I was right - life was and would be wonderful

Before I left Denmark I knew that I was going to learn a lot in Taiwan, and I had a feeling that a lot of awesome things were going to happen, but never had I thought, that my exchange would be so wonderful as it is.

Before I left Denmark I had a small dream, that if I got the opportunity, I would like to learn something cultural in Taiwan. Not like in just learning about the culture, but like in learning to do traditional art, dance or music etc… So when I found a place where I could learn to play the Chinese instrument Guzheng I grabbed the opportunity.

    Now that I’ve been playing the instrument for about two months I’ve already gotten callous skin on my fingers fingers, and Saturday I had my first little performance at my Districts yearly conference. Nothing big, but for me it was a special thing to be playing a Chinese instrument in front of other people.

Before I left Denmark I desperately tried to “google” my Taiwanese Senior High School. I eventually found a homepage where everything was written in Chinese, so I nothing understood, but with some luck I found the place on the homepage, where I could see pictures from my school.

    I remember my entire family gathering around my laptop studying every little detail on the pictures. The pictures I found most interesting were pictures of what seemed like students performing dance and music on a big stage. The stage was hit by different coloured light and surrounded by a crowd of happy people. I remember seeing it, and wishing I would get the opportunity to participate in something as cool as that – even just as a happy person in the crowd.

    I now know, that what I saw pictures of was my schools yearly prom/dance party which in Taiwan is held like a concert. Saturday this event was held once again. And I participated. Not just in the crowd – on the stage with my music club. And not just was I performing on the stage – I was in the front, singing. And not just was I in the front singing – I was in the front singing in Chinese.

    It was an amazing feeling standing on the stage with screaming people around me who all sang along on the famous lines, and true friends behind me who helped me making my dream come true. I am so happy as I never thought I could be.

Before I left Denmark, I had an intention that I wanted this to be good – but I had no idea that it could turn out as wonderful as it is.

I love Taiwan

Julia

P.s. as soon as I get it, I’ll upload a video of me singing at hour prom :)

Life is and will be wonderfull

Last weekend I moved for the second time. I now live at my last host family. I now have started my last semester at language school. I now have less than 100 days left in Taiwan. It is indescribably sad – but I am not allowing myself to be sad. I am going to make my last days the best of my days in Taiwan. And so far everything seems like wanting to give me the best days too.

As I said, I just moved to my third host family, and even though I have only stayed at their house for a week now, I already like them a lot. I have three sisters where of one of them now lives in England. The two others live at home with my host mom, my host dad, and me: one together with her husband (Lucy), and another (Ellie), age 18, who was an exchange student to Germany last year.

    At my first weekend at their house Ellie, some of her classmates and I had lots of fun making food. I was really happy, as I finally got to use an oven and therefore had the opportunity to make cake (most houses in Taiwan do not have ovens – only a microwave, if you are lucky). So I made apple-pie for everybody to eat, as Ellie already new this cake from her exchange in Germany.

My sister Ellie (the far left) and her classmates

This weekend I went with Jane and Chelsea (the two other exchange students at my school) to my host sister Ellie’s school festival. We got some talented kids there two draw a picture of us together, and they did a really good job!

    Later that day we went to the Global Chinese Golden Chart, which is a music award event that was held in Taipei Arena. Chelsea, Jane and I had the time of our lives watching one hot, famous, talented Taiwanese performer followed by another. Below is a link to a part of what was sent on television.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuIH6mhVcFo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s4G-7vBWaU

I have planned to keep this stream of good moments keep flowing over me, and with my lovely new family and my lovely friends I think there is a good chance, that the stream will keep flowing.

I love Taiwan

Julia :)

Birthday!

First of all I just want to tell everyone that Taiwan so far have not felt the earthquake in Japan at all. No aftershocks, no tsunami. And if a tsunami should hit Taiwan it will not mean any danger to me, as I live to far from the coast. So save your prayers for people in Japan.

Now, what I was actually going to post about was the indescribably wonderful birthday I had yesterday. I birthday I will never forget – most of all thanks to my friends here in Taiwan.

