There's something about libraries...

This morning, I hopped on the subway and headed over to TaiDa (or the National Taiwan University). Wondering if it's worth the time I'm spending on the commute, I decided to give it a try, nevertheless. I know I get far more done when I'm surrounded by other students who are focused on their work.

And today was no exception.

Tomorrow, I'm determined to come here again and continue to work on my paper. If I can sit here for a solid eight hours tomorrow, I'd be much, much closer to having yet another paper done. Maybe another eight hours here on Thursday and Friday...

I have choir rehearsal all of Saturday. And I rest on Sundays. On Monday, I might be able to do the last bit of work on the paper, then another choir rehearsal. Tuesday, it's time to pack for my 3-week trip to China. That evening, we have our choir concert. And by 4 am the next morning, I'll be off to Hong Kong to get a visa for China.

And then for the next few weeks, I'll be learning, observing, enjoying stimulating conversations with friends, walking on the Wall, visiting the Bird's Nest, the Terra Cotta Soldiers, even Shanghai. Trying to make my Taiwan-Chinese more understandable to Mainlanders, figuring out where China fits into the bigger picture of my dissertation. And then off to Shendzen to spend some time with my colleagues in the baby goods business. Getting to know them. Planning changes to the Web sites. Writing strategies for the way forward in terms of social marketing. Learning more. Being stretched. Growing.

But before that can happen, my current paper has to be done.

And so, tomorrow, I'll be back at the library to be inspired by the hundreds of studious college kids around me.

Hearing God's voice . . . through the ears of a 3-year-old

My sister recently told my 3-year-old niece Anja (on the left) that she listen for Jesus' voice. Apparently Anja complained for a couple of days that she's hearing nothing, and then one day she announced that Jesus has spoken to her.

When Liesl asked what he had told her, she declared: "He says I should have a cookie right now." Of course my sister gave her a cookie the moment they got home!

Conversation Starter

My Kindle has been the topic of many a conversation on the trains and buses this week. As I take advantage of commuting time to read, I inevitable hear people start talking about it, usually thinking that I cannot understand their conversations... At times, people have asked me questions. How does it work? Where can one buy it? One guy on the subway today had read about it and was keen to see one. "So, can you download books here in Taiwan yet?" I was sorry to tell him, "Not yet."

Earlier in the day, though, the Kindle could've lead into a really good conversation. But I let the opportunity slip through my fingers, I realized as I stepped off the train...

I was sitting reading when a young Taoist monk sat down next to me. The trains tend to be very crammed, and I tend to withdraw into my own world, listening to music on my iPod (as do many of the people around me). This morning, though, I didn't have my earphones on.

I heard the young man clear his throat and politely say, "Excuse me."

It definitely was a young man's voice, but the gray outfits and the shaved heads always make it hard to know if it's a monk or a nun.

"Hi," I said with a smile, surprised that he could speak English.

"My name is Master so-and-so (didn't catch his name). I'm from Pintung (that's in the south of the island.) Do you mind telling me: Is that a computer?"

I explained to him how the electronic book works. After chatting a bit, I noticed we're at my station. "I'm so sorry! This is my station! It was good to chat with you." And I hopped off the train.

As the train pulled away, it hit me between the eyes.

I had missed a golden opportunity right there and then.

I had so many questions for him. I've been wishing I could ask a monk or a nun about their outfits, their beliefs, about things I see around me. Like the fact that the temples have been crowded the past two days, and offering tables have been out on the streets with offerings for the spirits. Is it an auspicious day? Or is it one of the regular, bi-monthly Taoist worship days? What do they believe, really?

I had bought a book on the topic this week, but may not get to reading it for another month or so. (The reading stack is high right now.)

So I missed a chance to learn.

I'm praying that God would give me another chance like that. 'Cause ask about the Kindle, people will. They're curious. Rightfully so. But when they start conversations about my stuff, it may very well lead into conversations about their world, too...

