08/31: A quick SNU to wrap up the weekend. Yea, I know, tomorrow's a holiday too. But it's been such an eventful few days that it's only right to write everything down before moving on to another busy day tomorrow. Yesterday Berenice, Rod, Ben, Ricky, and I got to lead a worship set for a conference in Costa Mesa where Marcus was preaching. Turns out this conference was put on by none other than HOC! Things could have been much better if there was a little more communication between us and them prior to showing up there, but it definitely turned out well. (Come on, how can Marcus' countless ex-gangster stories ever disappoint?) Because our session was in the early afternoon, none of us had lunch, so at around 5:00 Ricky Berenice Rod and I decided to go down the block to hang out at South Coast in search of some good food. Claim Jumper quickly grabbed our attention, and we found the large portions to be perfect, since the meal served as both lunch and dinner. Of course, after such a big meal we had to digest a bit, so we walked around the mall, wandering past countless stores far too high-class for us to even step into. That helped traffic to die out too, so the drive back wasn't bad at all. I took Berenice home, then went with Ricky to Shaw's house for PACT. Afterwards a bunch of us headed over to Baldwin's house to surprise him! After five months in Singapore and various other places, our pastor has finally returned! We chilled there and talked and ate cake until about 1 in the morning.

Today - After church what was originally going to be a lunch at Happy Crab with Ken became a huge 30-something-people gathering at Boston Cafe to celebrate Pastor Baldwin's return! Of course, with so many people on a Sunday afternoon the wait took forever. But it was definitely worth it, especially since I took advantage of the free Thai tea refills and made sure my cup was almost never empty. I was sitting by Grace and Joan, who surprised me with an invitation to go to... Cue! Then again, maybe it's just cuz they needed a ride to get there. But either way, it was lots of fun. Then we went to the new frozen yogurt place ("Swirl"? Something like that...) and used Joan's 6-oz-free coupon to get a bowl of yogurt barely over 6 oz, plus a gummy bear on top =). Pictures coming soon.

I got home just in time to get Pizza Hut for dinner (for Carol and I), then we spontaneously decided to take out the old SNES and beat Super Mario World - yes, the whole entire game, all 97 levels. I think this is our first time doing it in one sitting, but after playing the Kaizo and Kaizo 2, the regular game becomes ridiculously easy. I guess the next thing I need to do is get ready to go to sleep. Tomorrow will be another busy day - Steven and I are going fishing once again! Let's hope we catch something bigger (and more edible?) than what we got last time =).

08/29: Friday night - The end of my first week of work this schoolyear. For those who didn't know, I'm still doing what I did before summer - tutoring students after school in academics. A lot of people automatically assume that when I say "teaching" I mean piano lessons. Yes, I do have a few piano students. But to be honest, teaching piano requires a little too much, umm, commitment. Don't get me wrong, commitment is something I really value. In fact, that's the very reason I'm not focusing on teaching piano. Being a good music teacher requires organizing recitals, competitions, and a lot of other things that basically require a decision either to commit to teaching and work hard to set long-term goals for my students or to accept the fact that it's only a part-time opportunity to share my passion for music while making some money from it. Until I can feel convinced that teaching is something God is calling me to do, I have to choose the latter.

Of course, like I always say, teaching in general really isn't my gifting, whether academics or music. And after so many years of praying and working with various students, I'm becoming more and more certain that I'm right. But with academic tutoring, at least my commitment to my job only extends as far as the hours when I'm actually at the students' houses, and it helps me earn a decent amount of money without interfering with my life outside of work and my pursuit of my long-term (music-related) career goals. I always say that my tutoring job is temporary, partly because I don't feel like teaching is my gifting, and also because it isn't related to the music degree that God called me to get in college. But as this past week passed by one day at a time, my attitude slowly began to change a little bit.

First of all, one thing I can't deny is that every single job I've had in my life has been some form of answered prayer. Last summer when I asked for a humbling, low-paying job to gain character and experience, God opened the doors to a warehouse job during the exact weeks I was free to work. After I graduated, I prayed for a way to earn a decent amount of money while having free time to spend with my family, friends, and God, and the very next day I got a call from a parent asking me to tutor her kids every day after school for two hours. When I asked God why my tutoring job had nothing to do with my major, the next day I got hooked up with an internship at a recording studio.

This time, however, things were a little different. Having just returned home after a month in Taiwan, I was still settling down and readjusting to life in the States when I found out my students from last schoolyear still wanted me to tutor them when school started. I hadn't really had time to think about what to pursue as my next job or even pray about it, so I said yes. In the following weeks, several new students also contacted me for tutoring, and it reached a point where I was having trouble fitting everybody into my weekly schedule.

This past week has been a good warm-up for what is to come. A few of my students have already started school while others are still figuring out their schedules, and still others are enjoying their final week of summer vacation. Yesterday I taught for four hours in a row and didn't get home until around 9:30PM. I felt much more tired than I thought I would, and it made me realize that even after all these years of teaching, I've never actually felt this exhausted from doing it. Typically my teaching schedule consists of spontaneous one- or two-hour blocks throughout the day, rather than a huge chunk of several hours in a row. But I know I better adjust quickly, because starting next week that four-hour chunk will become six hours, with only short commuting breaks inbetween students.

My attitude has always been that if I have free time and am able to add more students to make more money, than I have no reason not to do so. But at the same time I've always felt somewhat guilty of not putting all of the time God gave me to good use and allowing this temporary job to distract me from setting bigger goals for myself. I've prayed to God countless times that if He was providing me with tutoring opportunities only because He felt bad that I didn't have any other way to make money, then He should stop being so kind and put me in a situation that forces me to open my eyes and see the bigger picture He wants to paint in my life. But still He kept opening doors for me, and this time the door to tutoring is open more widely than it's ever been before.

It's a given that with a job like this, my work schedule will be somewhat awkward - free mornings and early afternoons, and extremely busy evenings and nights. But then again, when all my friends are either working or going to school, what is there to lose on weekday nights anyway? At least I get all of the holidays off, just like an actual school teacher. When my full schedule kicks in, there will be a few days a week when I'm teaching from the moment my first students get home from school until I can start using free nighttime minutes on my cell phone. (Thankfully, nobody really wants tutoring after 10PM on a weekday night). I've always envied my friends who have full-time, stable jobs that force them to put their time to good use despite them always complaining about the long hours. God has given me not only a group of students that will almost certainly guarantee me a stable tutoring position, but so many of them that my schedule is literally maxed out to a point where I feel like I'll get burnt out if I fill it up any more. How often does that happen with an independent after-school "temporary" tutoring job?

God has taken the abilities I've gained from several years of teaching jobs and used them to maximize my income. As if that's not good enough, almost every one of my students live within a ten-minute drive from each other, so very little time is spent on the road. After so much ranting and complaining about this job, isn't it finally time for me to be thankful? When I returned home so tired last night, I realized for the first time in about half a year that this is exactly where God wants me to be right now. He's not simply giving me students out of pity, but rather blessing me financially while allowing me to still have plenty of free time during mornings and early afternoons to continue nurturing my passion for music. And because I'm not teaching on weekends, my job will rarely, if ever, conflict with opportunities to perform on stage. I need to always remember that my job is a learning experience, whether it's working with kids, communicating effectively, or getting used to the long hours. And most of all, I need to remember that my job now, like every job I've had in the past, is a gift from God. He has answered a prayer deep in my heart that He heard even before I had time to verbally tell Him. Even though this is a "temporary" job, it doesn't mean I'm in the wrong place. Sure, I might want to jump directly to something more music-related, or simply make even more money. But there's no better place for me to be than the place where God calls me to be. And despite the challenges that I may face with my current job, I'm glad to say that I'm standing in that very place right now.

08/28: It's about 9:30PM, and I just got home after four hours of nonstop teaching. It's more tiring than I thought it would be, but I'm sure I'll get used to it over time. After all, starting next week it's only gonna get harder. I'll write more about that some other time. Today I got to have lunch with Sue =). We went to Red Ant and took advantage of the free milk tea / Thai tea refills. Next time I see her will probably be when school starts, during which I'll be sure to put her Premier meal plan to good use =).

Anyways, here's a couple pics of the new floor at my house -

08/26: A topic that had been left unfinished for almost a year -

08/24: At last, I'm back on the internet! Or at least I was... for about ten minutes. After almost a week of workers fixing pipes, drilling holes, and putting together wood and tile floors piece by piece, the house is almost finished. I'll take some pictures and post them when I have time. Most of our furniture is back in place, and for some reason our internet router keeps switching itself to "testing" mode (meaning it doesn't work), so even though I'm writing this thing now, God only knows when it's actually gonna go online.

Of course, I can't forget that it's gonna be nearly impossible to dig out the money to pay for all this work. If it wasn't out of necessity (the leaking pipe), none of this would have taken place. But now that it's done, I think it's best to enjoy what we have and not worry about what we don't have. Mom had wanted to change our floor for several years already, and there were a few times when we almost decided to do the work on our own. Thank God we didn't - seeing the workers do ther job these past few days confirmed that it's definitely hard work, and no matter how much time and energy we put into it ourselves, we couldn't have done nearly as well as these professionals did. All we had to do was clear out the floor for them to work, and put everything back in place after they left. It was actually a lot of work on our part too, but it gave us a chance to be forced to actually clean the house in detail. My only real complaint is that while I tend to use logic to plan things out before taking action, apparently everyone else living in this house doesn't. And that led to plenty of conflicts between us. But oh well, I'm neither going to hold a grudge nor conform to their standards.

By watching the workers and talking to them throughout the week, I definitely learned a lot. First, unlike what most people may think, some of these workers are incredibly rich. Sure, they might not have gone to college and their work might be extremely tiring. But almost all the workers at my house showed up in some form of expensive German luxury car, and after seeing how much they charge per hour and how high the demand for labor is, I'm really not that surprised anymore.

But of course, I'm pretty sure this is only true for licensed and professional workers. That leads to the second thing I learned. Among Chinese-Americans, it's very common to hire know-it-all handymen who can fix just about anything wrong with the house, and will also charge much less than American companies, especially when paid in cash. No, their work isn't always legal, but all of us who have broken the 45mph speed limit have no right to complain about others breaking the law. I'm only complaining because their work is not only illegal, but surprisingly unprofessional. Take a look at this -

08/18: The beginning of a very busy and very expensive week. There's a good chance I might not have internet access for a few days, if not longer. There's also a good chance we have to survive for a few days without water in the house, meaning we have to borrow other people's homes to shower. Having lived in my car before, I'm really not all that bothered by this kind of lifestyle. But it's still strange that all these inconveniences are taking place at my own home. Of course, it's all for a good cause. Here's what happened-

Rewind back to a few weeks ago when Carol and I were still in Taiwan. Meanwhile a fairly severe earthquake took place in southern California, and while most people here assumed it caused little or no damage, we eventually realized that most of the damage took place in areas we don't normally see. For my home, it's a leaking water pipe. We didn't realize it until about a week ago when the carpet started to feel damp and smell bad. At the same time, we've always felt that our carpet downstairs was very old and dirty and needs to be replaced with hard floor. So since fixing the leak requires ripping open the carpet, we decided to get both jobs done together. Of course, it's going to cost a lot more money than we can afford, but by God's grace we got some very good deals that we are extremely thankful for. The water is currently being fixed, and if everything goes as planned, the flooring company should be able to start working later this week, and have it done by the end of the week.

