selected a
caramel macchiato, which she didn’t find all that great.
A hazelnut latte
for myself. I love me my hazelnut/nutty coffee flavors! :D The heart is
adorable, no?
Once the lovebirds
arrived, Kelly ordered a hot chocolate and had a nice chat amongst ourselves
for a bit. Then we split at the bus stop, going our separate ways. Kelly and
Leo were joining me to visit Houshanpi’s night market (called ‘wufenpu’ I
think) with my host parents to continue the search for a traditional Chinese
dress. Originally they told me we would visit Ximending (a totally different
place) to see the selection there but suddenly changed the plans and went back
to the same place as last time. No biggie because Kelly saw a picture of me
wearing the black and red dress on Facebook and wanted to see the shop to buy a
dress for her sister as a wedding gift. That clothing market can be super
confusing so it was good that I could navigate her towards it.
We ended up only
visiting one of the three stores containing Chinese dresses because Kelly found
a beautiful short pink sleeveless dress for her sister at a good price. Just as
I was about to try on the same styled long dress that y’all saw but in the
light blue color to be fitted, my eyes locked onto one stunning garb. It had
the same flower pattern as the other dress but was short and had colors that
captured my heart, primarily black with magnificent blue accents. I absolutely
love that outgoing color combo, evidence of my tennis shoes containing the same
blend (though with faded colors thanks to wearing them nearly every day in
Taiwan. XD And the dress was cheap too boot, only 30 bucks! There was no
escaping!
At the store, I
first had to pay the lady for the gorgeous dress. Then, with the dress still
on, walked to a small hole of a shop about thirty seconds away. In this narrow and
shallow area, I could get the dress adjusted for $5, only taking about thirty
minutes. Kelly also got the dress for her sister adjusted too, making it
roughly an hour for both to be completed. Though my dress fit nearly perfectly
(on the first try too!) Kelly suggested tightening it slightly in the back to
show off my curves more as well as battling a loose bag in the back. I’m very
grateful for her help and her feminine, foreign eye to discern changes that can
compliment curves. Btw, outside foreigners usually have more curves than
Asians.
To pass the waiting
period of an hour by easily, we walked to “Raohe St. Night Market.” This was a
totally new area for Kelly, Leo and I so my host parents led the way.
First we stopped by
a small shop for dinner. Our little party of five!
This is rice noodle soup. Its name describes everything you need to
know about the dish. The noodles are made out of rice…and it’s in soup. No
meat, no veggies, just rice noodles…and soup. XD It was ok but not memorable
for me.
As a side dish, we
shared a plate of oil tofu. Again, not bad but not mind blowing.
Following this we
briefly toured a five-story temple nearby. According to my host parents it is
usually jam-packed, which is why we didn’t bother to visit yet. We managed to
catch it at a calm time with few people allowing us to leisurely view the
artwork within.
The place where you place your burning incense sticks in after praying to the Chinese gods.
These lanterns were
entertaining because they were LED designed that displayed moving Chinese
characters. The new concept amazed Leo. XD
A beautifully
dimensioned wall including scenic aspects like mountains, trees, temples and
elegant paths.
A close up with a
bit of everything.
Group pic
Many of such
carvings were presented throughout the temple with various designs from tigers
to lions and beyond! I loved the numerous birdie ones! ^_^
This little guy is
adorable! He’s either cutely scratching his chin or wisely pondering deep and
profound thoughts. XD
Another group picture
Exiting the temple,
we headed back into the night market for the second part of dinner. I wanted
the lovely ice-cream-with-peanut-shaving-wrapped-in-a-thin-tortilla thing but
wasn't sure whether or not it could be found here. It’s not a very common treat
so not all places offer it. If it couldn’t be found, I would instead select a nummy
stinky tofu.
This night market
was PACKED! Many people were condensed together, shuffling along the thin road stretching
through the market. It was a challenge to scan every stand in order to see
whether or not they had my desired sweet. Some interesting sights were seen
along the way so without further ado, here were a few.
…mm…memories of
watching the process at a pig slaughter house in Animal Science class are
coming back… Worst part was when they sickly flopped the pig through a rotating
tube to remove the hair to look like this…ick.
Now this is enticing! A pretty line of
paired stinky tofu on sticks! Yummy!
Too cute not to
take a picture of! The ones one the left end are most common, strawberries and
cherry tomatoes dipped in a sugary sauce then hardening to a crisp. The right,
marshmallowy looking ones were a new sight for me and so cute in appearance!
The treat Kelly
got. Some kind of ice cream with bits of fruit and tapioca balls. Apparently
pretty good.
Losing hope that
this night market would have my desired treat, my host father suddenly spotted
a stand solely devoted to it. Yes! WHOO-HOO! Upon arrival, a man hauling a huge
camera was filming two people ordering the sweet. According to my host parents,
the man being filmed was famous some how. Didn’t matter much to me, as long as
I got the sweet in the end. ;P
Recap! With the
wooden tool, you grind it against the hefty block of sweet, sugared peanuts to
produce peanut shavings on top. These shavings are then dumped onto an
extremely thin yet soft tortilla.
Scoops of ice cream
and, if desired, an herb of some sort are assembled on as well.
Wrap them up like a
burrito and you got yourself a delightful Asian dessert!
This stand had two
types of ice cream, taro and pineapple. I must say the taro was underwhelming
because I had to actively search for the taste while pineapple was delectable
because the flavor was more distinguishable. Next time I would avoid getting taro
kind just to stick with a more flavorful option.
Tonight I learned
that this treat’s name is translated as “snow that burns.” Inquiring as to why,
they told me that the thin pancake wrap thing is traditionally supposed to be
hot (though mine wasn’t) which would then melt the ice cream, hence ‘snow that
burns.’ Intriguing, huh? I also discussed with Kelly the differences between
this ice cream and ice cream commonly consumed in America. First off, this
particular type of Taiwanese ice cream (the kind used in ‘snow that burns’
treat) isn’t made with cream but rather milk, most likely fake milk at that.
Secondly, it’s not as dense as American ice cream but not as light as Italian
ice. The ice cream is good but probably better in ‘snow that burns’ rather than
alone.
A cultural aspect I
learned from speaking with Kelly as well as experiencing first-hand tonight was
Taiwanese insisting. You can think of it like this, there’s a rule of 3+. Taiwanese
insist on something at least three times before the possibility of accepting
the other person doesn't want it. What do we do in America? If we ask the
person, ‘do you want this?’ and they firmly reply ‘no’, we usually accept it on
the first time and leave it at that. Taiwanese people can find this rude of
Americans because they expect a certain level of insisting from the other
person. For me being raised in America, if a person insists so much to a point
where they get forceful, it almost becomes my duty to accept otherwise I could
offend or be rude to them. In Taiwan that’s not the case and I haven’t adjusted
to that culture aspect yet, hence why I’ve become rounder. :P But as they say,
it’s not right, it’s not wrong, it’s just different. :)
Afterwards we
headed back to the miniature cove in the wall to pick up our dresses. Just to
give an idea on this shop’s size, its width can barely fit two people side by
side and its length is approximately 15-20 feet. Very small but nonetheless
efficient and effective in its trade. ;) Got the adjusted dresses and headed
home, ending the night.
Both for the dress
and adjustment shops, I navigated by memory the confusing streets of the night
market with ease while my host parents tried to stare their way through a map.
They commented on this and I told them I have a very good sense of direction,
usually being the guide when with friends. Then my host father brought up a
point that I’d never thought of but extraordinarily fits me perfectly. My
zodiac! I’m born in the year of the dog! The dog is an animal of effortless
navigation! I live up to my zodiac’s characteristics! Success? I think so! ;D
Ok, I’ve think I’ve
indirectly tortured the back of your mind enough. XD Want to see my new and
beloved Chinese dress? I know ya want to. :P
Tadaaaaaaaaaa! A
short, sleeveless, brilliantly colored dress of splendor! I LOVE IT SO MUCH!
Thanks to the
adjusting that eliminated a slightly baggy section, there’s a lovely curve in
the back of the dress. Totally worth the five bucks!
A remarkable
feature about the dress is the collar, which has two styles of wear. One is to
have it straight up, best paired with an up-hair-do.
The other is folded
down to go with normal hair. Both are so gorgeous and charming that this dress
amounts to pure brilliance! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! :D Though I still want a long
traditional Chinese dress (hopefully in a nice shiny forest green color), this
lovely dress makes me so utterly happy to have found it! YAY! ^_^
Catch y’all later!
Take care! :D
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