    That does not mean that friends and family from Denmark were not involved though. Actually the first thing that made my birthday so memorable was the fact that, even though I am living on the other side of the world, the first persons I saw on the morning of my 18 years old birthday were my mom and sister back in Denmark. They sang the Danish birthday song for me via Skype with candles and Danish flags – just as if they really had be able to walk into my room and wake me up with song in Denmark. I even got a few words from a rather confused grandma, whom my mom called on the phone.

    So starting my birthday out perfectly I rushed out the door for language school. And I guess I was flying a little too high on happiness when I headed towards the MRT (Taiwan’s subway), cause as I passed the doormen at the front of hour apartment building giving them an energetic “zao an” (goodmorning), my green little school skirt slid down and was just about to reveal my “stocking-ass” as I grabbed it! The second thing, on my birthday, that will be hard to forget.

Continuing the day with my clothes fully on I finished language school and went to my Senior High School together with Jane (Canada) and Chelsea (America). On hour way we bought a nice cake to share with the people who works in the schools library. It has become kind of a tradition to eat cake with those people hour birthdays, as they are people we see and talk to every day.

    With the first piece of cake down I went to my actual class. Here I was met by: “Wait, wait, wait! Okay, you can come in now”. With the light turned off four lighted cakes were carried into the classroom while a guy was playing the guitar and my 43 classmates were singing Happy Birthday for me followed by a song in Chinese I have not heard before. It was so touching to experience people from another country, with another culture and another language having prepared all this for me. Not for anyone else. Just for me. On my 18 year old birthday. The third thing I will never forget. Thank you friends. Afterwards a steam of people came up to me with cards and presents, the one on the picture saying my name and 116 being a chocolate-present from my entire class.

    I guess that only one person in the classroom was not really into this – that being the teacher – but as she had 44 students all focused on song, presents and cake, she just kind of gave up for a while, and let us have hour celebration. I owe her a “thank you” as well.

Cakes from my classmates in class 116

Presents and cards from my classmates in class 116

Just as I finally had managed to gather all my cards and presents and were ready to catch a bus, a girl from my music club calls me and asks me to come to her classroom. And as I reach the classroom I am once again met with a cake and birthday song. This time by my beloved friends from the music club. And as they revealed a huge teddy bear formed card with regards from all of them, it was the second time that I was touched to something very close to tears that day. But just as I was about to shed a tear I was attacked from behind with shaving cream. A trick Taiwanese classmates might very well play on you on your birthday. And which fully was played on me! Well that did not make this last birthday surprise less memorable!

The huge card from my music club and some more presents!

Cause that was the last salute I got before I (very happily) left the school. And from there I went to Guzheng class, and from there I went to dance class, in between allowing myself to eat one of my favourite “snack” dinners from Taiwan. So I think my birthday was pretty perfect and complete. But though not complete yet, cause as I get home, tired from an unforgettable day, I for the second time got skyped from my family back home. This time my mom, dad, sister, grandma and granddad were all gathered in front of the camera together with a real dad-and-sister cooperation birthday cake, and I once again got a birthday song from the other side of the world. Thank you very much.

So this was my unforgettable birthday. Made unforgettable by family in Denmark as well as friends in Taiwan. The only thing I missed was my lovely friends back in Denmark, but then it is a luck, that I am a part of the network wonder “Facebook” which made me able to get a lot of sweet greetings from Denmark. Thanks a lot for all of them (and especially thanks to my former roomie Bille whom I actually received a present from on my birthday!)!

I love Taiwan

Julia :)

      

One of Us makes me one of them

Last Sunday my music club and I were active on the stage again. This time because our High school was celebrating their friendship with two other High Schools in Taipei. So the concert was way smaller than last time but not less fun.

    My friend Chelsea (America) videotaped a part of our performance, and I want you to see it, because maybe that will make it easier to understand, how important my music club is to me. They make me a part of Taiwan, because to them, I am not just ”the foreigner girl”. I am a person equal to them, because I am just as important.

This time, I sang One of Us by Joan Osborne. One of our guitars dropped out, and that’s why there are a lot of people running around on the stage, but don’t worry – they got it fixed before his solo!

Enjoy!

Julia :)