So most of this week will be dedicated to cleaning the house and clearing out every last item on the floor downstairs so the carpet can be replaced. Hopefully I'll also find some time to fix up my car a little after an unfortunuate encounter on the way to UCLA on Saturday-

08/17: Very eventful weekend. Yesterday’s UCLA trip (visit #6) turned out to be much more surprising than expected, especially considering it was only a one-day trip. I called Derek on Friday to see if he wanted to get lunch near UCLA, only to end up getting invited to dim sum with him and a bunch of GOC guys at *drumroll*… Monterey Park! It happened to be on the way to UCLA, and basically helped me figure out my schedule for the whole day. After dim sum, Derek and I got some Tapioca Express, then I made a quick detour to ProMax for a few pictures, then we went back to UCLA. Another surprise, also from Friday night – I found out that Jane was back at school too, so I wanted to visit her. Turns out she works at the bio library, which is also where Derek works. Perfect. So we went to the library and talked with Jane outside for a while. Then I went back with Derek to his apartment to chill. We went to visit Antony at his apartment too, which happened to be on Veteran (where my next destination was), and I was fortunate enough to secure for myself a good parking space, which is quite hard to come across at the apartments around campus. Antony, Derek, and I played pool for a while – more like just randomly shooting at balls and occasionally hitting a few into the holes (since we all suck). After that I left for Elizabeth and Mariko’s apartment, the only part of the trip that was actually planned before Friday night. Last weekend when I went to visit them after the Gumball 3000, they invited me to come again this weekend for a very special event – a dumpling-making party! That’s the main reason I scheduled the UCLA trip for yesterday. Dumplings taste good, and it’s nice to know how to make something edible in case I live alone in an apartment someday and refuse to eat fast food and instant noodles every day. Elizabeth, Mariko, and Charlene were already working hard when I got there, and I joined them in mixing the meat and playing with the dough. Yes, I consider it ‘playing’, especially when I got to make uniquely shaped dumplings after learning the basics. Christina and Ai came to join the party too, and came just in time to finish making the last batch of dumplings. Then it was time to eat and enjoy! Those dumplings actually tasted quite good, and because they were all handmade, no two were the same, and some even received nicknames before being eaten. After that, we also had an ice cream and root beer float party. I volunteered to bring drinks - fruit punch, root beer, and real beer. That last beverage was Mariko’s request, and I decided to surprise them with a special kind of beer, one that brings back great memories from Taiwan =). Mariko liked it, until she decided to try mixing it in the same cup with root beer and fruit punch. Not a good idea. Anyway, the rest of the night was spent chatting with Elizabeth and Mariko. Elizabeth let me see a bunch of pictures on her laptop, and basically gave me a tour of Japan. I want to go there. I want to go to Arizona and Utah too, since she showed me pictures from their recent vacation there and I was totally amazed. I want to go back to Taiwan too. The conclusion? There’s too many places I want to go, and too little money to spend on traveling. And my family isn’t exactly doing too well regarding money these days. I’ll write more on that in another entry.

Today – it totally caught me off guard that all the people going to private schools are leaving already. If I realized it earlier, I would have called them all to hang out one last time. But somehow I kept thinking there was still another week or two left. I guess I’ll have to wait until Winter Break. Daniel(Tan) came back, and so did Steph(Lin), but they were also leaving. So a bunch of us had lunch together at Tokyo Lobby. Ken, Steph, Jon, and I stopped by Tea Station to say hi to Christina. Then I took Steph home, and Ken and I went to the Harvest Crusade! Yep, after missing it for a year, we decided it would be nice to go again just for the heck of it. And Ken was willing to go early and line up with me, especially since he went yesterday too and was surprised at how many people were there. We were near the front of the line, which means we also got pretty good seats. Pastor Greg Laurie’s sermon was great as usual, especially when he used his son’s tragic death to give God glory, demonstrating the hope he has in Him to everyone present, whether Christian or not. And of course, the music was amazing – The Katinas, Leeland, Marty Goetz, Crystal Lewis, and Michael W. Smith. I’ve seen almost all of them perform before, but in these past few years I’ve been too focused on my own music that I didn’t really sit down and enjoy watching other people perform. After the event, Ken and I had a late dinner at Q Noodle house – nice and cheap, yet amazingly tasty and also filling. That‘s the end of today’s adventures. It’s gonna be a very hectic week starting tomorrow, but I’ll save the details for later, after I get some sleep first. Goodnight!

08/15: Back from an awesome Team A (Me, Marcus, Rodney, Stephanie, Rebecca, Erica) reunion barbecue & hangout. Patty, Christina, and Grover were also there. Now it's time to start getting ready for the next big event - UCLA VISIT #6!

Yea, I know, it's very last-minute. But it's only gonna be a one-day visit, and there really aren't that many people I need to visit. At first I decided against any car-spotting activities, since all the real car freaks should be up at Carmel right now. But then again, maybe there's gonna be a few unfortunate millionaires who can't make it to Carmel, and if they bring out any nice rides tomorrow, then I'll be the only one there to catch them =). We'll see... I still need to call up some people to figure out exactly what's happening. But to all of you at UCLA for summer school, see you tomorrow! =)

08/14: In these past few days God has been throwing a bunch of little hints at me reminding me that I can't just relax forever like I've been doing since I came back from Taiwan. I'm still not sure where my music degree is going to take me, but at this point it looks like I'll still be focusing on teaching/tutoring, with free time to play around with music and hopefully come up with something serious. If all goes as planned, then starting in a few weeks (when public schools begin) my income will be nearly double what I had before summer. The only downside is that I'll be working through dinnertime two to three days a week. But it's not like there's all that many opportunities to spend money on weekdays anyway. Please continue to pray for me, both in finances and in music in general. I know God has something exciting planned for my future, and I'm very excited to see it happen.

I'm starting to feel like a lot has changed here in America during the month that I was gone. Specifically, it seems like a lot of people have disappeared. Or maybe something's just wrong with my phone. Almost all the people I've tried to get in touch with haven't called me back, and I haven't seen them online either. It makes me quite sad and also slightly concerned, but if that's the way it has to be, then perhaps it can be a good thing, since I have a lot more time to talk with people who I have been able to contact. Andy's visiting California for a few days, so we had lunch (shaved ice and fried chicken) together at Class 302 yesterday, and dinner shortly afterwards. Today I got to see Christina (Cheung) again! Last night I found out she still goes to Zenith, which is like right next to my house, so we had lunch at McDonalds during her break. It feels weird going to McDonald's and not having corn soup anymore. It's one of countless things about Taiwan that I really really miss.

Speaking of Taiwan, I've been working very hard on improving my Chinese =). I try to reply to most of the emails from my friends in Taichung using Chinese, so I can practice typing and also identifying characters. The latter is giving me a lot of trouble. But it's okay, I'll become fluent someday =). At this rate I'm already improving a lot, and my progress encourages me to keep on trying. In fact, there's a hanful of emails I should go reply to right now, so I'll end t his entry here!

08/11: Pictures from the Taiwan Mission Trip are finally online!! Sorry for the long wait - There was a lot of organizing for me to do before posting them. There are still plenty of pictures from the last week in Taiwan (Family vacation) and from before the trip that I need to post, but as promised, I took care of the Mission Trip pics first =). Lots of people asked me to email specific pictures to them, and if you're one of them, you should have gotten the pics from me already. If not, please let me know so I'll send it again. Also, now that the pictures are done, I can spend some time on wallpapers (scenery pictures) and videos, including the possum-at-church incident (the Sunday before the mission trip) and Rodney's "Lakers Rookie" video =). Anyways, that's all for now. Hope you like the pictures! =)

08/10: I’m insanely tired and my legs are quite sore, thanks to an amazing adventure yesterday. At 4PM I arrived at Hollywood Blvd and spent the next six hours shooting pictures and videos at the Gumball 3000! Yep, they’re back in the US again this year, and with so many rich and famous people and so many amazing cars, it only makes sense that they make a stop somewhere in the LA area.

For the most part, things went exactly as planned – both good things and bad things. On the good side, my insanity that told me to arrive at the event more than two hours early helped me obtain some amazing candid photos that nobody else got. On the bad side, the time of the actual event (6:30 to 10:00) was extremely awkward for photography. And because the actual Gumballers arrived a lot later than planned, I didn’t even stay for the whole thing; at 10PM half the cars weren’t even there yet, so I took off first cuz I had other stuff planned (more on that later).

But let’s focus on the good things. Many of the local show cars arrived before they even finished closing down the street for the show, and by eavesdropping on the officers’ dialogues and observing the cars’ directions, I eventually found my way to the exact place all the cars were supposed to wait at before parading onto Hollywood Blvd. What’s the point of squeezing through hundreds of other spectators when I get my own perfect opportunity to shoot without anybody in my way? Even though the setup of the actual show wasn’t as exciting as the Beverly Hills one a few years ago, it made life much easier for us photographers, since there was only one entrance for all the cars to come in. So by waiting at one place we got to see all the cars enter. And by “we” I’m referring to Dash, Spyder, Mr. & Mrs. Dobrofsky, Jake, and Jason. They’re among very few people on this planet that I feel comfortable talking about cars with, since we’re all unbelievably hardcore when it comes to finding exotics and shooting them. And even though I missed a lot of the Gumballers, the rest of our gang was there again this morning when the cars took off to drive to Las Vegas, so I should be seeing their pictures pretty soon. Speaking of pictures, here’s a few highlights from the evening-

08/09: America, week one. Gosh, I still feel like I'm in Taiwan-journaling mode, even though it's already been a week since I came home. For the most part, jetlag wasn't too bad - I forced myself to sleep at night and stay awake during the day. In fact, this has been an incredibly busy week. Like I always say, I appreciate it when people bug me to post pictures, since it pushes me to work faster and not slack off. And the gazillion pictures from Taiwan kept me busy all week, and I'm still not done yet. At this rate, all the pics from the mission trip (not my family vacation pics) should be online in the next few days.

Okay, fine, I didn't exactly spend all week working. True, I spent almost all my free time at home at the computer, but thanks to people who missed me enough while I was gone, I wasn't exactly free at home most of the week. Monday - went out to lunch with Ken. I ordered frog meat =). Then he came over and we talked for most of the afternoon. Tuesday - had brunch at IHOP with Melody Winnie Grace Taryn and Wilson. Did you know Eva was Miss Taiwan a few years ago? I didn't, until I took Grace to Life Plaza and she asked to keep one of the Miss Taiwan flyers that was on the wall. Taryn, Grace, and I went to shop for a bit, then picked up Clara and went to get some $1 scoop ice cream at Baskin Robbins. At night I went to the ClayMusic monthly prayer meeting. No upcoming concerts for me yet, but I got to hear a demo of the new album and it's pretty good =). Wednesday - Amanda and Jasmine came to visit Mom's class! And finally I'm actually home! Friday - long-awaited fishing trip with Steven. I hadn't fished since I was a kid, so when Steven picked up his fishing hobby earlier in the summer, I told him I would join him. And now that I'm back in America, I decided to keep my word. And it was definitely lots of fun. We went to hang out at Jason's place in UCI first and played Wii for a long time. I called Cinda and she stopped by to say hi too. Then we met up with Harry and ate dinner together at TGI Friday's. Then Steven, Dan and I went fishing at Newport until past midnight. We didn't bring any fish home though, since they were all too small to eat. But knowing how often Steven goes to fish, I'll definitely be going again soon too, and hopefully next time we'll do much better!

So anyways, that brings us to the present. And I actually have to shut up now, cuz I’m getting ready to go somewhere very special. Since this very special trip was planned several months ago, I’m surprised I didn’t write about it any sooner, but at this point I might as well wait until I come back home to tell about how much fun I had!