The Wall

This afternoon, it felt like I had suddenly hit a wall. I'm trying desperately to make sense of an incredibly dense book on theology of work. It's a brilliant book, and there's so much richness in it that I feel like I ought to memorize half of the book, at least, before I can even try to speak on the topic of marketplace ministry.

But having struggled for a few days now with this particular book, I hit a wall. Right now, I cannot afford to be hitting a wall. My paper has to be done. Turned in. And done well. If it were just any topic, I believe I could have gotten it done months ago. But since it's my first paper in the field that I finally tend to do my dissertation, I'm trying to learn all I can. I'm taking more notes than I would for other reports, so that down the road (next year?) when I'm finally working on the dissertation, perhaps, just perhaps, things will be a bit easier. I wouldn't have to go back and do double work. I'm not sure.

It probably also doesn't help that the emotions of adjusting yet again to life in a new (albeit familiar) city and culture is also hitting me. I (still) love being back. I love all the opportunities I have to live wholeheartedly. I (still) love life here.

But tonight, I'm a bit tired.

Tomorrow, we have a 3-hour choir rehearsal with the National Symphony Orchestra to prepare for our upcoming concert. Sunday, I'm helping my friends from APU at an educational fair. And then, in this next week, my paper has to be completely done before I can go to China for three weeks. If I can finish his book report tonight, I'll be another step closer to being done.

What on earth was I thinking when I enrolled for this program?

Yikes.

Keep the eye on the goal, right? But more than that, know that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

With Him, I can scale this wall.

Yes.

I wonder what my life would look like if I said "Yes, Lord!" whenever I sensed God asking me to do something.

Anything.

He'd never embarrass me. Never set me up for failure. Though I may (and have before) gotten the message all muddled up. Didn't follow through. Got in the way. Got stubborn.

So, today, as I set out to go about the business of my day (focusing on studying all day, then teaching tonight), I will do so with a wholehearted "Yes!" in my spirit.

Yes, Lord.

No matter what the question?

This Week in Pictures

The photos uploaded in reverse order, so, sorry about that. I'm not going to rearrange them now. You can start at the bottom of the page, if you wish, and scroll up. :)

The photos of many of the cultural items (such as ghost money etc) is so that you can have a better understanding of the beliefs on the island. I do not support any of those practices, but do not necessarily see this as the place to discuss the bondages of much of this culture. Instead, I'm merely sharing the beliefs with you so you, too, can have a greater understanding.

Before the choir concert in Nantou yesterday. As you can imagine, I had plenty of opportunities to practice speaking Chinese. My fellow choir members love that I'm willing to make mistakes.

Kiptoo shared my bien dang (lunch box) with me before we went to get ready for the concert. Usually, you can pick between fish or pork or tofu. Starting up at Kiptoo's corner, going clockwise, this is tofu, pickled seaweed, breaded pork on rice, kale, and cabbage.

This was at the winery. But you see this yuanbao, or (fake) gold ingot in many stores as a wish for good business. (Paper versions are sometimes burned as offerings to ancestor spirits, especially during ghost month.) It's similar to having a maneki neko (lucky cat) or a money frog on the shelf.

Tea eggs are regular chicken eggs that are boiled in a tea mixture for hours. You can buy these as snacks at convenience stores (or, in this case, at the winery). I like them only when served cut up in wedges with thick, pickled seaweed.

Another popular Taiwanese snack: chicken feet. Hmmmm. (I don't particularly care for these.)

Taiwanese are incredible businesspeople, and people here come up with all kinds of interesting ways to make money. Like by having a vending machine near a fish pond where you could feed the koi fish. What's funny about this machine, though, is the sign. Look closely (below).

Lovely animal feedstuff vending machine. Aka Koi Food Vending Machine. But that'd mean you'd have to print a new sign for the Rabbit Food Vending Machine. And another for the Ostrich Food Vending Machine. Hence, the all-in-one "Lovely animal feedstuff vending machine." Brilliant.

