Summer in Taiwan

Hello family!

From the moment I got to JFK airport until now, I had a bunch of very interesting (though sometimes boring) events happening. Since coming to my home for the summer, I feel like I am not really home at all! But one important fact I try to hang on to, despite my feeling weird in a foreign place, remains: I am here to spend time with my family. My main goal for coming to Taiwan also remains: to network and to get strong for next year as I prepare for knee surgery (still tentative; sorry, guys and gals!). The following paragraphs document the events from being on the airplane to arriving in Taiwan.

Pre-arrival

When I got to JFK airport, the service people were very nice as they were helping me with my luggage and pushing me in a wheelchair, although one of the guys looked at me as if he didn’t understand me–I, too, didn’t really know what to do about trying to get me, my two crutches, and my carry-on luggage to my seat in the airplane, for I had never needed special services until now! Me and wheelchairs don’t match well; I was so embarrassed!

I felt really awkward getting pushed in a wheelchair by someone so much older than me, because I can kind of walk, but I am not used to carrying anything other than my crutches; and I would have much rather enjoyed pushing the older people. The best part about my experience at the airport, however, was that I didn’t have to wait in any line whatsoever–long or short! I felt like a VIP when I was getting pushed in a wheelchair, but I also felt bad because I knew deep down that my knee had definitely gotten stronger since February and I really didn’t want to be thought of as handicapped. Well, I guess I still just have to deal with wheelchairs and crutches until the end of the summer! Trust me, I will be glad when I can say “Bye!” to my bad knee (to everyone, I think I am planning for surgery during winter break 2009, since I found a great doctor in UCLA hospital during spring break 2008).

 I have to say one thing about Cathay Pacific’s airplane service: since I and 20 other people on the plane couldn’t get in-flight entertainment attached to our seats, we were all offered $50 vouchers for DutyFree items. And of course, my flight was very uncomfortable, to say at the least. One flight attendant called me complicated, but I wouldn’t have been much of a hassle if I could get my own water or my own pillows…I get really dehydrated on planes lol. Later, though, the flight attendant was more helpful since she saw that I was handicapped…I don’t know if it was because I was handicapped that she became nicer, but I do know that guests (me) come first..and I don’t need to be a Hotelie to know that.

The service guy picking me up at Taiwan with a wheelchair was much more hospitable, and may I just add that I am so grateful to know at little bit of Mandarin because I could not have communicated with him otherwise. The guy even called my mom with his personal cell phone so that she could meet us ! Taiwanese people are so nice! My mom isn’t very bright, so if the guy hadn’t called her and left me alone to find my mom, it would have taken hours. During winter break when I came to Taiwan, I waited at the airport for almost an hour for my mom to find me, and it turned out I found her! Of course, I could walk well, so I didn’t have a problem rolling around a big suitcase for almost an hour. Wheelchairs are different, though.

Arrival–Day in the mountains

My day in the mountains was indescribable; my mom, me, and my mom’s friend went to a restaurant on a mountain. There, we met with a crazy voodoo “psychic” lady my mom had been dying to meet; my mom is way too weird. Let’s just say I was very uncomfortable at our “therapy session.” Since I left my camera battery at Cynthia’s place, I couldn’t take pictures, and it’s a real shame that I couldn’t show you guys how beautiful the restaurant was, but I felt like I was in Africa or something from all the tree sculptures!

At the restaurant, one of the native people there owned a pig and a dog. The pig was really cute; the dog looked normal: the pig, however, looked like it had the skin of a cow because of its black areas, but the pig was black and pink–I seriously thought the people were going to kill it and eat it because people do stuff like that here, but then they started to feed it fresh basil and bananas! WOW! WEIRD!

The restaurant, though it had weird animals and were surrounded by weird people, was very classy and I was very impressed by the glass tables, huts, tree sculptures, glass cups, and fire pits. Looking back to my day in the mountains, I don’t think I would go back because I am scared of meeting up with that crazy lady, but I will definitely want to show people what I have seen!

Day 2! Boredom

I didn’t do much today, but my mom did! She bought a USB drive and a microphone, and her friend bought an mp3 player/camera that was made in China. Unlike me, my mom doesn’t know how to manage her money, which then makes me wonder how spoiled my mom really is. To my surprise, my mom started off 2008 working again doing something I think is really shady (no, not drugs lol), but I just don’t really approve of my mom working again because she came to Taiwan to take care of my grandfather and now she’s not taking care of my grandfather. I think her working on this project of hers is really shady because she chooses to hide this part of her life from me; I know my mom doesn’t have to tell me everything, but when she gets angry when I try to get to know what she does, I know something’s not right.

Indeed, I ask for a prayer to God, that even though my mom is Buddhist, my mother and I can be comforted by Him even when she struggles through this work of hers–even though my mother and I are so different, I am willing to share her burden and rely on God to take care of us while I am here. I feel like I am repeating this struggle with my mom again because it’s happened before, and I know my mom’s work compromises her happiness. I feel like my mom needs to find her passion in life again, because she was very happy during my winter break when she didn’t have a worry on her mind, but now she’s struggling with herself and I don’t know what’s going on exactly, but I know the outcome will not be good for her. Should my mom just completely retire from working? Does she really need to start a new project, is what she’s working on even that difficult, and if so, does she really need to be screaming to people on the phone and taking her anger out on me (she really needs stress management techniques), or is she just trying to fill her time because she is bored of her current state? Sometimes I’m saddened when my mom tries too hard.

Psalm 27: 1-3

The LORD is my light and my salvation—
       whom shall I fear?
       The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
       of whom shall I be afraid?

When evil men advance against me
       to devour my flesh,
       when my enemies and my foes attack me,
       they will stumble and fall.

Though an army besiege me,
       my heart will not fear;
       though war break out against me,
       even then will I be confident.