08/07: From Home, Back Home – Reflections on Taiwan

For the first seven years of my life, I grew up in Taiwan. After first grade, my family moved to California to begin a new lifestyle. We returned to Taiwan the following summer to visit for a month, and that was the last time we ever set foot there. For fifteen years, I was raised in America, learning the American way of life. Fortunately, to my family a part of being "American" meant going to church on Sundays, and by doing so I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ, who wrote ever single chapter of my life story. He answered me each time I prayed, giving me whatever I needed that complied with His will, whether it was a friend, a job, or a little dose of wisdom. Sometimes He would interrupt the flow of my own stories, throwing in surprises that I would wish against at first but would eventually come to appreciate.

Almost half a year ago, I was stuck with not knowing what to do with my life after college, and God surprised me with a new option - to join my church on a three-week summer mission trip to teach English, perform music, and spread the gospel in Taiwan. I was hesitant at first, since I was too worried about finding a job in the summer and figuring out my own life. But as I prayed, I began to realize that God was really calling me to go. In the end, I decided not only to join the mission team, but to stay an additional week in Taiwan with Carol to visit our relatives that we hadn't seen a decade and a half. I was definitely excited, and I knew immediately when I signed up for the trip that it would be an amazing experience. But at the same time, I was extremely scared. I had never been away from home for so long, and Mom was too busy to join us to visit our relatives, meaning we were pretty much on our own to figure everything out. The idea of going out to an unfamiliar place for a whole month made me feel uncomfortable. Sure, I was born in Taiwan. But the last time I was there, I was only one-third of my age now. And fifteen years of cultural evolutions, technological innovations, and natural disasters is enough to make even the most familiar places seem foreign. I was both excited and afraid, with no direction on how to set my own expectations. So I boarded the airplane with an open mind, praying simply that God would fulfill whatever reasons He sent me to Taiwan for.

Upon arriving in Taiwan, I kept my eyes wide open, eager to see my childhood homeland once again. After over a decade, I had forgotten much of what Taiwan looks like. But as the days and weeks passed, my long-lost memories began to resurface. Streets filled with more scooters than cars. The ever-so-familiar garbage truck jingle. Small homes where the family runs its business on the first floor and lives on the upper floors. Bike rides on countryside streets. My childhood favorite “Vegetable Garden” snack, along with many other drinks and snacks that I had completely forgotten about. As I rediscovered each of these things (and many more), something deep inside me suddenly came to life. Scenes from childhood began to reconnect themselves with the present. And each time it happened, it became clearer that Taiwan was really not a foreign place to me.

Another thing I had forgotten about Taiwan over the years is that it is a subtropical island. In other words, it’s much more than just a super-sized version of Rowland Heights. No matter where I went in Taiwan, I couldn’t forget that I was surrounded by mountains and water. Even in the most urban areas, big expanses of trees or sights of green mountains, lakes, rivers, or the ocean are never more than a few blocks away. And even when indoors, ridiculously sized arachnids, insects, and other critters are not a rare sight. In these few weeks I’ve lived in everything from a single-room trailer home in the countryside to a luxury apartment in Taipei, and I’ve discovered a unique harmony between mankind and nature that I haven’t found anywhere else. People know nature, and live peacefully with it. Unlike spoiled Californians like myself who complain uselessly about scary critters or weather-related inconveniences, they simply accept the poisonous bugs and spontaneous thunderstorms as a part of their lives, whether it means being stung by a bee or having to run home in the rain without an umbrella. In fact, when the Jhushan team was freaking out about the typhoon that hit Taiwan while we were there, the local villagers simply told us not to worry. Of course, for the safety’s sake we still moved out of our refugee trailers into a hotel. And all of us still think those people in Jhushan are a tad crazy. But something about their words of assurance tells me that they’re really not afraid. They tell us that they don’t start worrying until their lives are at immediate risk, and despite how ridiculous and even suicidal it may sound to us, it’s almost as if they’re acknowledging that there are things in life that are bigger than themselves, and that they accept their role as mere humans, living harmoniously with whatever spirits they believe are above them.

Speaking of spirits, I realized that Taiwan really needs God a lot more than I thought. On this trip there were several instances where we felt as if we were the only “real” Christians present. To many people in Taiwan, Christianity is simply a once-a-week ritual. We even met some church leaders who imply that it’s okay to attend a Christian church and an ancestor-worshipping temple simultaneously, simply for the sake of making our lives better. Very often Christian leaders who dedicated their lives to helping people in Taiwan end up being elevated to a divine status after their death, and they are remembered as an idol rather than as a servant of the God who truly deserves worship. If church is nothing more than a religious building and religion nothing more than idolatry, then it’s no wonder there are so few people who passionately seek God.

Of course, I’m not at all trying to say that there are no legit churches in Taiwan. In fact, we had the opportunity to meet several people who truly demonstrate God’s love in their lives. Among them are pastors, worship leaders, and incredibly generous elders who always give to us, knowing that God gave them everything they possess. Sometimes our team was treated so generously by local churches or individuals that we almost forgot we were on a mission trip. We were truly blessed to have them around us, so that we could remember that we’re not alone in this faith. But during the times that we felt alone in the midst of corruption and false religion, we began to realize that there are so many places in Taiwan that need God, and that the true gospel will only be known there if someone is willing to bring it there. It makes us thankful for being part of such a great church in America, and it makes us eager to go back again in the future to further God’s work in Taiwan.

During the first week of the trip, our team had the amazing opportunity to work with almost 40 students from Taichung, resulting in what is probably to all of us the highlight of the mission trip. It actually began as a complete disaster; careless planning and miscommunication made us have to change just about every part of our lesson plans on the spot, and we were even at the brink of forfeiting the campsite facility entirely because it was insufficient for our needs. But by God’s grace we were able to secure a large classroom, as well as two smaller rooms and a performance hall, before the students arrived. It turned out the students were living in the same rooms as we were, something I honestly didn’t look forward to at first. But as the week progressed, being in such close proximity helped us break the ice, both in class and at the dorms. And my desire to know more about Taiwan and practice speaking Chinese prompted me to jump out of my comfort zone and make the most out of every moment I had to spend with the students. Because we were all pretty close in age, we bonded very well, and by the end of the week I had gotten to know almost all of the 30-something students personally. Many other members of our team shared similar experiences, and even amidst our busy schedule for the remainder of the trip, we did our best to stay connected to the students, mostly through email. Many of them even came to visit us in Taipei a few weeks later when we had free time.

Those new friends showed me Taiwan through the eyes of people my own age. Perhaps they represent the friends I would have made in high school or college had I not moved to America. They patiently helped me improve my Chinese, both formal and slang, and introduced me to their favorite drinks and snacks, tips that guided me for the remainder of the trip even when they were no longer with me. Through them I saw, for the first time from a young man’s point of view, the world that I had left behind fifteen years ago.

I’ve never been good at making myself fit into a large group of people. At the beginning I tend to be quiet and timid, wanting to start conversations but afraid to face the countless potential awkward moments. However, once the ice breaks, even if it’s just with one person, something deep inside me opens up, and I begin to pour out my heart. After getting to know the students from Taichung, what was originally a foreign place to me began to feel like home, and my initial fear of returning to Taiwan quickly faded away. I’d always thought of Taiwan simply as a place I spent much of my childhood in, and had little present connection with. But when I left the Taichung camp, I began to feel a deep sense of loneliness, and that feeling told me that the friendships I made and experiences I had throughout the week had taken a piece of my heart.

No less important than those friendships are my family members in Taiwan. Not long after moving to America, Dad died of liver cancer. From that point on, Mom worked extremely hard to earn enough money. Only rarely does she get a break over a week long. That’s why we never had a chance to return to Taiwan. I grew up knowing Mom’s side of the family quite well, since they either live in the US or have come to visit several times. However, Dad’s side of the family is entirely in Taiwan, and with the exception of a few individuals who have visited the US, our only contact over the years has been through occasional emails or phone calls.

Dad was the firstborn of five brothers. Because their family was not wealthy, he grew up learning to work hard and take care of his parents and brothers. He was always humble, putting his family above himself. Grandpa was in the Taiwanese military, and four of the five brothers also joined the military, except Dad; as the eldest son, he was spared from having to stay in the military after completing his mandatory service, and through Mom’s side of the family, we were eventually able to move to America.

In the early days of their marriage, almost every conflict between Mom and Dad revolved around differences in their family backgrounds. Dad was usually extremely quiet, especially during meals, and very rarely did he openly talk about his feelings. Because he grew up with only brothers, he often lacked a softer and gentler side, despite being a very kind man. At least that’s what Mom tells me. Mom’s side of the family was much more concerned with proper etiquette and respectful obedience. To an extent, I grew up as the problem child; many times I would feel the need to let myself loose, whether it’s through expressing my personal quirks and petty preferences or through behavior that’s completely out of place, and I would be criticized for doing so. Not that it’s wrong for Mom to discipline me, but deep inside there was always a part of me that longed for adventure and uniqueness, and I was never allowed to express it until I went to college. During my college years, I walked distances that normal people wouldn’t walk if they were paid to do it. I spent months living in the passenger seat of my car. I encountered several near-death experiences for no good reason. And I did all those things voluntarily, simply to get that deep feeling of contentment that I never found before.

I continue to cherish that joy now, and it’s so strong that I don’t care when everyone else around me thinks I’m crazy. But in the same way Mom saw certain traits in me as problems by her standards, I too learned to see them as problems in myself. My desire for adventure, combined with the frustration of not being allowed to live it out and the guilt of believing that I shouldn’t feel the way I do, has led to many unwanted side effects over the years, often involving purposely hurting others in order to bring pleasure to myself. I had tried just about every possible way to cure those side effects and failed every time. Thinking of it now, I can’t really blame Mom. Mothers and fathers play very different roles in a child’s growth, and neither one can ever fully replace the other. During this trip to Taiwan, I came to a new and profound realization – I have grown up only knowing half of me, and there was another half that was lost after Dad’s death, waiting to be discovered again. So that’s exactly what I set out to search for.

There is no better way to get to know Dad than through spending time with the very people he grew up with. In this past week, Uncle Hwei, Dad’s younger brother, took Carol and I out on vacation, and told us many stories of their childhood in the countryside. As a boy, he trespassed into farms to steal crops until the farmers furiously chased him out. He designed weak but functional electricity generators that brought light to the house when the power went out. He built traps and weapons and had all kinds of creative ways to catch birds and other wild animals. He was a free child, able to explore the limits of his adventurous spirit and learn through his own experiences. And so were his four brothers, including Dad. Adventure might mean different things to each of them, but having been taught the basic rules of survival, they were free to figure life out on their own. Each of them had his own little quirks that make him unique, and was not afraid to express them. By doing so, they became closely connected to their true characters, and learned to find joy in everything they do. Unfortunately, Dad and another uncle are no longer here in this world to share that joy. But their legacies still live on in the rest of their family – their brothers, their parents, their wives, and of course, their children.

