Back To The Old House

Our days have been filled with lessons on how to live and get around in Yilan, including scooter practice in the afternoons. On Wednesday we visited one junior high and two elementary schools. The last elementary school was right next to the Wai-ao beach, about 30 min. by train from Yilan, and their IT resources were amazing. Their students are using Linux, Moodle, smart boards, and more! We spent a refreshing afternoon on the black sand beach, right across from Turtle Island, and even helped some locals pull in a huge fishing net!

This weekend Julia, Evie, Faith and I took the Kamalan bus to Taipei, which was super comfortable and convenient. We watched kids roller-blading in Da-an park, took the MRT to Ximen for some 麻醬麵, and walked to the Longshan Temple (龍山寺). The temple is over 200 years old and the bodhisattva Guanyin is a central figure. There were many people praying and making offerings for Ghost Month.

Later I met Auntie Chen and her nephew in Nangang, where I lived 12 years ago. We went out to dinner with my former art teacher and her husband. I could barely recognize the surroundings, but we did walk past our old apartment and the park across the street. On our morning walk today we visited the old rice paddy which has now been turned into research plots for the Academica Sinica and a native plant garden next to the new genetics building.

We also met up with Huang Ying, my best friend from fourth grade at Hu-shi elementary. It was really nice to see and catch up with everyone after so many years. Here is Ying-ying with Yi lao-shi: