Sunday May 12th, 2013
Yet another rainy day. It’s just raining all up in the
weekend, ain’t it? XD That’s fine because rain is good and it’s not like it
ruined any plans of mine. As long as there’s my trusty umbrella in possession,
I’m good to go!
A normal yet beloved church morning with a fine sermon was
attended. The chit-chat time afterwards was short but enjoyable with a nice cup
of coffee. Mmm, black coffee with just a little bit of cream is spot on
refreshing! The boost of energy from it would play a helpful part later on too.
There were a few friends who couldn’t make church today and
who did had to quickly leave for previous engagements. Therefore lunch was
quick and simple with two tea eggs from Hi-Life convenient store. Filling,
delicious and cheap to boot! ;D
Originally my host family was planning a little trip to
visit two museums in a place called Yilan but I regretfully had to decline.
Though I would love to spend time with my host family whenever and wherever, too
much work was piling up that required immediate attention. Not only do I have
the first part of my Chinese final tomorrow but also I want to tackle a bunch
of end-of-exchange tasks now so they don’t horribly pile up in the last few
days. I’d rather my last week be painless, thank you. :P So that’s what I did
for the rest of the day. Eliminate a whole slew of errands, mostly written
things such as Chinese speeches or Chinese cards and then studying.
Productivity rocks! :D
*inhales deeply, inflating chest as if about to charge into
battle and exhales* Right! Let’s get this over with! *cracks open the can of
clear chicken broth* Oh man…oh geez. No! I shouldn’t think like that otherwise
it’ll make the experience worse. I CAN DO THIS SHIZ-NICK-ITS! *some hours
later* GASP! There! I’m done! It’s finished and out of my life! And actually,
it thankfully wasn’t as bad as I
remembered it. Yay I got much needed sodium and that’s one less thing to handle
before leaving Taiwan! Tis a very good thing indeed! Whoo-hoo!
Fun Fact: Mother’s Day in America is the same day in Taiwan.
Therefore, it’s Mother’s Day today! Break out the flowers, chocolate and cards!
;D This appreciation holiday in Taiwan is celebrated in pretty much the same
way as America. The
differences I saw were exclusively between my own personal American family and
Taiwanese family. Back in the States, we traditionally cook up a nummy
bed-in-breakfast for Mom as well as give her good old flowers and thankful
cards with special treatment of course. In Taiwan, Mother’s Day felt more toned
done and more like a passing thought. Either way, I wanted to be the host
daughter that I am and do something to show my appreciation.
Originally I planned on baking brownies this morning but
time and means weren’t available. That’s why I had a back-up plan! I didn’t
know where to buy flowers so I had to settle on two red plastic carnations but
I think the cards that went along with them made up for anything lacking.
Carefully selecting the cards, I picked out one for host mother and host grandmother
(host grandmother is like a mother to me so I thought it only right to do
something for her too). In each I wrote of my thankfulness, all in Chinese of
course. When I gave them the flower-card combo with a cheerful Chinese “Happy
Mother’s Day,” a successful surprise was achieved. Later host mother told me
that my Chinese characters were pretty and confirmed them being correct. I was
afraid of messing up a good card. :P
I hope that both host mother and grandmother felt my
sincerity and liked their gifts. Really, I do appreciate them and all they’ve
done for me, treating me like a daughter. So to both host mother and
grandmother, 母親節快了！
With that being
said, Mom in America…
I may not be able
to do much of anything for you while in Taiwan but know that I still am
grateful for all you’ve done even when across the world. Thank you for always
being there and caring for me so. I couldn’t ask for a better Mom! Thank you
and I love you! ^_^
In conclusion,
Happy Mother’s Day to all, and to all a good night! :D
You're coming home the 27th right? Maybe I'll get to see you before heading back to Oregon! Also, are you getting college credit for your Chinese class? (Just something I've been curious about)
ReplyDeleteWhen do you leave for Oregon? After a day of recuperation from jet lag, my family is heading out for Georgia and will return to Texas around June 10. Any possibility you'll still be in Texas? If not, when do you plan on coming back?
DeleteI have no idea on the college credit. When I visit the college counselor I'll ask all my questions there. I'm not expecting any credit because I believe you would have to take a separate test from the course. I do hope that the college will have an exam I could try my hand at to test out of some class hours, like an AP exam or something. :)
Awww, we leave for the fourth and don't come back until the end of August when school starts again (but Austin, not Houston). I know that at UT they have language placement exams, so I'd expect other schools would have that too.
DeleteMajor universities have both placement and exempt exams so that won't be a problem! And yes, a get-together will be terribly difficult to figure out with everyone going all over the place=P Maybe have separate reunions with ppl over the summer and have a big party in the middle of August before everybody splits again?
ReplyDeleteP.S. I would recommend talking to Advisers rather than a councilor, they'll less pushy about general programs and work with your choice of major more