I don’t remember what it’s like to look up at a man and call him “Dad”. But on this trip to Taiwan, I came as close as I’ve ever been to rediscovering the father figure that I lost when I was eight. I can still remember faint memories of Dad teaching me how to assemble furniture, prepare a fishing rod, and operate a lawn mower. He organized family vacations and always made sure we were all well taken care of. It was through him that we experienced the boldness and freedom he and his family grew up with, and when he left us, I lost the mentor that every boy needs. Uncle Hwei not only spent countless hours planning how to help Carol and I make the most out of our time in Taiwan, but decided to drive us all the way from Taipei to Kaohsiung and back, so that we could have the freedom to stop, play, eat, or rest at any point we wanted. It was beyond my wildest dreams that I would ever go on a family vacation like this. Each of our relatives that we got to see along the way, whether grandparents, uncles, aunts, or cousins, gave me a welcome that made me feel at home. I was able to be myself without feeling ashamed or guilty, and we easily accepted each other’s eccentricities. In fact, some of us even share the same strange quirks! I guess I’m not alone in my family after all. My uncles treated me as their own son, to a point where I can almost call them my own Dads.

Of course, I’m old enough to make decisions for myself, and there are definitely things about my family in Taiwan that I don’t agree with or approve of. But I believe that my background is an important part of what makes me who I am now and who I will become, and that I can’t fully understand myself until I understand those who walked this earth before me and whose blood I inherit. I don’t think I’ll ever break into someone’s property to steal their food, but I’ve definitely had my share of adventure that involves breaking rules. And now I know why. I was never meant for simply learning a bunch of rules and perfectly obeying them. I’m an artist, with a unique creativity that cannot be hidden, and sometimes I simply can’t learn without first making mistakes, and there’s nothing wrong with that! And if Dad were still here, he and Mom together will form the key to that deepest part of my heart that I never truly understood. That’s exactly the reason I’ve always felt like Mom’s side of the family doesn’t fully represent me. That’s exactly the reason I’ve always found certain things about me that don’t conform to the rest of my family in America. The side effects that resulted from my guilt may be nothing more than a bad branch extending from healthy roots. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of both Mom and Dad, and by realizing that God has a reason for assigning them to be my parents, I can learn from them and grow to become who I’m meant to be. For fifteen years I’ve grown to understand Mom’s way of life, and now I finally get to see Dad’s too. As a result I feel more complete than I ever have before. There’s simply no other way to make me feel this free. It’s a part of my blood. It always was, and it always will be!

So here I am now, some 30-something thousand feet in the air, somewhere between Taiwan and America. Throughout the past month, what was originally a new and somewhat scary experience had become an ordinary lifestyle, and it still hasn’t hit me that when I step off this airplane a few hours later, everything that happened on this trip will suddenly become history. I’m definitely glad to go back to America though. I miss Mom. I miss my other family members and friends. I miss all the many luxuries in America that I’ve taken for granted. I miss having public toilet paper and trash cans at just about any facility. I miss living in a two-story house and having my own car to drive, things that my friends in Taiwan would find too good to be true. But at the same time, deep inside there is a feeling of loneliness, the same kind of loneliness I felt when I left my friends in Taichung to continue on with the rest of the mission trip. It reminds me of four weeks ago when I kissed Mom goodbye and left for Taiwan. And that loneliness tells me that this trip has been far more than just a mission trip or a vacation.

I've always heard people in America tell me how much they love Taiwan. Many of my friends go there every year, simply to visit, and others want to move there permanently when they're older. I used to think they were all a bit crazy. But now that I got to see Taiwan for myself, I must admit there's really something magical about it. I guess different people like Taiwan for different reasons, whether it's the people, the food, the cheap stores, or the overall lifestyle. But to me, it’s something much deeper. When I gazed at those beautiful green mountains that Dad used to drive our family through, when I stepped into the familiar courtyard of the apartment I spent the first half of my childhood in, when I rediscovered my favorite snacks and beverages, and when I looked into the eyes of my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins that I hadn’t seen in far too long, deep inside I knew one thing – I was finally home.

Four weeks flew by, and suddenly I’ve left this new home. But at the same time, a part of me knows that I’m finally going back home. Home is where the heart is, and right now my heart is torn between the two. People will ask me if I plan on going back to Taiwan again, and my answer will be a firm yes. Now that I’ve made new friends, familiarized myself with the culture, and reconnected with my relatives, there’s really no reason to be afraid anymore. In a sense, this trip can be considered a diversion in my quest to figure out my life after college. But I know without doubt that God called me to go to Taiwan for a reason, and by following His calling I’m now closer than ever to understanding my true self the way He created me, an understanding that prompts me to worship Him as a reflection of His very own image. This adventure is definitely not over, and one day I’ll return to continue with it, whether it’s through a career, a mission trip, or a vacation. But no matter when that day will come and what purposes are behind it, deep inside I will always know that I’m simply going on another journey, another amazing journey from home, back home.

08/06: Taiwan Journal, Chapter Four - Family Reunion & Vacation

July 26 (Sat): Saturday night. Carol and I met with our Aunt Sand at the hotel, and after we finished saying goodbye to the Dream Team, she drove us to her home, where we met with Uncle. Aunt drove us around Taipei and we somehow ended up at our mom’s old elementary school. I know this week is supposed to help me connect a bit more with my childhood, but I had no idea that on the first day I’d already be visiting places that impacted my life long before I was even born. We met with Harry for lunch at the famous Ding Tai Feng. Afterwards we went to Taipei 101. It was my second time, but this time we got to check out the observation deck for an amazing view of Taipei. Then Harry took us shopping for the whole afternoon. After an amazing barbecue dinner, we’re now back at Aunt’s house and getting ready for bed. It’s been an exciting day, and I’m sure that with a little more sleep things will only get better.

July 27 (Sun): Another awesome day in Taipei. I finally got to catch up on sleep, and that helped make everything much more exciting. Aunt & Uncle Sand took Carol and I to see several places in Taipei, including the presidential office building and the famous Grand Hotel. We did some more shopping at another shopping center. I rarely shop for myself, but by now I’ve seen so many amazing deals that I’m very open to spending money. Part of being a visitor in a Chinese family is that money is rarely a problem – Aunt and Uncle took care of our meals, and even forced us to accept a good amount of spending money, far more than I need. At night Carol and I met up with Uncle Hwei, who brought us to his home (also in Taipei) to meet with Aunt Hwei and Cousins Wei and Xiang. This is the beginning of the five days Carol and I will spend with relatives from our dad’s side, most of who we haven’t seen in about 15 years. Uncle Hwei was the one who planned almost the entire week’s schedule for us, making sure we can not only get to see all our relatives but also have lots of fun exploring Taiwan. The only problem is that there’s another typhoon in Taiwan now, so chances are we’ll be trapped in the house all day tomorrow. But tonight we already had an awesome time talking and getting to know each other (since Carol and I barely even remembered what they looked like from 15 years ago, except Cousin Wei who came to America to visit once), and I’m sure tomorrow will be just as great.

July 28 (Mon): Even though Uncle Hwei’s original travel plans for us are delayed by a day because of the typhoon, we still managed to make the most out of our day. The first half of the day was spent indoors, talking, looking at pictures, and eating a wonderful home-cooked lunch. In the afternoon when the rain died down, Uncle took Carol and I for a drive around the area. We took some pictures outside the National Palace Museum, visited a local park, and took a walk around Mom and Dad’s old university. Then we came back to pick up Aunt Hwei and Cousins, and went to Shihlin Night Market for dinner and some more shopping. Tonight we will sleep earlier, because Uncle Hwei, Cousin Wei, Carol,, and I will be driving all the way down to Kaohsiung tomorrow morning. There we will reunite with Grandma, Grandpa, and several other Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins in the Chang family that I haven’t seen in over a decade. For the next few days we’ll work our way back north from Kaohsiung, stopping at various points of interest until we return to Taipei on Thursday night.

July 29 (Tue): First day in Kaohsiung. I’m pretty sure this is the peak of my quest to bring back childhood memories. Uncle Hwei, Cousin Wei, Carol, and I arrived in Kaohsiung in time for a specially prepared lunch at Grandma’s house. We reunited with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Di, Aunt Fang, and Cousins Miao and Yiou. Combine the importance of family in Chinese culture and the fact that Carol and I have been away from the country for so long, and the result is one heck of a homecoming party. After 15 years, it feels very weird to be back with the same people I used to see regularly when I was in kindergarten and first grade. Aunt Fang and Cousins Miao and Yiou have visited California before, but it’s been so long and the kids have grown so much that I didn’t even recognize them at first. And for everyone else, the last time they saw me was when I was about one-third my current age. After lunch, Aunt Fang took Carol and I with our cousins to a nearby arcade for a while. The afternoon was spent visiting several important places, including Uncle Fang’s burial place and the apartment I grew up in. I was old enough then to remember almost exactly what that apartment looks like, and Carol and I got permission to go inside the gate to take a few pictures. We also visited the British Consulate and a famous park. We had dinner at a fancy restaurant, where we met with Aunt Di, Aunt Min, and Cousin Lin. Afterwards we went out for a walk around the famous Love River. The rain prevented us from staying too long, but it was still a beautiful sight. Tomorrow morning we will say goodbye to our relatives here in Kaohsiung and begin our northbound journey.

July 30 (Wed): After breakfast and a quick boat ride to a nearby peninsula, Uncle Hwei, Cousin Wei, Carol, and I left Kaohsiung and headed north. We spent the afternoon at the beautiful Sun Moon Lake. Carol wasn’t there when the Dream Team went there last week, and this time the weather is so much better, and we’re more free to spend time there without worrying about a huge group of people. In fact, we spent the whole afternoon there, and took a boat across the lake to visit various points of interest. Driving through the mountains was no less amazing than the lake – the luscious green of Taiwan’s mountains is like nothing I’ve seen in America, and the narrow windy roads seem to be taken straight out of some jungle experience ride at Disneyland. Right now we’re somewhere between to big mountains in Nantou county, in a little village of hotels and hot springs. Our hotel has a natural outdoor spa right behind it, and even though I originally thought that sitting in a pond of hot water wasn’t a good idea in such hot weather, I was totally wrong. In fact, when we went to the spa after dinner, I stayed there until it was about to close.

Back in our hotel room, we’re all exhausted. Grandma and Grandpa had given us plenty of fresh fruits to keep us healthy and well-fed, and we borrowed some plates and utensils from the kitchen to have a little party in our room. Cousin Wei and I took a little walk outside and sat by the river talking for a long time. She told me that back in the day Cousin Lin and I (the three of us are very close in age) used to get along well, and she was always the one that felt left out. I really don’t remember any of that myself, but it’s great to get to catch up with her now that we’re much more mature than we were back then. Tomorrow morning the four of us will go explore the mountains nearby a little more, and maybe even go back in that hot spring if we have time. For now, it’s time to get some desperately needed sleep.

July 31 (Thurs): Driving back to Taipei after an amazing few days of traveling. To me, every car ride is a special experience, especially in places like Taiwan where most of the things I see around me are still more or less unfamiliar. By now I’ve been in this country long enough that it actually feels like home, and despite not really knowing my way around, I actually recognize many places that we’ve either passed by or visited before. We happened to pass by the campsite in Yuchih once again, and it brought back many great memories, leading me to reflect on all the amazing things that happened in these past three-and-a-half weeks while sitting in the car.

In the morning we took a walk across the village and through a small mountain trail. Even though I’ve seen so many mountains and rivers already, the climate here makes everything look new to me, from the trees to the animals to the rivers and waterfalls. Back at the hotel, we decided to hop in the pool again before leaving. Then we headed down the mountain and went to Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village, which was surprisingly close to the Yuchih camp. The park was a combination of fun rides and an Aboriginal cultural experience, and we spent the whole afternoon there. Because it was getting late, we grabbed dinner to eat on the car. When Uncle Hwei suggested getting food and drinks to go, Carol and I, who recognized the street from the first week, suggested the corner with a 7-Eleven and Balance (boba shop) that we have become very familiar with after having ventured away from the campsite to go there several times. It was there that I got my first boba in Taiwan, and now I’ve returned for my 32nd milk tea on this trip. Stopping there definitely brought back great memories, and serves as a great goodbye present for us, since we’re not going back to Nantou county again.

