Taiwaneers

A friend from church, Sophie, called on New Year’s Eve wondering if I had any plans. She had bought 2 tickets to see the traveling show www.fuerzabrutanyc.com, which is staying in Taiwan for a bit. I’m so glad she asked me! It was a crazy show, set up in a huge tent with no central stage and no seats. The center of attention traveled around the room, which was genius and a lot of fun. Every one of the five senses was used! They really involved the crowd in everything. I was really impressed and had a great time.

I found this short news clip online about the show, be impressed yourself and go to see one of their shows!

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/video.

I got this idea from fellow Americans-in-Taiwan Ben and Stephanie Francis: www.stephbenkinmen.blogspot.com

Looking back on the year, it feels like SO MUCH has happened! Which, in reality, is true. Here’s a brief summation.

January: 3-day bike trip with our friend Sandy and about 50 orphans in central Taiwan

February: A crazy journey in Korea. We saw the bustle of Seoul, heard Buddhist monks chanting in mountain temples, and spent a few days skiing at a world-class resort.

March: Lots of hiking. Here we are with our Aussie friend Hannah, taking a rest on the Caoling Trail.

April: Road trip with Sandy to Taiwan’s east coast and Taroko Gorge. We stayed with an aboriginal family and experienced a lot of eye-opening cultural encounters. We’re itching to get back during Chinese New Year break!

May: More hiking. Megan and Jenna lived close by, so we took advantage of it and went to find some hidden waterfalls in northern Taiwan. This is just before we could be found sitting on the rocks, getting pummeled by the water, belting out “In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight…” and laughing until it hurt. Good times

June: Camping on Taiwan’s northern Fulong beach (for free!) with friends. School ended and we went camping again, this time by ourselves, in Taiwan’s southernmost Kenting national park. It was HOT and beautiful!

July: Home in the States, enjoying best friends, family and the sometimes breathtaking Midwest. We also worked with a largely Amish crew in the cornfields, which was…something we may not do again.

August: Road trips! Emily went to Chicago with friends, then we both took a long journey first to Florida, then to Tennessee, and finally to Kentucky.

September: A visit to Emily’s best friend in LA is possible every time we fly back and forth to Taiwan. This is a good thing. Here we are with our hosts and a bunch of friends we made in Taiwan! Go figure. School starts again, and we do things like ride the bus and take the scooter to class.

November: We get treated to a traditional Taiwanese engagement meal. It’s as big a deal as the wedding day! And, MEGAN came for Thanksgiving weekend!

December: Schoolwork, parties, goodbyes to friends and a roommate, and celebrating Christ’s birth. We spent Christmas eve at a church nearby, listening to first a sermon and then beautiful music until the wee hours.

Happy New Year!

*Emily

A mountain of polyethylene terephthalate bottles (commonly referred to as PET) collected is seen at the Tzu Chi Foundation’s recycling center in Taipei on Dec.10, as nations continued U.N. climate negatiations in the Danish capital Copenhagen this week.

Tonight, Michael and I felt the biggest earthquake since we’ve been in Taiwan, a 6.4! At the time I was at a friend’s apartment, on the seventh story – the grand piano was rocking back and forth and the heavily laden bookshelves swayed. The whole building was moving like it was made of jello. The two other women and I grabbed our things and tried to get out the door, but the locks wouldn’t come open and the door was stuck in its frame. This was after more than 15 seconds or so, which is a really long time in earthquake-land! Finally we got the door open, but by that time the heavy rocking had stopped. We waited through the aftershocks, then took our coats off and went back to practicing for tomorrow’s Christmas service.
Michael was in our bedroom at home, in a much older apartment, and said he actually held up his hand in belief it would protect him from the falling ceiling.
What a night!

MAJOR EARTHQUAKE STRIKES TAIWAN; FOUR INJURED, MINOR DAMAGE IN TAIPEI AND NEAR EPICENTER
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (CP)
TAIPEI, Taiwan — A large earthquake struck Taiwan on Saturday night, causing some injuries and damage in the capital of Taipei as well as damage near the quake’s epicenter.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.4-magnitude quake was centred off the eastern coast of Taiwan, about 15 miles (25 kilometres) from Hualien. It struck at a depth of about 30 miles (45 kilometres). The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not immediately issue any warning.
Buildings shook in the capital for over twenty seconds after the quake struck.
“It was the strongest quake to hit Taiwan this year,” said Kuo Kai-wen, head of the Seismology Centre at Taiwan’s central weather bureau.
Local TV reported at least four people in the capital had minor injuries, most resulting from falling debris. The reports said traffic Taipei’s subways and the island’s high speed railroad was suspended.
TV stations also reported that windows were blown out in a Hualien hotel and that there was minor property damage in Taipei.Taiwan is located in one of the most seismologically active areas of the world and registers a large number of quakes every year. Earthquakes frequently rattle Taiwan but most are minor and cause little or no damage.
However, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in central Taiwan in 1999 killed more than 2,300 people. And in 2006 a 6.7-magnitude tremor south of Kaohsiung severed undersea cables and disrupted telephone and Internet service to millions throughout Asia.