I thought these carved stones were beautifully done!

This guy is famous in Nantou for carving beautiful chops. Chops are critical for any important documents. I still have my chop from before, and I've started to use it to sign my printed photos here.

At the bamboo crafts place in Nantou, this lady strips the bamboo of its outer skin. The perfect pieces of bamboo are then crafted into anything from beautiful bags to tea cups to shoes.

I believe this is the start of a bamboo bowl. It was amazing to watch the people make these!

You often see these huge "bouquets" out on the streets next to businesses. Colorful ones like these are sent by friends and business acquaintences to wish a new business all the best with a new venture. Sometimes, though, you'll find them in white, in which case they're for a funeral.

Ghost money, placed in the front of the bus window... According to Taoist belief, the money is burned for dead ancestors "to escape punishment, or for the ancestors to use themselves in spending on lavish items in the afterlife." I've often watched people burn this paper money as offerings to the spirits. I've never seen it placed in a window like this. Interestingly, one can now also find paper credit cards that can be burned as offerings for the spirits to use. I guess that means you won't have to burn stacks of money; just burn one credit card! I wonder if, when you buy those at the temple, they are supposed to have a limit, or if you end up having to burn several with different credit limits... When I was telling my friend Nan about this tradition, she made a funny observation regarding the saying "You can't take it [possessions] with you [when you're dead]." To which she added, "But others can send it to you."

This is at the Hakka restuarant in Miaoli. The dishes served included deep-fried fish fingerlings ...

... that just so happen to have fish eggs inside of them. I'm sure it tastes great, but I wasn't in the mood to try it yesterday.

Another of the dishes: Pork intestines. I have eaten offal since I was a kid, so it really doesn't faze me. I can honestly say, though, that I prefer the way Kenyans prepare goat intestines. It's far more tasty.

Trying the pork knuckles with Oskar, a fellow choir member who I recruited as my cultural informant for the day. We had some very interesting conversations!

Some of the other girls at my lunch table. In the forefront, you can see the pork knuckle dish (at 3:00), then a chicken dish, then at the center, mantou (bland bread) that's used to fold around some beef, sort-of as a Chinese hamburger, and finally, in the left front corner (at 7:00), is the strangest of the Hakka dishes I had. It's super-duper-sticky glutinous rice dumplings, stuffed with pickled radish. They come wrapped in plastic, else you won't be able to pick them up from the plate. Which gives you an idea of how hard it is to get the stuff off your teeth and your palate after taking a bite... I only had one bit. That was enough.

The pork knuckles were really tasty, though.

Close to Miaoli, there's a factory on the side of the freeway where you can buy really big idols...

This is why the drive down-island took us several more hours than the late-night journey home. This is also why I prefer taking the high-speed train when I visit friends on other parts of the island.

On the long bus trip, Kiptoo decided it was a good opportunity to look over the music.

I love Taipei's subway system. When I arrived here in 1995, there was no such thing. It only opened in 2001, if I remember correctly. But building an underground system in a modern city means that existing roads get dug up, and tunnels get dug deep under huge skyscrapers. It truly is an amazing feat of engineering. The city seems to be working on expanding the current system, adding some new lines.

Welcome to the world of an illiterate person. All I understand from this sign on the side of the Taipei Softball Stadium is that something is happening from April 9-14. The upside of this is that I get inundated with about 8,000 fewer visual messages a day than my Chinese friends do. OK, maybe not that many. But you get the picture.

On Friday, I hopped on the MRT (mass rapid transportation system) to Tanshui (on the northern tip of the island to have lunch with Josh and Charis. They were both in youth group when I helped lead it from 1998-2002. When I left, Josh was 13 and Charis 11. What fun to see them as young adults!

The signs in Taiwan will always fascinate me. I'm not sure who "the others" are that you're not supposed to flush down the toilet. And yes, you read it correctly. You're also not supposed to dispose of TP in the toilet. The sewage system here simply doesn't handle paper well. So you dispose of it in garbage bins. Nuff said.