It’s hard to believe that there’s only less than two days left of this trip, and I’m starting to think more and more about exactly how these four weeks will influence my life back in America. I can sit here writing for hours about everything that’s going through my mind, but I’ll save those things for another entry. Besides, I still have 10 hours to kill on the plane ride back home.

August 1 (Fri): Last night in Taiwan. Last night we went back to Uncle Hwei’s home to spend the night, and this morning he took Carol and I out for another exciting adventure. We took several hikes and visited the beautiful beaches of Yeliou. The only downside was the ridiculous heat – even though I love long walks, I can’t stand excessive sweating, and upon the realization that I was walking with a military officer and a track-and-field athlete, I no longer felt bad for falling behind. A cool bottle of Supau and a delicious lunch made things much better. In the afternoon we stopped at the National Palace Museum again, this time actually going inside. Aunt Hwei and Cousins Wei and Xiang joined us for dinner with Uncle Min, the last member of the Chang family we hadn’t visited yet (since he was busy earlier in the week). After dinner, Uncle Hwei took Carol and I to another night market for a while, then dropped us off to meet back with Aunt & Uncle Sand, who took us back to their home. Tomorrow we’ll spend the morning and early afternoon together, then Carol and I will go to the airport to head home.

August 2 (Sat): At the airport waiting to board the plane. I finally caught up on some desperately needed sleep, and woke up in time to go out for our last adventure in Taiwan. Aunt & Uncle took Carol and I to shop near the river, followed by lunch at a nearby seafood restaurant. Then we went back to finish packing up our luggages and left for the airport. There was one last surprise waiting for us though. It turns out Uncle Sand, who has many connections with many important people, is good friends with the head of airport security. Carol and I skipped the wait line to check in our luggages (which wasn’t really that long to begin with), and now we’re sitting luxuriously in the amazing VIP Lounge, enjoying an unlimited supply of food and drinks. As if everything we ate and drank in Taiwan wasn’t good enough…

So I guess this is the last entry of my Taiwan journal. Of course, there’s plenty more to write regarding all my thoughts about this trip that I haven’t had time to really sit down and sort out. But that can wait until we get on the plane. It still hasn’t completely hit me that our four weeks in Taiwan are already over. I’ve gone through so many adventures here that it really doesn’t feel like the trip will suddenly end. But of course, I can’t let myself enjoy being on vacation forever. So I guess it’s only right to go back to America and continue my life there from where it left off, adding to it all the new things I gained and learned from this trip.

08/05: Taiwan Journal, Chapter Three - Changhua & Taipei

July 20 (Sun): First full day in Changhua. The typhoon is gone now, and the weather is back to the usually-sunny-with-random-rainstorms routine. Many places in Taiwan were flooded, including Pastor Lin’s church in Taichung. Classes were cancelled on Friday, both in Jhushan and in Changhua, but now that the storm’s gone, everything is back to normal. We left Jhushan yesterday morning and arrived at the church in Changhua where we’re living and finally reunited with the rest of the Dream Team. At least most of us – too bad some of us already left for Korea. It sucks that throughout the trip theh team as a whole had only a few days to spend together without being spit into small groups. But at least now most of us are here. The Changhua camp consists of two simultaneous camps, a kids camp and a junior high camp, each led by members of our team who have been here all last week while the Jhushan team was gone. Yesterday we attended the finale of the kids camp. I pretty much sat through it without much feeling, since I’m already through with kids after the last camp. Besides, we only had a few hours to spend there and I didn’t even know any of them. Dinner was pretty interesting – where else can you find an all-you-can-drink kettle of alcohol within reach of everyone including the little kids? At night we attended a worship service with people from several local churches. Most of us thought it went a little overboard because we were being forced to dance in ways that we felt were quite uncomfortable, hence a few of us ending up in the little room upstairs playing Jenga. Thanks to the people at the church, I finally got to try boba from 50lan, which many people from Taichung had recommended after seeing my passion for milk tea. A few of us took a walk around the block, greeting people who apparently have never seen black people in their lives.

Today was pretty relaxing for the most part. We went to church for Sunday service and pretty much sat clueless through the entire thing, since none of us understand Taiwanese. At least we got to perform “Lovely Day” and “God is Moving”. I really missed those songs – they remind me of the best moments of the trip so far. We had a casual improvised “concert” in the afternoon, filled with random acts that by now are already extremely familiar to all of us – Call Box songs, Super Mario, and the ever-so-lovely “Tunac Tunac”. I was a bit too tired to really put my heart into it, but I hope that will change by tomorrow. Tomorrow afternoon is the finale for the junior high camp, which marks not only the end of their camp but also the last official event of our mission trip. After that, everything is just leisure. We’ll be hanging out here in Changhua for a few more days, during which there’s even a chance that some friends from the Taichung camp will come visit us. After that we’ll go to Taipei, where we’ll have fun until the trip ends on Saturday. For now, I pray that God will help us stay focused on our mission, putting our best effort into everything we do all the way until the last event.

July 21 (Mon): Long and tiring day, but for good causes. Today was the grand finale at the Changhua high school camp, and even though I don’t know the students by name, at least we finally get to put on an organized performance with an audience old enough to appreciate it. I came on this trip to perform for God’s glory, and after over a week of more or less chaos it felt great to be on stage again. Of course, the past week or so was good in its own way, and it’s always important for us to learn to adapt to situations outside our comfort zone. But I’m so glad to be back on track with what I originally expected when I signed up for this trip.

In the morning we got to visit a Polio hospital near the school we were performing at. It was a great experience, even though many of us would have preferred the visit to be on another day, since we were already focused on the finale. The finale turned out quite well, even though there were several little disappointments. My complaints are the same ones I’ve always had about performing at unfamiliar venues, and I’ve already learned to shut up and just do what I can with what I have. After all, I’m doing it for God, not for myself. With that in mind, the event was pretty successful. And besides, several people in the audience have already accepted Christ throughout the past week’s camp, so our greatest mission is already accomplished.

To those of us who were at Jhushan, it really didn’t feel like a “finale”, since it was our first time actually seeing the students. But even so, the students treated us like the rest of the team, eager to talk to us, asking us to sign their diplomas, and taking lots of pictures. I really wish I got a chance to spend more time with them before today. But of course I can’t expect every camp to be as perfect as the first one. After a break back at the church we’re living at, the leaders took us out to an oyster beach to walk around, then treated us to dinner and shaved ice. A walk to 7-Eleven with Alun Marcus and Rodney at night was also quite relaxing.

We had some time to debrief with the whole team at night, which marks not only the end of the day but also the end of our last camp on this trip. Even though all of us can come up with things to complain about, at the end we’re simply thankful for all that God has allowed us to do, whether it’s performing, leading people to Christ, or bonding as a team. Every one of us has been blessed greatly through this trip, and our lives back in America won’t be the same. I remember when the Taichung camp ended, I told myself several times that even if the rest of the trip was to be a complete disaster, we’d already accomplished enough that the trip as a whole would be worthwhile. Even though the rest of the trip didn’t seem as fulfilling in a sense, God definitely worked in us and through us in other ways. We bonded a lot more as a team and grew as individuals. Every member of our team, even those who didn’t really get along before the trip, ended up playing a crucial role in God’s work through the team. God allowed us to help people get to know Him while also paving the way for future trips like this. With all this in mind, our complaints become insignificant, and we are simply thankful to be a part of God’s great and perfect plan.

July 22 (Tue): The first “vacation day”. The leaders took us to a few museums in the morning, followed by lunch at a fancy lakeside restaurant owned by one of the church elders. Then we visited the famous Sun Moon Lake. The long drive helped me get more familiarized with Taiwan’s geography, something I’ve always wanted to do. In fact, we drove right past the camp in Yuchih we taught at in the first week, and had dinner at a restaurant in Jhushan that Marcus took the Jhushan team to last week. To be honest, not ever one of our destinations interested the majority of the team like the leaders assumed it would. Tomorrow we’re supposedly going to another hospital, followed by what seems like a tour of some temples that we would rather not set foot in. (Many Christians in Taiwan seem to see nothing wrong with involving other religions for pleasure). We’ll see what happens. At least a part of me will always know that after all these years in America, I finally get to visit the land I grew up in, and that should make every one of these trips valuable to me.

July 23 (Wed): Last night in Changhua. Today we visited the Changhua Christian Hospital. It’s funny that we’re visiting all these hospitals, because other than getting to understand the patients’ struggles and feeling thankful for being in good health, we’re basically stuck with learning every little fact about the hospital founders, since people here pretty much worship them, treating every little item associated with them as sacred. We also visited a glass museum and a small shopping town. It was pretty fun, though Marcus and I totally think alike in that we’d much rather be free to walk around on our own rather than attend a large organized tour where people stall and tell us a lot more details than we need to know. Of course, these activities were all the result of the amazing generosity of the people hosting us, so we’re definitely thankful for them. Starting tomorrow things will be very different, and I’m sure I’ll miss a lot of things about Changhua that I many not realize right now. Tomorrow morning we’ll leave for Taipei, where we’ll suddenly transition to city life for the remainder of the trip. Since we’re not connected to any church or school in Taipei, we’re pretty much on our own, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. All in all, I’m quite excited about going to Taipei, and really look forward to these last few days to continue bonding as a team.

July 24 (Thurs): Very amazing day. I haven’t felt this great in a long time. We arrived at the hotel in Taipei and had lunch next door at McDonalds before checking into our rooms. Then we took cabs to visit Taipei 101. No more tightly squeezing into vans, no more slow guided tours; we’re on our own now, free to have fun any way we like as long as we don’t do anything crazy or stupid that will hurt ourselves or the team. That’s exactly the way I like it. We enjoyed a great afternoon wandering around Taipei 101, shopping and taking pictures. And we were also greeted with a little pleasant surprise. Ever since I found out last weekend that people from the Taichung camp were considering visiting us at some point, I made every effort to spread the word and make it happen. It wasn’t until this morning right before we got on the bus to leave Changhua that I checked my email and found out that those attempts were successful. Daniel was the first to arrive at Taipei 101, followed by Evelyn, then Steve. Wilson was also planning on coming, but he couldn’t make it since his car broke down.

The Dream Team got to enjoy possibly the fanciest dinner we had on this whole trip, thanks to Grandma Joyce who treated all of us to the buffet at the Hyatt. Afterwards we decided to walk around for a bit and go watch Batman, and Steve, Daniel, and Benny (Grandma Joyce’s son) also joined us. As if the dinner wasn’t enough, we were amazed when Benny decided to buy all of our movie tickets. The movie was possibly the best movie many of us have ever seeing, and it was well worth staying up until 1AM watching.

Tomorrow will be another amazing day. Marcus’ friend in Taipei will take us ice skating, and Benny, Daniel, Steve, and probably more people from Taichung will join us too. The only thing I’m not exactly happy about at this point is that tomorrow is the last full day the Dream Team will spend together in Taiwan. Things happened so quickly that it still hasn’t completely hit me that this trip is almost over. But as far as I can see, there’s really no better way for bringing this amazing three-week adventure to an end.

