Always an Adventure...

新年快樂!  Happy Lunar New Year!  This year is the year of the Ox, and the Chinese word for ox (Niu) sounds like the word "New", so everywhere I go there are signs that say  Happy 牛 Year! I was very Taiwanese in my New Years' celebrations this year, which I spent with one of my favorite families. I ate dinner with the Chen family who pastor a small church in Yilan county. I usually go to their house once a week for dinner. We had hot pot (ironically with beef in it.... I guess it's not a lucky year for the cow). We also had a vegetable called "chang nian cai" a bitter vegetable which is traditionally eaten at this time of the year. The Chinese name of the vegetable and many other tradtional foods sounds like a blessing or wish for good luck in the coming year. I also gave red envelopes to their four daughters. Then we went outside and played with sparklers and firecrackers. I'm still hearing some tonight, and probably will all week. Pastor Ivan shared some s...

 I went to this tea house last weekend where all the decor was really old antique stuff...well almost.

Brrr.... it's chilly! Even as a Canadian, I can admit that. While I do enjoy putting on my touque, mittens, and scarf, it does feel quite cool here, especially without central heating, as I'm sure I've mentioned before. Think camping: every night! But I still have to chuckle when Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau classifies 9 degrees celsius as "Extremely Cold." They just don't know any better...

I went to Taipei for New Year's Eve, where I watched the fireworks from afar. Some of us went up on a colleague's rooftop where we could see both the 101 show and ther fireworks being set off throughout the city. It was quite the show, since Taiwanese love fireworks! I went to bed shortly afterward, since we were leaving bright and early for the Philippines. I exchanged my scarf and mittens for a swimsuit and sarong!  I was there for 4 days, and got back shortly before classes on Monday....the next week or so is the final push of classes and grading before the semester is finished! I'll update with pics and stories from the Philippines when I get a chance!

Gingerbread is one of those trademark scents of Christmas. I found some molasses at Carrefour (a big chain store from France) a while ago, and bought it with Christmas in mind. The time has finally come, and yesterday I baked up a storm. I made about 7-8 dozen cookies, and there are only about 8 left after 24 hours. Granted I did take them to a party, but they seem to be a hit! Thy were soft and chewy, which is how cookies should ALWAYS be. I'm posting this recipe on here for anyone who wants to try and also so that I can look back at my blog to find it next year when I want to make them again (haha) since I'll probably lose the paper I wrote it on. So, Merry Christmas all, and enjoy some gingerbread if you get a chance! Ingredients (makes about 4 dozen, I doubled it): 1 cup white sugar 3/4 cup butter/margarine 1/4 cup molasses 1 egg 2 c flour Spices: ginger 1-2tsp, cinnamon 1 tsp, nutmeg 0.5 tsp 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt Directions : Mix together sugar, butter, eggs, and mo...

When I was in Canada this summer, I came across a little container of fake snow in a museum gift shop. (Pictured next to my cool Christmas decorations). It seemed like a fun thing, and since it's Christmas this week, I can finally use it!  I tried it out last night, and was really pleased! It's a powder that reacts with water and expands to 100 times its original size (so I could make 2 gallons of snow with the amount I bought) and its look and texture are suprisingly similar to real snow!  It's not cold, but is cool to touch and feels slightly wet. You can't make shapes out of it but you can squish it between your fingers and it will resume its original shape.  It was fun to bring to class.  Some of my students could have played with it all afternoon!  Apparently it's also used for decorations and indoor snowboarding places. It was worth my... however much I paid for it! It's been a lot of fun having Christmas  parties, songs, and gift exchanges so far.  Tomorr...

On November 30, our English Bible Study hosted an (American) Thanksgiving dinner. I know it's not the Canadian date, but you gotta celebrate when you can get the turkey! After much debate on where to get our turkey, the best option wasn't Costco (since we couldn't find an oven large enough to roast a frozen turkey), but from the Taiwan Turkey Association, which I didn't even know existed! Anyways, the price included everything you see in this picture and more. They mail the cooked turkey to you and you reheat it by roasting it on a spit. It also came with the charcoal, fire starters, matches, and even paper plates. Even though it wasn't exactly "Western flavor" it was quite good, and most of the people who came enjoyed it since they'd never eaten turkey before! We had a short program with singing before dinner, and over 70 people attended the dinner! Afterward we watched a movie (Evan Almighty) and had a great discussion/prayer time at the end. It wa...