我愛台灣

for a while now, i have been formulating a blog post in my head about my undying affection for taiwan and its people -- basically a list of all the things i love about this strange and beautiful country that i now call home. i think my 100th post is a perfect chance to get it going. please feel free to add your own reasons in a comment! (and by the way, these are in no particular order...)

-freedom

-tea stands that serve every kind of delicious drink that you could imagine

-feeling safe even when out in a huge city at midnight. safe enough to go for a walk just for fun.

-the abundance of delicious tropical fruit

-discovering fruits and vegetables i didn't even know existed

-doctors' offices and dental clinics are open in the evenings and on weekends

-scooters and scooter trips.

-the high speed railway

-the awesome long distance buses

-beautiful, traditional chinese characters

-the overall coolness and meaningfulness of mandarin

-miles of beautiful beaches

-jungle mountains

-palm tress

-people/strangers will do anything they can to help you. even give you a ride home on the back of their scooter -- despite the fact that you speak zero chinese and they speak zero english. (this happened to me when i first arrived in taiwan and was stranded because of a flat tire)

-accidentally leaving something on your scooter for an extended period of time (even overnight) and it still being there when you return.

-7-11. unless you've been to taiwan, you haven't truly experienced a "convenience store"

-wedding studios. in taiwan, you don't have to buy a wedding dress! and you end up with amazing wedding photos in a multitude of dresses.

-the nice people at the grocery store who will empty out full boxes of products just so they can give you an empty box to help you move.

-national health insurance. you can go to the doctor AND get your prescriptions for usually less than six US dollars.

-you don't have to go to the doctor AND the pharmacy. clinics have their own in-house pharmacies. brilliant.

-sweet coworkers who will come over at 10:30 on a friday night in the middle of a torrential downpour to help when you smelled gas in the house

-24-hour cheap stores that sell everything imaginable

-people can (and will) sell anything, anytime, anywhere

-the invoice lottery! you can win money just by buying something. the lottery numbers are on standard-issue receipts. so all of your receipts are exactly the same size.

-people actually come when you invite them to church

-many people are actually eager to hear about Jesus

-dumplings and guo tie and baozi, oh my!

-shrimp fried rice

-kong bao chicken

-ginger beef

-mango smoothies

-grass jelly

-roasted sweet potatoes

-fan tuan (rice wrappers)

-freshly squeezed preservative-free OJ

-blue trucks that sell all kinds of produce/juice/treats on the side of the road

-taiwanese breakfast. :)

-chinese vegetarian buffets

-basically, the last few entries sum up the fact that taiwan has AMAZING things to eat at crazy cheap prices.

-chopsticks. they're superior, people.

-i like not wearing shoes inside. it feels gross to me now to wear shoes in the house.

-bargaining. i LOVE to bargain with people to try to get a better price. it's hilarious. it's usually in good fun, and you're actually supposed to do it. i like to think i'm pretty good at it. but i'm sure that i still get nowhere near the prices that locals get, especially older taiwanese women who speak taiwanese. all the real bargains come when you speak taiwanese, not chinese. good thing i have my husband!

-typhooon days

-night markets! day markets! flower markets! jade markets!

-sticker photo booths

-i love that kids wear school uniforms that look like they're from the 1950s.

-the natural scenery. taiwan's east coast is unrivaled.

-the city scenery. i love old red doorways, narrow alleys filled with drying laundry, bicycles propped up against red chinese banners, old ladies chatting outside on stools, the sites and sounds of street vendors...etc

-though i dislike their purpose, i adore the colorful architecture of traditional temples. i've always said taiwanese and chinese Christians should (re)claim some of this colorful beauty and incorporate it into their church buildings.

-the beautifully messy fusion of modern and traditional...poses a challenge in ministry yet in many ways is an intriguing struggle that is at the heart of all of us alive today, no matter what cultural background we come from.

-traditional chinese medicine. it really works. and i love the old chinese apothecary shops.

-chinese new year. i love the bustling streets and festive decorations during the lunar new year. i love red envelopes (both giving and receiving). and the "gongxi gongxi" song nearly stirs up the same level of emotion in me as hearing christmas songs. a few years ago i never would have said that. i guess i've changed.

-amazing people with hearts full of hospitality and goodwill..people that have been the hands and feet of Christ to me...people that have opened their hearts to me and shown me again and again that me serving here really is God's plan for my life...people that have become family to me!

in closing...i have to quote dr. george leslie mackay, the first presbyterian missionary to northern taiwan and whose legacy still echoes throughout the island today. back in november, i attended a unique taiwanese-english opera that chronicled his life called the black bearded bible man at the national theater. he was truly an inspiring man and some of his writings really strike me at the core, and seem to capture my exact sentiments. i think this is my favorite; this comes from his poem my final resting place...

How dear is Formosa to my heart! On that island the best of my years have been spent.

How dear is Formosa to my heart! A lifetime of joy is centered here.

I love to look up to its lofty peaks, down into its yawning chasms, and away out on its surging seas. How willing I am to gaze upon these forever!

My heart's ties to Taiwan cannot be severed! To that island I devote my life.

My heart's ties to Taiwan cannot be severed! There I find my joy.