July 26 (Sat): Saturday morning. After breakfast, we will be free to go do some more shopping, and by the time everyone returns to the hotel, Carol and I will already be gone. Yesterday was quite an exciting day – breakfast buffet in the morning at the hotel, followed by ice skating in a nearby arena, then lunch at Pizza Hut (How come Pizza Huts in Taiwan are buffet-style restaurants? That’s not fair!). After an exhausting walk back to the hotel, we were free until evening. I went for a walk with Marcus Grover and Rodney, during which I finally found the rumored 50lan near the hotel and treated myself to a drink. Back at the hotel, we were greeted with the news that some visitors had arrived. They turned out to be none other than Peter (Wasabi!), Jesse, and Aileen. Steve was there too, and had been with us the whole day, since he spent the night with us at the hotel after the movie. Wilson also came to join us in the evening, along with Jimmy and Jack, who the people that went to Kaohsiung during the first week had already met. They all joined the Dream Team in our last dinner together in Taiwan. The Korea team was back in Taipei too, finally reuniting our team for the first time since we left Taichung. We all walked together to the MRT station and went to the night market, where Daniel and Benny met us. We even ran into Andras again at the night market! (How many tall Welsh guys do you see walking around Taiwan?). There’s really no better way to end such an incredible trip – so many people that we met in different times and places and shared so many memories with, back together one last time before the trip ends. Of course, the many relationships formed during these three weeks, both among Dream Team members and with our new friends, will remain when we go back home. And with that in mind, there really isn’t any more that I can ask for.

Of course, our last night in Taiwan couldn’t possibly end with everyone going straight to bed after returning from the night market. Rodney, Grover, and I treated ourselves to a little party during which Rodney got to demonstrate his skills as a bartender. At 2AM I was a little on the lightheaded side, but still conscious enough to know that it was time to sleep. Add another hour for showering and getting ready for bed, and that explains why I’m insanely tired right now. But even though this mission trip is about to end, for Carol and I it’s also the beginning of another exciting week with our relatives. Just like when I was preparing for this mission trip, I have no idea what to expect in this coming week. But I know it’s going to be amazing. For now, I’m simply thankful for being a part of the Dream Team on this awesome trip. All of our relationships and experiences have truly impacted my life, and I know that when I go back home in a week my attitude toward my life will definitely be different. I’ll spend much more time reflecting when I go home, but for now it’s time to get ready for another set of adventures!

08/04: Taiwan Journal, Chapter Two - Jhushan Camp

July 13 (Sun): First day in Jhushan. Shortly after last night’s program, the Dream Team split in two groups, with the larger group going to Changhua and the rest of us – Marcus Rodney Stephanie Erica Rebecca and me – going to Jhushan. The Jhushan camp is a week long, and afterwards we will join the rest of the team in Changhua to catch the end of their camps. As if it isn’t strange enough that all the students in Taichung are no longer with us, it’s even more strange that our team is now only six people instead of twenty. In a way it can be a good thing, but it’s going to take a lot of getting used to.

Today has definitely been quite a trip to my past. Our dorm in Jhushan is in a countryside area that feels almost exactly like my grandparents’ old village that I visited every weekend when I was young. The best part is that our mode of transportation for the entire week will be bicycles. I’ve always loved biking, and picked up the hobby as a young buy riding with my dad around my grandparents’ house. Marcus, who used to live in Jhushan for a year and knows the area very well, took us for a tour around the city, biking through the streets and stopping wherever we felt like stopping. We had lunch at McDonalds, then stopped for some shopping and drinks (current milk tea count: 9 cups, with one more coming for breakfast tomorrow). After settling down in our rooms, I joined Marcus and Rodney for another ride around the town, mainly for Marcus to get himself reacquainted to his old home and all the stores he used to go to. I find it funny that after all these years of not coming back to Taiwan, I’m not biking down the streets with two black guys who know almost no Chinese. After last week, my Chinese has already improved noticeably, and I enjoy helping Marcus and Rodney translate when needed. It’s extremely rare to see a black person wandering around Taiwan, not to mention two of them together in a little rural town. It was fun watching people stare at us as if we were from another planet, and we were even treated to free drinks a couple times, simply because the storeowners wanted to be kind to foreigners (and have a chance to take pictures with them). We came back to the dorms to met with the girls, then biked out again for dinner.

Back in my room now (Rodney, Marcus, and I all have our own rooms, since the girls all wanted to be in the same room), I’m suddenly stuck in that feeling of loneliness again. A part of me wishes that the Taichung camp can be placed after the Jhushan camp, because I feel like it serves as such a great ending to the trip as a whole. Not that I don’t like this current camp as much, but to be honest I doubt I’ll leave this place with nearly as much emotional attachment. This current camp will be a kids camp, and as fun as kids can be to play with, they’re too young to have such intimate relationships with and probably won’t be crying at the end because they won’t get to see us again. Personally, I’m not sure how to feel about tomorrow when the kids arrive, not only because of the standards set by the previous camp, but because working with kids is definitely not an area I’m gifted in. But as a member of the team I feel that it’s only right to have faith in Marcus, who decided to put me in this group, and believe that there’s a reason God told him to do so. I pray that I can continue to stay focused on God’s will, letting Him take control of this camp just like He did during last week’s.

July 14 (Mon): Because most of the children in our class don’t have English names, we decided to name them, and have lots of fun while doing so. We named one particularly troublesome kid “Chaos”, and that pretty much represents the whole class in general. I don’t particularly hate being here, but it really sucks that I’m stuck doing something I know I have absolutely no talent in, and even for the rest of us, seventy kids is simply too much to handle, and we’re not sure what the heck is going on.

A little free time at night really helped though; after teaching almost the entire day, we needed to have some fun, so we had dinner then went to the night market. The highlight of the evening was when Marcus went up to a bunch of teenagers at the arcade basketball booths and told them that Rodney is in the NBA. One kid called his girlfriend to come take pictures, and several of them took out random pieces of paper for him to autograph. YouTube video coming soon.

After that we decided to go shrimping – there’s a place nearby where people can catch shrimp and barbecue them, and Marcus used to go there quite often. I guess experience makes a big difference; he was the only one who actually caught something, and even so, two shrimps were not enough to barbecue, so we gave them away. The guy shrimping next to me forgot to take his unopened can of Taiwan Beer before he left, so I helped him drink it. This is definitely not the first time we had beer on this mission trip. A little bit won’t hurt, and to me it’s really more of a cultural experience, since everyone here seems to drink beer all the time.

Tomorrow morning we will return to the zoo. Let’s hope the rest of this week won’t seem as long as it does now.

July 16 (Wed): Wednesday afternoon. Last night I was up until 1AM borrowing Marcus’ computer. I didn’t go online for several days and there was a lot of business to take care of, including sending pictures back to church. (I volunteered myself to do the job both to help the church and to give myself permission to run around taking pictures of everything, since the sad truth is that most people who tell me they’ll send me pictures never actually do it). I feel much more energetic today than I did yesterday, probably because I’m starting to get used to the whole biking-in-the-heat routine. Yesterday was extremely stressful – by this point we officially refer to the camp as either a zoo or a circus, and ourselves as either zookeepers or ringmasters. But despite feeling very worn out, I feel a lot more optimistic about the camp now, thanks to a good talk with Marcus and Lily (the coordinator of this program). I now understand that as much as this doesn’t feel like a mission trip or anything to do with the vision of Dream & Imagine, we’re helping to pave the way for future trips to this area which will bring the gospel to a place filled with idol-worshipping temples. Marcus had that in mind all along, and that’s why he’s usually out running errands and meeting with various school/church officials while the rest of us are stuck in the zoo. With that in mind, making a little sacrifice on my part isn’t so bad anymore.

Last night we met up with Marcus’ old friend Amy and her two daughters. They took us out to a nice restaurant for dinner, and when they asked “juice or beer?”, almost all of us said “beer” in unison. Don’t worry, we won’t do this everyday. I guess this week can be considered a week of extremes – extremely tiring work during the day and extremely fun nights. The rest of our team in Changhua probably isn’t having nearly as much fun. But I can’t wait to join them again and share all of our great stories. After dinner we went shrimping again, and this time we got 10 shrimps – major progress compared to the previous night. We barbecued them and ate them too. Pretty much everyone that works there already knows us (since a few of us don’t exactly look Taiwanese), and chances are we’ll come back at least once more before we leave Jhushan on Saturday morning.

Marcus left to run some errands late at night, during which I borrowed his laptop. I couldn’t stop thinking about my friends in Taichung, and felt that it would be best to get in touch with them as soon as possible, since many people from our team are already contacting them regularly. So I decided to do something totally out of my character – start a Wretch account. For those who don’t know, it’s basically a Taiwanese version of MySpace, and I got it for the sole purpose of connecting with people in Taiwan, since I won’t be able to call them regularly or IM them all the time like I can with my friends back at home. A few of my friends from last week gave me their Wretch accounts, and I added them right away. Even though I can barely read Chinese, the little I can understand from their most recent blogs makes me want to cry. I seriously miss them so much. Perhaps some of them can come find us in Taipei at the end of the trip?

July 16 (Wed): A much more relaxing day compared to Monday and Tuesday. It’s nice to know that there’s only two days left of this camp – it makes me both glad that it’s almost over and more determined to put my effort into it. The other leaders at the camp are finally stepping in to help with crowd control, and it really makes a difference. We taught a brief English lesson and came up with a few games and a movie that kept the kids busy pretty much until 5PM when it was time to go home.

As usual, the highlights of the day were the meals. McDonalds for breakfast and hot pot for dinner thanks to Lily and the other teachers. At this point lots of things are up in the air. In fact, we don’t even know if we’ll be teaching at all tomorrow. Before dinner we found out that a typhoon is headed our way, and God only knows if these earthquake-refugee-trailer-homes will withstand the storm. And biking in the rain isn’t exactly a smart idea either. So there’s a chance that tomorrow night we’ll be moving to a nearby hotel. We talked to Amy again today, and she’s glad to help provide us with transportation and shelter if needed. So far, there’s no sign of danger, at least not tonight. I pray that God will protect us and continue to lead us no matter what situations the typhoon will lead us into.

July 17 (Thurs): Thursday night. We’re spending the night in a very nice hotel in Jhushan and the typhoon should be hitting in the middle of the night. According to the news, everything here (school, work, etc) should still go as planned tomorrow. But news on the typhoon changes almost every time I check, so who knows what’s going to happen? Today went by normally – it didn’t even rain until around 2PM. Marcus and I had lunch together at McDonalds and biked around the town for a while before it started to rain. After class, we got a ride back to the dorm in the church’s van and took a cab to the hotel where Marcus and I have already made reservations. Now the five of us (Steph left for Korea this morning) can enjoy what is possibly the most luxurious living conditions we’ve had this whole trip so far. Our showers actually have doors(!), and the restrooms have no bugs! But of course, our biggest concern now is how the typhoon will affect us tomorrow. We’ve already arranged rides to Changhua tomorrow night rather than Saturday morning as planned, but we don’t even know if we’ll be teaching at all tomorrow. It’s already raining hard, and it seems to be getting worse. I pray for the safety of every member of our team, both in Jhushan and Changhua, and especially the people flying to Korea. May God protect us both physically and spiritually, and give us the wisdom to deal with whatever situations we might face tomorrow.