The street on which I live. Quite a change from this, isn't it?

Another street in my neighborhood. The funny thing about this photo is the Taiwan School for the Blind at the end of the road: They have their sign in Braille, too. It always makes me wonder if some giant (and blind, and Chinese, on top of it) might wander past and read the sign in Braille. I know, I know, it's just for the idea, but I still find it funny!

One of the streets close to home. The markets in Taiwan remind me a lot of the markets in Kenya, except that vendors use incandescent light bulbs rather than oil lanterns...

One of many doggie parlors in my neighborhood. Their sign is the great commandment (to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might, and to love your neighbor as yoursel), revised: Love your pets as you love your own children.

I took a really quick photo of this sign as I got on the bus the other day: No birds.
I'll keep that in mind. I bet it's because of bird flu. I'm just not entirely sure how many people try to board a bus with a duck under their arm, or with a fork-trailed drongo in a cage. But then again, I myself had pet birds here before, which means I had to get them from the bird market downtown to my home. I don't think I took a bus, though. In fact, I know I didn't. Back then, I had a car.

... and though I miss having a car here, it's super easy to get around the city by using the MRT and busses, or hopping in a taxi when time is of the essence.

So, that's it. For this week, at least.

Thrive

One of my favorite Bible verses is John 10:10, where Jesus says, "I have come to give you life, and life in abundance." I believe that when we're aligned with God's purposes, we can walk in his fullness.

In so many ways, I've felt fully alive in the past month of being in Asia.

On the Work Front
In the past four weeks of being here, I have been blessed with amazing jobs (one as a substitute teacher at the Taipei American School (tas.edu.tw) from K-12. That means any of the 3 schools within TAS (lower, middle or high) can call me on a given morning and ask me to come and be a substitute. My work permit* is being processed right now, and I should have it by Spring Break. But then I go to China for three weeks (more about that later), so technically I can only start subbing in May. Nevertheless, it's an amazing opportunity for several reasons: It's a job that will provide me with a work permit and a good income (if they call me often, which I am trusting and believing they will). But it will also place me in a unique position to see the challenges that teachers face. Once I'm doing Theology of Work/Business as Mission training, I'll have a bit better understanding of the educational world again. It's been a while since I was a high-school teacher.

I've also been given a part-time job with a British baby-goods distribution company. (They also have an office in Taipei and one in China.) Doing PR/marketing writing is a new field for me, but a fun one. My responsibilities include writing all the text for their products, writing text for and setting the overall direction for their multiple Web sites, and more. For example, I got to write the PR for the new Samsonite folding feeding chair, the new Samsonite pop-up cribs (or cots, as the British say) and more. This is a fun job, and I'm curious to see where God will take this... I could do this job from anywhere in the world as a a part-time job. When I'm in China next month, I'll spend time at our office there. They also have an office in London.

I'm also teaching 2 private students some of the evenings. (One on Monday nights, one on Wednesday and Saturday nights. The one on Mondays can speak VERY LITTLE English, while the other one simply needs more confidence to speak. Her English is quite good.) In May, I'll also start tutoring a 10- and 8-year-old brother and sister. I love the conversations I get to have with these students about life!

Regarding Housing

I was blessed to find a room for rent right next to TAS! My bedroom literally looks out over the school. So it's a very short walk to work. I'm also using the school libraries as my office for writing and studying. Sweet deal! My roommates are both Christian, American ladies. It's quite an adjustment to be sharing a space again, but I save a lot by doing so!

Get Me Some Culture

I've jumped on the opportunity to join the Taipei Philharmonic Choir again, which has been an amazing and fun challenge, to say the least. (We sing in English and other languages, but everything else is in Chinese. I'm the only one in the 140-voice choir who can't understand all of what's going on... There are 2 other foreigners, but they are fluent in Chinese.)

