Christmas in Taiwan

Saturday the family and I went to Taipei to eat at a dumpling shop that I've wanted to try since I got here, 鼎泰豐. It was delicious and I'm so grateful 媽媽 put in the effort to get a reservation at this crazy time of year. We tried many different dishes and even had an interesting Chinese dessert. We then walked around Taipei 101 and the streets near. We enjoyed seeing many Christmas lights and people, even animals dressed up. We got home very late due to traffic on the way back to Taoyuan.
 Yesterday was Christmas Eve and my Rotary district was to have a Christmas party for the exchange students. 爸爸, my friend Sigurd and I went to buy decorations last minute and took a lot of time to pick them out. We chose fairly good decorations and made the very plain room a little bit more festive. We were also to bake or cook foods from our countries for everyone to try. I made Beavertails, a Canadian dessert. My friend CJ made southern mashed potatoes and gravy. I was really craving gravy. Speaking of CJ, we also did secret Santa and I was his secret Santa. I knew exactly what to get him. He previously complained to me about not having a tripod for his camera. So I went and looked for a tripod for weeks until I found one within the price limit of our secret Santa. I saw it and bought it right away. I also bought him a teddy bear head "from Santa." I was very happy with my decision on the present and I think he was too. Its not the best quality but its what I could get in the price range. He also owns a nice one in the US so it only needs to last six months. My secret Santa was one of my best friends, Bia. I had no idea, she was very good at hiding this from me. She got me the most adorable Totoro sweater that I am wearing right now. I love it.
Today its Christmas day and I am at school. I don't completely understand why, but it is a requirement by our rotary district that we go to school on this day. I honestly think that its a little inconsiderate but maybe that's cause they don't explain their decisions to us. I am also getting a cold and my throat hurts very much. Could be a much better Christmas. Tonight me and the family will open Christmas gifts and I'm excited for everyone to see what I got them. Hopefully they all like them. I am now going to video call my family in Canada and hopefully do so without any Wifi problems.

Christmas is coming

Friday I was at school all day as usual and went to another photography club for the first time without Keyle. I was a lone for some of the time but then one of the leaders came over to translate. But since I had taken a photography class in Canada I already was taught about what the photographer was saying. I did enjoy talking to her though, she had many questions about Canada, snow and our type of Christmas. She is a very nice girl and I hope she keeps me company on other club meet days. I like photography club but most kids are too afraid to talk to foreigners so I usually end up alone. Its already quite lonely at school without noticeably being segregated. i really want to be part of the club but it seems a little pointless if I'm just alone all the time anyway. After lunch I went to the library, one of my daily routines to study and work on a power point about Canada and myself for a presentation to my Rotary club. The library is a very cosy place to study, I sit in the comfiest chairs at a cute little table with lamps and fake plants. I always get water from the library too because that's the only water fountain with cold water. At night I went to my Rotary meeting to have dinner and get my monthly allowance. As always, everyone asks how my Chinese is going and speaks as fast as they can it seems. No one seems to realize that even if I have vocab, I need them to speak a little slower than they do normally. Just as how they ask me every time I speak English, to slow down. Works both ways. That night I also got  爸爸 to try blue cheese. He smelt it and thought it was western version of stinky tofu (it smells a lot.) He didn't like it very much.

The next day, I video called my parents and rested for the whole day. At night we went to dinner with a few rotarians from my club and got pizza. I hoped we'd get pineapple pizza. They always order seafood pizza and its really not good in my opinion. Sea food is good, just not on pizza. We went to a very Italian restaurant and had platters of cheese (including blue cheese, I was the only one to eat it) and meat. No sea food pizza was ordered. I got my favourite pop, mountain dew, that's only imported for that restaurant and a delicious brownie dessert. 妹妹 and I went to little 小米 house after to play with the dog and her. I also witnessed my first giant spider. It was the size of my hand. No one knew whether or not it was poisonous and just left it there. In the garage. Where their dog sleeps!
Today was Sunday and I went to lunch at my favourite dumpling house with Bia. We also enjoyed dessert at a new shop, owned by a family friend. It was Noir. I have tried it once before and its expensive but I love it. We then went towards the train station, which is about a fifteen minute drive from my house (with traffic) and bought many more Christmas gifts for people. I finished buying for my host family and both secret Santas I am involved in this year. I am very excited for Christmas. We also went to my favourite bakery and had very delicious bread as usual. We met up with Sigurd, another close friend of mine, and continued to shop around. I also bought myself a purse that I really wanted and some patches that I will collect and make clothes for myself from back in Canada. Later on I bussed home and joined 爸爸 and 妹妹 to go to Ama and Agongs house for dinner and more dessert. We had hot pot, which isn't my favourite, and Ama always makes me my favourite pork chops and potatoes. I love Ama. She's the best. After dinner we walked to the night market and 妹妹 and I tried many claw machines with no wins. I got a couple more things for myself for Christmas (from other people just chosen by me) and am very happy with a new sweater and a Totoro backpack! I am very excited for Christmas and I hope everyone liked their gifts. I can't wait for them to be opened.

See you soon, never goodbye

My family got the box I sent to them last week, very fast considering it got there in eight days. I video called them and in the morning, their night. Then called them again my night and their morning and made them open the box. I was so excited because I love the things I bought for them and I hoped they would too. They did, there was lots of candy, pocky and food. As well as a shirt for my dad and a sweater for my mom. I was very happy to see them try on the clothes and they fit perfectly. I was worried because clothes here fit different than clothes in Canada. My sister and her boyfriend also loved their gifts that I bought from the Studio Gibli store a while back. It was excited and I can't wait to hear what they think of all the food. They will be sending the same box back to Taiwan with their Christmas gifts for me and the family. I hope that gets here just as fast as mine got there. We will see soon enough. 
Today I relaxed for most of the day then headed out to the airport to say goodbye to a friend from Brazil whose exchabge year has now ended. She is such a kind positive person and I wish she could've been part of my entire year but I'm just very thankful to have met her and hope to see her next year in Brazil. It was very emotional with tears from me and her closest of friends. She has about a day and a half until she gets back to Brazil with her family. She was nervous for the flight because it was only her second time travelling by plane, I told her it will be mine as well and we tried to talk through some things before the many hugs and tears of her departure. There are three more people to go home in the next two months and one will be this coming Wednesday, one of my best friends, Keyle. I've gone to school with her for the past few months and I will miss her so much. Its going to be another very emotional day at the airport on Wednesday. It makes me feel a little better that I will most likely see them in January or February of 2019 but I still am very sad to say goodbye for now. For the next two days I will hangout with Keyle before she leaves on Wednesday. Another difficult goodbye to come. Or a difficult 'see you soon' shall it be.