Amanda: Let it be...let it be

Day 3
Today was another fabulous day in Taiwan. I getting used to the jet lag now and got 9 hours of sleep! My host mother, Irene, never ceases to amaze me with her delicious cooking and breakfast today was no exception. I had a milk flavored bun with scrambled eggs and other vegetables inside of it. :) After breakfast, the gang started the day of at Yung Feng High School where we were given diadora shirts for the day. The girls looked pretty in pink and the guys looked "manly" in their black. It rained all day but that just made it cooler and more fun to be outside so I was actually happy about that. The tour bus that we rode had a karoke machine and so we off course put on a "concert" for the host students and jammed out to my girl, let it be, jingle bells, and of course oh when the saints go marching in. Our first stop on the tour was the National Palace Museum in Taipei. We had an amazing tour guide who was knowledgeable and funny. What else could a girl want in a guy? Haha just kidding. He was definitely married. In the museum we learned about the different chinese dynasties and the artifacts that came with them. We were able to see the famous glass cabbage and things like wine bottles, ivory carvings, and bronze items. After, we had a delicious taiwanese lunch. There was an assortment of soups, meats, and other delicious items and I think we had an interesting time sharing the bowls with partners. After lunch, the group went to Taipei 101. It is the 2nd tallest building in the world and has the fastest elevator (110 m/min). We all tried to see the top from the ground and ended up with a strong feeling of dizziness. Once at the viewing level, you could see the entire city (well what wasnt covered in fog that is from all of the rain) and it was a breathtaking site. Unfortunately because of the rain we did not get to see the pandas at the zoo but we did get to see a monument of a famous leader in china. While we were there, we got to see the changing of the guards which further showed the discipline and focus of this great country. After returning to Taoyuan, my family took me to a cantonese resturant (where all of your food was wheeled to you) and then went shopping in small stores along the streets. Taiwan is amazing and I am making so many friends. I am learning to eat foods I would never have tried before and going with the flow more when things to go according to a plan. I'm learning to let things be and to just have fun.

Day 1 (opps forgot to put this up)
Well what an adventure this has turned out to be! I think in the last 1 or 2 days (I completely lost my sense of time while I was on the plane) I have gotten around 3 jours of sleep, but my excitement is keeping me up. Well yesterday, we started the long journey to Taiwan. We began in Dallas, travled to Narita in Tokyo, flew to Taipei, and now I am with my host famiy in Taoyuan. ONe thing that I've discovered is that my spanish skills i learned in school are completely useless in this new part of the world. I'm not entirely used to hearing people speak and having absolutely no idea what they are saying. I've loved just seeeing all ofthe people around me though. We had a lot of time between flights to just sit arounda at the airports and I loved just watching other people. It amazes me to see how differently people here carry themselves while still retaining characteristics similar to us. When we arrived in Taipei, there was a group of peopel with a banner welcoming us here. My host mother immediately called out my name and my fear instantly melted away. They were so kind and friendly that I had no reason to be afraid of what they had in store for me. While I am so excited to be here, I couldnt push away the feeling of homesickenssI got as soon as I left the group to go home with my family. As we walked away from the rest of the group I remembered that this was the first trip that i've ever taken without my parents. I was sitting in the taxi wit h2 peopel I could barely talk to. My host mother, Irene, is very kind and as we passed the city and schools on the way to her home, I couldnt helpe but compare her to my own mother. That was when it really hit me that I was in a foreign country and but that I would be okay. Well its been a long day and tomorrow we're going to Taiwanese school!!! I can hardly wait to see that and to try all the new foods here. Even though I'm homesick, I can't wait to do all of the things we have planned here in Taiwan.