We're performing Mendelssohn's Elijah in the National Concert Hall on April 7. We perform with the Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and Jahja Ling (San Diego Symphony) is coming to conduct. What's even more amazing about this experience is that Mr. Ling is a passionate Christian, so when you work with him on Elijah, he really gets the message across about who this God is that we're singing about! (We sung this same piece under him 9 about years ago.)

We had the chance to go and perform the oratorio in Nantou yesterday. Nantou is a town in the center of the island. We loaded up 3 tourbusses full of choir members in the morning and left the city. We got home way after midnight. Though it was only about a 2-and-a-half-hour drive back to the city, the drive down took far longer. Traffic can be pretty crazy when you live in a city, and when you're on a congested island, it's worse. But the drive was made fun by us making 3 stops: One to have traditional Hakka food in Miaoli.

Next, we stopped at a cultural center somewhere in Nantou, where we watched how artisans make a sundry of crafts from bamboo. There was also a craft market outside.

Last stop, a visit to the Nantou wine brewery. I wouldn't exactly call it a cellar. It had a brewery feel to it. I bought some great mochi. (My favorite type has peanut paste stuffed inside the glutinous rice ball.)

And then, off to the concert hall where we did a last run-through, got ready, and sang our hearts out! I found it so like God to orchestrate that a choir made up of mostly non-believers would sing, in English, to a crowd of about 700 people, most of whom would know very little English, so that we needed a narrator to tell the story after every 3 or 4 songs. I had prayed that the narrator would be someone who himself believes the events, and sure enough, it was a teacher who is not only a gifted storyteller, but who was clearly convinced of the truth of the showdown between the prophets of Baal and Elijah, prophet of God.

In fact, the narrator gave a very clear explanation of the Gospel. And as I stood there, listening to his narration, it struck me that the crowd here would have a far better appreciation of the story. They know about taking offers to idols. Perhaps far better than a Western audience can, they could relate to the tension of whether or not the gods will find the offers acceptable... Amazing.

I also really appreciated the opportunity to connect with some of the individuals in the choir. When we all hurry into rehearsal and rush out to catch trains 3 hours later, there's no time to get to know people. So a day-long road trip gave me the chance to get to know some of the choir members better. They're very patient with my limited Chinese, for which I'm very thankful. Some of the older ladies decided to start teaching me Taiwanese, too, but I just don't think my brain can handle a whole lot more at this stage.

About Church
Insofar as church goes, I've decided to connect at a bilingual church in my neighborhood, Oasis. Though I was very involved with youth ministry at Taipei International Church when I lived here before, I enjoy the fact that worship at Oasis is very lively, and the congregation is very young. In fact, I may be one of the 15 or so oldest people at the church. I love the opportunity this gives me to share life with some of the younger people. In fact, a group of girls had invited me to join their Bible study group on Sunday nights, and it's been a blast to talk about life with them! They're so full of passion, and have a can-do, positive look on life. I love that.

I've written a book of an update. My apologies. I should've written an update earlier in the week. Alas, for those of you who've been asking for an update on life here, bottom line, it is good. It's good to be back. I truly feel at home, and am convinced that this is where I need to be for this season.

For that, I give God the glory!



* On a side note, my work permit in Kenya took 3 years to get, and it cost me about US$4,500 in total. My Taiwanese work permit will take 10 days to process. It cost me $29.

Saturday, study day

I planted myself firmly in a corner at one of the many branches of Starbucks today, and finished yet another book report for the paper I'm working on. This paper is for a class I took in Cape Town last September, and ended up asking for an extension for the paper due to all the changes that transpired in my world after that class. Perhaps with some other classes, I'd be able to go through the pile of reading and writing much faster, but with the subject of this class is "Theology of Work," and it's the topic I'm planning on focusing on for my dissertation. It's thus been hard to just zip through materials. I'm trying to truly understand it, to glean from the books information that I can use in future workshops or classes, because I plan to teach on this topic for a long time to come. Thus, I'm trying hard to become much smarter than I actually find myself to be. :) May it suffice to say that I have a LONG way to go before I can present an entire seminar on the topic. But I'll get there, with God's grace. And with many more days of focused studying. And many more cups of coffee.

