Please forgive me for any grammar or spelling errors. My window of opportunity for writing and posting blog entries keeps getting shorter!
Today was filled with many on-the-spot inspections for the Eco-Camp. Our first stop was the Tzu Chi Foundation, a Buddhist charity and mission organization that assists people all over the world. In addition to their charity work, the foundation promotes a more sustainable world through recycling programs and eliminating waste. We watched several videos and heard from several members of the foundation. One thing we spoke with our interpreter about is the cultural difference between Taiwan and the U.S. in regards to religion. We commented that a field trip such as this would most likely not take place at a public school because of our belief in the separation of church and state and diversity of religious practices in the U.S. She was surprised at the contrast. The students participating in a recycling activity and then we had lunch at the foundation.
We also had a little fun with Jackey #3 trying to westernize him. Jackey is such a great fun loving guy. We also got a great picture of the three Jacki/ie/eys.
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| Gangster Jackey! |
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| The Three Jacki/ie/eys! From L to R: Jackey #3, Jackie #2 and Jacki #1 |
Next we headed to the Guandu Temple. The temple has been around for approximately 300 years dating back to the Qing Dynasty. The temple was built into a mountain side and is truly stunning. It has been my favorite temple thus far. We also learned that this temple houses many gods because during Japanese colonization, the Japanese only allowed one temple per neighborhood so the community put many gods in the temple so people could prayer to the various gods. The temple also had several tunnels in the temple that lead to various parts and stunning views of the city. We could even see Taipei 101 in the distance.I love the ornate rooftops and was able to get many great pictures today from the various levels of the temple.
It was another hot day and Principal Lee treated us to Taiwanese soda, which tastes like a mix between sprite and cream soda and some seaweed sushi Lays potato chips because we were curious to try them. They were actually really good - tasted more like sour cream and onion but not as strong. The soda was especially refreshing – a prefect treat for a hot day.
Lastly, we toured the Beitou Library, Taipei’s leading example of green architecture. It is an extremely popular and peaceful place to read and study. We got some great pictures and enjoyed the quiet time there.
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| Our glamour shot at the library! |
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| My group for the camp |
Jackie #2, Kelly and I decided we needed a ladies night and headed out to dinner ourselves at a Thai restaurant near the high school and ended up at Sogo Department store for a little shopping. We also stopped by the famous Wang’s Bakery for some bread for my host family and a loaf of the ham and cheese bread that Jack from Shuangxi had given us when we first arrived. I can’t wait to have some tomorrow morning!
We ended our night being stereotypical Americans, stopping at McDonald’s for a hot fudge sundae. We couldn’t resist! Besides there are not many bars or restaurants where you can go and just hangout and relax. The McDonald’s here are much more of a scene than at home. It has more of a Starbucks feel to it. There were many people there reading, studying and chatting than there would be at home.
After a long day on my feet, I am exhausted so it’s off to bed.
Great Pictures!!
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