Ms. Lightbody: Taichung, Taiwan

First of all , I just have to say : I love Taiwan. Perhaps it’s because I lived there for three years and felt an akin with the Taiwanese….well, here are the many reasons I love Taiwan: -vegetarian food in buddhist abounding restaurants -friendly and kind people -sunny blue sky almost 365 days a year -convenience, you can pretty much do anything 24 hours a day -it’s easy to find (well-paid) teaching positions as an ESL teacher, and be appreciated -Chinese medicine -spa swimming pools -affordable hair wash massages, foot massages, body massages of all kinds, almost 24 hrs per day -Mandarin Chinese, when you are in Taiwan you are bathed in the chinese language, making it easier to learn this complex language -travelling, mountains over 30 metres high, beaches, hot springs, forests, etc the list is ongoing… I had the chance to go to Taiwan from Sept. 29 to Oct. 16th to celebrate my brother Patrick and Amanda’s wedding. It was a beautiful traditional Taiwanese/Buddhist wedding. The ceremony took place early morning in her family’s home, followed by a reception at a restaurant for lunch. Afterwards we enjoyed stepping on stage in the lime light singing Karaoke style with friends and family members. So much has changed in 4 years…people got married, started having kids, moved homes, left the country and came back… I got to see a lot of my old friends in Taichung while I was there. I saw Grace, my old co-teacher from the Wagor days; I saw Sho and her energetic happy dog Ju-ju; I saw Andre and Ansen, who cut my hair in his new hair salon; I saw Alison and Patrick the saxophonist, and their beautiful little girl Tesa. I visited Leslie and met her husband Oliver and their two sweet girls Vivi and Liah. I saw my friends Jennier and Ted, and their children Hannah and William, who I used to teach. In four years they have grown a whole lot! There wasn’t enough time to see everyone enough…but I’m totally happy that I got a chance to spend some time with these dear people. And of course….I got to spend lots of quality time with my brother and his wife Amanda! My mom, dad and sister. We stayed up till the early hours of the morning just chatting away about everything…it was sooo nice to be there. Photos to come.