"Hau shufu"

That means, "Very comfortable..." in Chinese. But the expression is often used even to refer to any situation when you feel right at home.

That's how I felt today, visiting with my very dear friend Jean Lin. Jean was my very first translator during our weekly Bible studies. She was also the head of the art department, so over time, we got to work together very closely. We also became very good friends and prayer partners. Jean got to travel to South Africa on a work trip with another friend (Silvija) and I, and over the years, her family grew very dear to my heart. In fact, her dad shared his coveted beef noodle soup starter with me. :)

Today, I got to sit down and catch up with Jean. It's been years. (I very briefly saw her when I was on the island three-and-a-half years ago en route to Kenya.) But I hadn't seen her otherwise, nor have I heard much from this super-super-busy woman. Turns out she's spent much of the past few years doing ministry in Moscow. As we sat and visited, two hours passed in the blink of an eye. We laughed together at memories of when we first became friends, when I was a naive 25-year-old, and rejoiced together about news of years of prayers having been answered.

I look forward to catching up with her family soon, before Jean heads back to Moscow for a while. But for now, it did my heart well to visit with someone who's known me well, who's tread deep tracks in my heart, who has prayed much for me and with me.

And as we sat and prayed together in Starbucks, Jean's hands as strong as her faith, holding mine in prayer, simple tears of joy rolled down my cheeks. As we said "So long," I had a smile on my face and in my heart.

I know I won't get to see Jean much. It's just like that. But spending a couple of hours visiting with a dear old friend was comfortable. Very, very comfortable.

Jean (standing in the back) with friends and Bible study group members. This photo was taken in January 1996.

In February of that same year, Jean traveled to South Africa with me, and got to visit my cousin Andries and his family on their corn farm. (That's his son Tielman next to Jean.)

Clueless

There are moments in cross-cultural settings where I feel totally clueless. Or I do something strange that might leave the other party thinking either they're missing something, or I am. Somehow, someone is clueless.

Like when I keep wanting to shake everyone's hands... The Taiwanese don't really do a lot of that. In Kenya, you shake hands with a LOT of people EVERY DAY. You rarely say hi to someone (even neighbors you pass on the footpath, or kids walking by the river, or colleagues whom you may have already seen earlier) without shaking hands.

So when I walked into the choir office tonight, it felt so very wrong NOT to shake hands with people I recognized. Or new people I met. There were a few times I actually shook hands, because it was appropriate to do so, but almost every time I got the "umm, did I miss something? am I clueless? or are you foreigners just weird?" look.

Speaking of choir. it did my heart well to be back at choir! Talk about being clueless, though... Everything is in Chinese. Actually, we're singing a Schubert piece in German and Mendelssohn's Elijah in English, but all the talking is in Chinese. So I've got to learn music terms in Chinese again. 'Cause I'm mostly following the instructions by watching the conductor's body language when he stops us, or simply paying very close attention to what my neighbors do. 'Cause I don't want to be totally clueless and make a fool of myself.

Which is inevitable.

But I avoid it when I can.

Speaking of avoiding things, I had a bizarre encounter in the subway station today. I noticed a 20-some-year-old blind guy walking through the busy main station with his walking stick, but talking on his cell phone. He was so into the phone call (looked like it had to be a girl he likes on the other side...) that he wasn't paying any attention to what he was doing.