July 18 (Fri): Luxurious but boring. This hotel is simply amazing – high-speed internet, modern Japanese-style furniture, and the most amazing shower system I’ve seen in my life. I took an extra shower even though I didn’t need to – today was the first day on this trip that didn’t involve sweating or getting soaked in rain. Because of the typhoon, classes were cancelled in Nantou county, including our camp. It’s kind of sad to end the week so abruptly, but I’m sure we all feel very relieved. We basically woke up, ate some brunch, then went back to sleep until about 5PM. Either the beds in the hotel were ridiculously comfortable or I was seriously lacking sleep, because I’m almost never able to sleep so much in one day. It stopped raining in the evening, so the five of us took a walk to McDonalds for dinner. The rest of the night was spent in the hotel talking, going online, and watching TV. After the Taichung camp, I’ve been feeling very motivated to improve my Chinese, so I watched a lot of Chinese TV and tried writing out the words with my fingers. Maybe someday I’ll be able to read exactly what everyone wrote about the camp on their Wretch blogs.

Anyways, tomorrow morning we’re leaving for Changhua to meet with the rest of our team. I have mixed expectations about this final camp, especially because we’re only joining them for the last few days (the rest of the team has been together this whole week). But I’m almost certain the outcome of this camp will fall somewhere in between the Taichung camp and the Jhushan camp. I feel like I’ve already experienced the extremes, and that this last camp will simply balance things out a little. But of course, God’s the one in control, and I pray that we will continue to have open minds as we enter this final phase of our trip.

08/03: Taiwan Journal, Chapter One - Taichung English Camp

July 6 (Sun): First entry from Taiwan. Thanks to a busy schedule yesterday, I’m pretty used to the time difference already, despite me feeling wide awake right now even though it’s only 7AM. Aside from the insane heat, everything’s going great so far. Yesterday we met with the church in Taichung and a few of us performed across the street at a public area, presenting God’s love to people passing by through music and dance. Marcus, Grover, and Rodney received plenty of attention. I’m living with Marcus and Rodney, and the cleaning lady asked me if they are from Africa. Last night Grover Rodney and I walked around the streets nearby exploring Taiwan. I got to help translate occasionally, but I didn’t really feel much less out of place than they did. To me, this is a fresh experience too, and even though a few faint memories from childhood are occasionally popping up, for the most part I’m starting from scratch.

July 6 (Sun): A little time to reflect on the trip so far. Most of what we’ve done up to this point is simply enjoy being in Taiwan. We’ve been treated to great food and have met many of the people from the Taichung church. I don’t really know our trip schedule, but I’m pretty sure life won’t always be this easy, and soon we’re going to start worrying about the English camps we’re teaching at. I pray that no matter how much fun this trip is, I won’t forget that I’m here because God sent me here, and because of that my primary goal is to put Him and others above myself and live as He wants me to.

July 7 (Mon): I’m glad I decided not to study our trip schedule too much; today we definitely had some unexpected curveballs. We took a bus to the first campsite in Nantou, only to see the words “Seventh-Day Adventist” on the walls. Most people who have been with our church in the past two to three years know that it is a sign of danger. And danger it was – aside from the facility assignments being a total disaster, they are also vegetarian and prohibit all forms of musical worship except hymns. Fortunately we hung on long enough to secure decent classroom facilities fro the next few days. But even so, the curriculum is completely changed, and when the kids come tomorrow morning we’ll have plenty more surprises to look forward to. For now, I’m thankful that we have been able to maintain a positive attitude as a team. We had the entire afternoon and evening free, during which I got to explore the camp a bit and also spend time playing lots of card games, which started from a random game of “Seven” with Ann and Grover in the afternoon and lasted the whole night (possibly because I won almost every single game of Seven and they were jealous? =) ). A walk with Steph and Eva around the camp confirmed that the place is really a bit creepy – humongous insects and spiders everywhere, random animal noises coming from the grass, mosquitoes everywhere, etc. The dormitories actually remind me a bit of the guest house in my grandparents’ old countryside house (which I might actually get to see after the mission trip). I find it hard to believe I actually grew up in a place like this. But it really makes me thankful that God brought my family to America even before we knew Him, and has now sent Carol and I back to fulfill His calling in our lives. This week will definitely be a learning experience for me, and I pray for wisdom to face every situation thrown at me, whether I want it or not. My current milk tea count (five cups in three days) is probably going to remain unchanged for a while, and God only knows if we’ll be able to access some meat or survive without too many mosquito bites. I pray simply that He can let His will be done.

July 8 (Tues): The kids are here, and suddenly everything seems to be going as planned – rallies, English classes, workshops, and plenty of free time to hang out and get to know the students. I got to meet many of them already, and even though it’s a little hard to start conversations sometimes, I’m pretty sure that will change with time as we all get used to each other. Thanks to a mountain of Asian snacks and instant noodles, we’ve been surviving fine so far, despite the mosquitoes still going crazy, especially when it rains, since they all take shelter under the roof of the dorm.

July 10 (Thurs): Things are looking extremely good so far- so good that I really don’t want tomorrow to be Friday yet. Life has been quite luxurious, thanks to a “meating” with Marcus yesterday during lunch. A trip to 7-Eleven with Ann Steph Charles and Portia last night involved us sitting in a car lost in a pitch-black forest road surrounded by rain – it felt kind of like being in a scary movie. At the end we still got our snacks and drinks though, despite being a bit late to the 8PM session, which basically consisted of getting in groups with people on our team to practice speaking in English. We call ourselves the Dream Team (since we’re from Dream & Imagine), and I’m starting to get used to that name. I joined Ricky’s group and we talked for the entire night. I guess that was the first time I really got to know any of the students personally, and it really changed the way I view the camp. I never really considered myself a passionate teacher, but when the relationship gets personal then it’s a totally different story.

Today, with the exception of a walk to 7-Eleven (in the rain) with Marcus Grover and Andrew, almost the entire day was spent hanging out with the students and getting to know them through talking and playing games. I learned a lot about Taiwan through our conversations and activities and already my Chinese seems to be getting better. It’s just like college dorm life all over again – meeting a bunch of new friends around the same age group and always wanting to spend more time with them. I’m trying very hard to remember everyone’s names and match them with their faces – it’s so much easier now that I actually see them as my friends. This morning Marcus felt God telling him to let the students join our devotional time, including an altar call. Most of the non-Christans among the 37 students accepted Christ through a simple bilingual presentation of the gospel message. The small group that Ben and I are leading is still a little too much on the quiet side, but it’s definitely getting better as we become more comfortable with each other. The night ended with a bunch of photos, a movie, and going outside the dorm building to watch the stars. A lot has definitely changed in these past couple days – what seemed to me like simply a series of teaching and performing tasks turned out to be so amazing that I really don’t want it to end. Tomorrow night is the Grand Finale, and I pray that God will continue to bless the Dream Team and the students, as well as the many relationships formed in this past week.

July 11 (Fri): The date is Seven-Eleven, and that’s exactly where almost all of us went to celebrate the last night of the camp. But let’s rewind a little first. Tonight was the Grand Finale (GCCI people – think Coffeehouse in Taiwan), and due to the complications that we found out about on Monday, it wasn’t until this morning that we were allowed to move our equipment into the auditorium and rehearse there. So almost all of the usual daily activities were cancelled to give more prep time for the performance. Every day the students have been participating in workshops, either dance or singing, and both workshops performed at the beginning of the Finale. I spent all three meals with both our teammates and the students, continuing to build the many relationships formed in the past couple days. In the afternoon I took a break to walk around and visit the students in the big classroom, and happened to get there just in time to help take the group pictures for each of the two English classes. That’s when things really got personal – people running around exchanging contact information and taking pictures with just about every possible combination of the few dozen people present. It turns out the students will actually stay with us all the way until tomorrow night, when we will all return to Taichung for a fancy dinner and an evangelistic service. But as far as the camp goes, tonight was the last night, and it was the time to really make the most out of every moment. It wasn’t until I was eating dinner half an hour before the Finale that Ben suggested that we perform the Concerto that we hadn’t touched for almost a whole month. I must say that I truly admire Ben’s determination; with so little time to practice (the piece is 10 minutes long), I would have never come up with such a crazy idea. But we gave it a shot, and despite it not being anywhere near perfect (at least on my part), we still performed it, and the people loved it. After the Finale was over and everything was cleaned up, it was time to party. For the students (and some of our team members), it was the first opportunity to leave the campsite and eat something other than vegetarian food. Under the leadership of Marcus and Steve, almost everyone lined up at the dorms for the long march outside the camp to Seven-Eleven. The journey involved walking down a pitch-black stretch of forest road and climbing the main gate of the campsite to get out. But that only added to the adventure. My new friends from the camp introduced me to some great Taiwanese snacks, and we enjoyed an awesome time of eating, walking, and talking. Back at the dorm the socializing continued with stargazing, Truth or Dare, and a quick late-night walk around the campsite. It’s 2AM right now and I’ve finally decided to go to bed for the sake of not looking like a zombie and having energy to continue the fun tomorrow. I look forward to a very exciting last day to spend with all of these amazing people.

July 12 (Sat): I don’t really know how to begin this entry. It’s amazing how much emotion can build up in just a few days. But in terms of what I got out of these few days in the mountains, I couldn’t have asked for more. The camp ended with plenty of free time before the buses arrived at 2PM to bring us all back to Taichung. Even though a few activities were originally planned for the morning, they were all cancelled simply for the sake of giving us a chance to say all our goodbyes. I spent that time continuing yesterday afternoon’s time of hanging out, taking pictures, and exchanging contact information. I find it amazing that I actually go to meet almost every student personally, and it’s because of those relationships that I feel so emotional right now. The Dream Team and the students took separate buses down the mountain, and I couldn’t help but turn around once in a while to catch an occasional smile or wave from the bus behind us. Tears filled my eyes, but that’s partly because shortly before getting on the bus, I blinked some kind of flying insect into my eye and it got stuck inside. A part of the bug actually got blinked back out several hours later. But that’s not the point. And I probably would have cried even without that stupid fly. Anyways, back at the Taichung church, our camp and another camp from the church joined together for a worship service. The church prepared a fancy dinner for us, with more meat than I could have asked for. (Grace told me to get 5 nuggets, then told me to get 10 more, so that’s exactly what I did). The Dream Team led a few worship songs and both of our workshop groups got to perform again. Then when everything was finished, it was time to say goodbye. In a sense we’ve already had plenty of time to say goodbye and we spent it very well. But that final moment still hurts, especially when I really don’t know when I’ll ever see these people again. Back in the hotel room by myself, it seems as if everything that happened just minutes ago was only a dream. But the sudden sense of loneliness deep inside tells me that these relationships have definitely taken a part of my heart. I find it a little crazy that I’m saying this, but one of these days when I find a job and get enough money, I’m definitely buying a ticket back to Taiwan to visit all of them. And who knows, maybe some of them will come visit America someday too! I’m definitely going to make every effort to keep in touch with everyone who gave me their contact info. In fact, those who know me from home will be shocked to know that as of last night I’ve decided to eventually start using MSN Messenger in addition to AIM, simply to be able to stay in touch with them all, since it would be impossible to make so many international phone calls regularly. Online audio chat seems like a great idea to me, even if it requires sacrificing some sleep to catch people across the Pacific. I really hope that in these next few weeks I spend in Taiwan, these relationships will remain strong, so that when I get home and start contacting everyone again things will pick up from where they left off. And yes, I stick to my word when it comes to relationships, and everyone who knows me long enough knows that it’s true. For now, I praise God for all that has happened in these past few days, and pray that He will continue to let His will be done, both with the Dream Team and with the students, as well as with the church in Taichung. To everyone that has become a part of my life at this camp (I’ll save the shoutouts for when I go home), I’m gonna miss you guys a lot!!