So he walked straight to the escalator that was coming up. He wanted to go down. And because he wasn't paying attention, he was ready to step onto the fast-moving steps (going in the wrong direction). People just watched. I ran over and grabbed his arm, apologizing profusely for intruding, and explaining that he would've fallen. He just smiled and kept talking on the phone. It was really a bizarre situation. I have a very dear friend who is blind, and I'd never ever think of yanking her arm. But I also know that she pays attention to where she goes... If I saw her heading into a dangerous situation, I'd yell. But I didn't know how to yell "Stop!" in Chinese, so I grabbed the guy's arm. Oh, well, I may have been clueless, but at least the twitterpated young man isn't toothless tonight!

Very last thing before I go to sleep: I've been passing a series of pictures in one of the subway stations, as you take this really-really long escalator ride to change from the blue line to the brown line. It's an ad for Benjamin Button, and the one poster has a poignant quote at the bottom that I've been looking at every time I pass on the escalator. It says,

"Your life is defined by its opportunities... even the ones you miss."

I think more often than not, we're clueless about the opportunities we have missed. Chances to do something new. To try something new. To help someone. To make a difference in someone's day, or in their life.

But tonight, as I was going by that poster after almost 3 hours of singing my heart out, practicing Elijah, I thought, "I'm so glad I didn't miss this opportunity to be part of something so beautiful... despite the fact that I risk doing something silly 'cause I don't really understand everything the conductor says, 'cause I'm the only person in the room that speaks very little Chinese, 'cause I'm the only person in the entire room that doesn't sight sing."

Sometimes More often than not, it's worth taking the risk. Even if you end up looking clueless at times.

Peace

I was just a tad frustrated two days ago with the lack of movement on the job front. Granted, I've only been on the island a week, and I had visited with places where I wanted to work. I had only been waiting one week for an answer, so that's absolutely no reason to be frustrated. But if you put it in the bigger scope of things, of me resigning my job in Kenya at the end of September and starting the job search way back in October, well, then it might make sense that five months later, the waiting game is getting a bit old...

As I spent time with God before starting the day, though, I read Psalms 16, and was filled with immense peace about the day and the ongoing journey. Here's how David put it:

¹ Keep me safe, O God,
for I have come to you for refuge.

² I said to the Lord, “You are my Master!
Every good thing I have comes from you.”
⁵ Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
You guard all that is mine.
⁶ The land you have given me is a pleasant land.
What a wonderful inheritance!

⁷ I will bless the Lord who guides me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I know the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
My body rests in safety.

¹¹ You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever.

Verse 11 especially spoke to my heart. As I stepped out into the busy-ness of the city, my heart truly was at peace, and I was looking forward to simply enjoying "the joy of God's presence" throughout the day.

I won't bore you with all the details of the day, but by the end of the day, I had news that I've been accepted as a substitute teacher at Taipei American School. This is an excellent school, and being a sub is perfect since it allows me flexibility in my schedule to accommodate for my studies. Plus I can use the school's libraries to sit and work on my studies when I'm not subbing. Now I just need to pray for good hours at the school, that they'd be able to use me a lot! :)

Next: Find a place to live. I searched various directories till deep into the night, and sent out some inquiries. This morning, I made some follow-up calls to people who had already responded. I had a delightful visit with the first lady I called about a room! She's American, has one younger American roommate, and the apartment is about a minute's walk to school! It's perfect! As we visited, we discovered that we have a lot of mutual friends (people who had already left the island). I'm heading there this afternoon to see the room, but I'm pretty sure I'll be moving in on Saturday morning!

After that, I made a foll0w-up call with the Taipei Philharmonic Chorus. I had sung with them before and had inquired about joining them again. They told me I'm very welcome back, and rehearsal is this evening. We're performing Mendelsohn's Elijah in a month, on April 7! This oratorio is one of my favorite pieces! This is where we're performing.

So, in a span of just more than 24 hours, I have a job, a place to live, and some culture!

Needless to say, I indeed have joy. And peace that for now, this is where I'm supposed to be.

On a completely different note, I just got news last night that the cow we got the Sifunas died of West Coast fever. I am disappointed by the news, especially since that's something completely preventable. But there's nothing I can do about it. The cow is dead.

Life in pictures

On Sunday, I hopped off the MRT (mass rapid transit - the subway) at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. I'll take photos again another time. It was a gloomy day, so I chose not to take a lot of photos. This is one of the major tourist spots in the city, and a memorial to the president of the Republic of China when the troops first came from China to Taiwan in the 1940s.

This past weekend (on Saturday, 2/28), there were some major protests at this spot. 228 is a national holiday during which Taiwanese commemorate the massacre of thousands of Taiwanese in 1947.

But more about the history another time.


One thing I love about parks in Taiwan, is that groups of people exercise in public. Or goups of young people practice dances, as the group on the other side of the flowers were doing.


The National Concert Hall, on the same grounds as the CKS Memorial Hall. When I lived in Taiwan before, I was a member of the Taipei Philharmonic Chorus, and this is where we used to perform. It's amazing to sing here! (I hope to join the choir again. Am waiting to hear if they have an opening.)


Tonight, I headed to Tansui, the town at the end of the red line (on the MRT). Tansui is on the northernmost tip of the island, and used to be a fishing village. Now, it's a bustling town. The night markets are famous for dishes like fish ball soup.

I hopped off the train but decided not to go and look at studio apartments (my original purpose for heading out there tonight) since the train ride took longer than I'd care to spend on a daily commute. And since it was drizzling by the time I arrived, I literally just stepped out of the station, took a photo of the market, and hopped back on the train.


Thirteen stops later on the red line, I hopped off to take some photos at the Shihlin night market. Just so you can see it. Honestly.


The Chinese have perfected the art of massage, and you can now find 24-hour massage spots! This shop is on the same road as the night market. Inside the market, there was also a massage parlor where, when I stopped to look, a woman approached me promptly with a "menu" in both Chinese and English. You could get everything from a half-hour foot massage to an hour-long full body massage. Somehow, I don't think getting a massage at a busy, noisy market is relaxing. But I could be wrong.


A dumpling vendor. Yummy. I didn't have any tonight since I had grabbed a protein bar on my way out the door.


I did, however, get a cup of dzin dzu nai cha (hot, milky tea with tapioca balls). Kiptoo went along, of course.


Food vendors at the night market. Like I've said before, food is a crucial part of Chinese culture. Around mealtimes, you greet people by asking if they've eaten yet. (When I visited Nariyo in Rendille land, she was amazed by this factoid, since it's a total faux pas to ask a Rendille if they've eaten. That is because food in their part of the world is scarce, and no-one wants to admit they may not have eaten a good meal in days.)


Oyster omelets. I don't care for these at all... but it's a very popular Taiwanese snack.

Some kind of seafood soup. The big, white pieces are octopus, I believe. Taipei is really close to the coast, so you can get VERY fresh fish here.


This vendor was selling nail polish. If you look closely, you'll notice she's wearing angel's wings. I thought that was rather hilarious. An angel selling nail polish. OK.

I wish I knew how many people make their way through city night markets every night... Since it's a weeknight, and since it was drizzling, there weren't too many people at the Shihlin market tonight. On weekends, though, foot traffic is shoulder-to-shoulder all the time. What's interesting, though, is that the vendors in the center of the road are illegal. So whenever the police come, they disappear into alleys within the blink of an eye!

... seconds ago, this empty street had vendors in the middle... Minutes later, they were back.


I think this sign is hilarious! OK, not really funny, but crazy! I sure hope they didn't have to put it up since there were any cases of baby strollers blowing onto the train tracks!!!

And that's it for tonight.

I actually also went to Taipei 101 this morning, since I wanted to go to a bookstore there. But I didn't take photos (it was hazy outside, and I was totally overwhelmed by the opulence inside! So I didn't take any photos. Not today. I left pretty soon after arriving, so I could get some work done on a project I'm working on.)

OK, so that's really it for tonight.

Hope you're enjoying the glimpse of life in Taiwan.