08/02: I'm back!! It's been an amazing four weeks in Taiwan, and there's a LOT to write about. But there's also a bunch of stuff to unpack, a bunch of emails and phone calls to return, and a bunch of pictures to organize and post. So I'll do my best get caught up with everything as soon as possible. Sorry I haven't answered any emails recently, because I've been really busy and didn't have a computer. In the next few days I'll be posting my journals from Taiwan one section at a time, followed by a final entry on my feelings toward this trip as a whole. As for pictures, please keep bugging me to post them, because it actually motivates me to work faster =). For now, I'll end with a few shoutouts -

The Dream Team - Marcus, Rodney, Grover, Ricky, Alun, Ben, Andrew, Uncle David, Pastor Wang, Annie, Clara, Carol, Jeanelle, Erica, Rebecca, Berenice, Eva, Stephanie, Kim - it's been such a blessing to be part of a team with you guys. We've all grown so much both individually and as a group, and I look forward to seeing God continue to work in all of our lives!

Everyone I met at the Taichung church and English camp - Steve (x2), Peter (x2), Kelvin, Mark, Alan, Luke, Wilson, Ocean, Daniel, Jason, Charles, Portia, Ann, Chuby, Angel (x2), Aileen, Selinna, Claire, Denise, Grace, Sarah, Lynn, Karen, Emma, Iris, Casey, Ben, Lily, Evelyn, Abby, Allen, Pastor Lin & family - I miss you guys soooooo much!!! There's a few more people I didn't really get to meet at the camp, but hello to you too! I'm still amazed that we were able to have such a great time together in only a few short days, and I really hope to keep in touch with you all! And of course, I'll come back to visit again sometime!

All my relatives in Taiwan - Uncles, Aunts, Grandparents, Cousins - it's so great to get to see you guys again after all these years, and rediscover the side of my family that I never really got to know since I left when I was so young. Thanks for being so generous and taking Carol and I to so many places. I promise we'll be back again!

Everyone in America who contributed to this trip, whether through prayer, encouragement, or finances. Thanks for all your support; this trip couldn't have happened without you! And in the same way many people in Taiwan were blessed and we were blessed in return, God will pour out His blessings upon you too.

With all that said, it's time for me to go to sleep. I tried to not sleep too much on the plane so I can be forced to sleep now and get over the jetlag. Let's hope the plan works! =)

07/03: I normally don’t wait until a few hours before I leave home to really think about a big trip like this and what I wish to gain from it. I’ve simply been too busy these days to sit down and think, and now that I’m finally doing so, I must admit it’s quite a bit scarier than I had expected it to be. It’s finally starting to hit me that I’m about to leave home for almost a whole month. Even though I’ve lived in the dorms for so many years, I’ve never spent so long without coming home, and no matter how many consecutive weekends I stayed at school, I always had the security that home was only an hour away. But now I’m actually leaving, going across the ocean, and spending four weeks in a place I’m completely unfamiliar with. Then again, in a sense it’s actually extremely familiar. For those who don’t know, I was actually born in Taiwan and raised there until I finished first grade. But it’s been fifteen years since I returned, and my Chinese is so rusty that people in Taiwan will know without doubt that I’m from America. So despite all this fear about being in an unfamiliar place, in a sense I’m actually going home.

For Carol and I, this trip will consist of two parts. The first is the Mission Trip with our church that we have been planning several months for. About 20 people from the Chinese congregation, English congregation, and Grace Harvest (Spanish congregation) will be going to various places in Taiwan to teach English and arts while using our lives to present the gospel to the students. Half of the team (including Carol) will also be going to Korea for a week, then meeting the rest of us back in Taiwan. I don’t remember all the specific cities we’re going to, simply because our schedule is highly subject to change and it’s much easier for everyone to simply follow the leaders. I tend to be more open to God’s will when I don’t let myself worry about all the little details, and for a mission trip that’s definitely a good thing.

On July 26 (Saturday), the Mission Team will leave Taiwan to return home. Don’t expect to see Carol and I with them though, since we’ll be staying in Taiwan an additional week. Like I mentioned earlier, we haven’t been back to Taiwan in fifteen years, and we have plenty of relatives there that we need to visit, including all our uncles, aunts, and grandparents on our dad’s side. They will be taking care of us during that week and bringing us to various tourist attractions across Taiwan. When I left Taiwan, I was old enough to vaguely remember many of the places we’re going to, and I still have only a slight idea of what most of my relatives in Taiwan looked like. Even so, my memories are a decade and a half old, and things have changed a lot. Carol and I will be returning home on Saturday, August 2.

I guess this can be considered my goodbye entry. Ever since I began this journal, I’ve never spent this long without updating it. But I’ll definitely be keeping track of all the amazing things God will do in Taiwan and bring them back with me when I return. In the mean time, if you need to reach me, I will probably have occasional email access. When I come back, it will be time for me to start seriously figuring out what to do with my life. And I believe God will use this trip to give me a better sense of direction. This trip will incorporate both music and teaching, things that I’ve had a lot of experience with and am not sure what God wants me to do with. It will also give me a chance to explore my own roots through spending time with my relatives in my birthplace and childhood home. And of course, it is a chance to demonstrate the love of God through my everyday life wherever I go.

Before I go, I want to thank everyone who contributed to this trip, whether through finances or through prayer. For those who are praying for our trip, here are a few areas to focus on-

-Please pray for the health and safety of this team as we travel, so that we can serve God with all the strength He has given us. Pray that we can stick together as a team and help each other when needed, so that we can give God glory as one body rather than a bunch of individuals.
-Please pray for our spiritual well-being, that we will put God’s will above our own and always remember that we’re on this trip to serve Him and not ourselves. Let our lives reflect our faith, so that everyone we interact with can see God’s love through us.
-Please pray for all of our activities, including English classes, performances, and games. Even though many things still need preparation, we have plenty of time in Taiwan to rehearse, as long as we use the time wisely. God gave each of us our individual talents and interests, and we should use them as a team to give Him glory.
-Please pray for the people we will encounter in Taiwan, that their hearts will be open to see God’s love demonstrated through our lives, our classes, and our performances. No matter what our role on the team is, our ultimate goal is to help the people in Taiwan to know the gospel and believe in God.
-Please pray for Carol and I as we stay in Taiwan for an additional week. Pray that we will be safe and learn to adapt to the new environment on our own. After fifteen years, there’s no better way to return to Taiwan than through the love of God, and we want to help our relatives in Taiwan to see that love in our lives. Please also pray for our mom, that God will take care of her and provide for her needs while we are gone. She works very hard from morning until night, and definitely needs God to give her strength every day.
-Please pray that in the same way we go to Taiwan to bless others, we will also gain a valuable and unforgettable experience through this trip. God blesses people as they bless others, and I know I will return home in four weeks with a new and deeper understanding of God’s love, as well as a stronger desire to seek His will in my life.

With all that said, it’s time for me to go. Despite being so scared, I’m definitely also excited. I know that when it’s time to leave Taiwan to come back home, I’ll wish that I have more time to spend there. But I’m also excited to return home with a new attitude toward God and toward people that will transform me in my everyday life. May God’s will continue to be done!

07/02: Late-night update. Got to hang out with Grace and Taryn today - we went to shop at Frank & Son's, and also ran into Erica Ricky Alun and Shum there. Who would have guessed that of the 20 people going to Taiwan tomorrow, four of us would end up at the same place at the same time? I guess I wasn't the only one too lazy to pack.

Anyways, quick update on Taiwan preparation. I'm mostly done packing, except for a few more things that I'll finish up tomororw. For the first time it's starting to feel like time is passing by too quickly - I really wish I have another day or two to just do nothing and prepare my heart for this trip. But sometimes God's will is very fast-paced, and the most important thing for me to do is to just follow. I really have no idea what to expect, and tomorrow I'll make sure I find time to write more about this trip. For now, I'm gonna go edit the barbecue pictures a little more so they will hopefully be online tomorrow before I leave!

07/01: Birthday summary – now that it’s not my birthday anymore, I give myself permission to write about it =). Before it was my birthday I was already totally content – I had dinner (at Coco’s) with Carol and Mom on Sunday, and Saturday’s BBQ surprise couldn’t have been any better. Yesterday was more or less quiet, since it was a weekday and everyone was busy – including me, since I accidentally scheduled to go teach on my birthday. That’s what happens when you put all your energy into planning a barbecue the week before your birthday =). Steph(Liang) called and decided to come pick me up to go out after I finished teaching, and Jennifer came to surprise me too. I didn’t realize until after I got in the car that I had no idea where we were headed. So the destination turned out to be BJ’s, and now that Steph is also 21, we treated ourselves to some beverages that only people over 21 can buy =). Steph remembered that during her b-day party I mentioned that I never actually ordered my own drink before, so they decided to change that. We got an appetizer and some drinks and chilled there for about an hour. Don’t worry, I didn’t get drunk – I wouldn’t let them do that to me =). But it was definitely fun.

Today wasn’t any less exciting – took Carol out to run some errands in the morning, and got Kiwiberry before coming back home, since we had some $2.50 off coupons that expired today, and being the Asians we were, we had to use them =). The place wasn’t even open when we got there, so we walked around the Life Plaza store for a bit (perhaps preparing for shopping in Taiwan?), then returned right when they opened. Went to Ally’s house at around 4 – I had told her and Esther that I would try to meet up with them again before Taiwan, and we found about a short hour during which we were all free. Esther arrived a bit later, and so did Vijay, and we chilled until Ally had to leave (for dance class), then Esther and I went to… Cue! You know what’s so weird? It’s been exactly six months since I went to Cue. But it’s still fun as usual, even though neither of us really understood the Japanese and had quite a bit of trouble figuring out how the machine worked. We figured that since we were already at Diamond Plaza, we might as well spend a little more time there, so we got a couple drinks at Life (a.k.a. Happy Crab) before heading back home.

I got home with just enough time to look up directions to my next destination – Judy’s house! I had originally hoped to hang out both with Esther and Ally and with Judy at some point before going to Taiwan, but didn’t have time to call any of them until this morning, so I thought we wouldn’t have time to meet up. But everything worked out perfectly. Judy and I went to Guppy House in Anaheim Hills… I’ve heard of that place so many times, but never had it until now. I like how there’s actually a fish bowl by each table… maybe the fish are actually guppies? Anyways, we ordered a plate of fried rice and this huuuuuge appetizer thing that was impossible for us to finish eating. So after spending like an hour and a half there we packed the rest of the stuff to take home. I guess the popcorn chicken and salad (from that appetizer) will be my lunch tomorrow =).

After getting home there was just enough time to squeeze in a phone call with Christine(Shen). It’s so awesome that we have the same birthday, but I was born first so I’m more special =). Anyways, we talked til like 1-ish, and now I’m using the little bit of energy left in my to write this thing before jumping in bed. Before I shut up, thanks to everyone who texted, called, or IMed me to say Happy Birthday, and everyone who gave me presents, and everyone who showed up at the party on Saturday. I guess at this point I can refer to it as a “birthday party”, simply because that’s the way it turned out. Who knows, maybe I’ll even post the pictures under “birthdays”. I can’t promise to have them up before I leave for Taiwan though, even though that was the original plan. I’m having more trouble than I thought obtaining all the pictures I need, so I’m not sure exactly how much time I will have to edit. Besides, there’s still a lot of packing to do. These past few days have been pretty insane – first I’m focused on BBQ stuff, then immediately after that I’m at church for worship practice, then suddenly it’s my birthday, and now it’s time to start realizing that I’m about to leave the country for a whole month. It still hasn’t hit me yet, and I’m not sure when it will… but I’m basically finished in terms of hanging out with people for now, so these next couple days will be mainly packing and relaxing at home. For now, I’m gonna shut up and go sleep. Goodnight!