October Recap

How long we’ve been here:  ONE YEAR!(as of the 5th of November) HOW is possible we’ve been here a year already??!!

Favourite thing to eat:

Dave:   Winter Melon. I’m pretty sure if we had it in Canada it would beat out most artificial syrups. Winter Melon is a fruit, but they usually make it into a very sweet tea. It’s boiled down into a sugar, a little like Maple sugar.

Steph: M&M’s chocolate bar. Imagine mini M&M’s inside a chocolate bar made of the inside of M&M’s.

Favourite place you’ve visited/ Favourite thing you’ve done:

We went to the Southern most tip of Taiwan- Kenting (the ‘t’ is pronounced as a ‘d,’ apparently. More on Pinyin later). It was absolutely amazing. Thanksgiving weekend in Canada was the same weekend as Taiwan’s birthday or 10/10 day, so it kind of felt like we were celebrating together. Except we spent most of the time on scooters and at the beach.

Coolest thing this month:

When in said Kenting we got to go snorkelling. Both of us had only ever been snorkelling in lakes back home, so this was a totally different experience for both of us. The coral was a little sharp, but the fish were so cool to see! They’re just so much more colourful here than at home!

Thing you’re looking forward to most:

GOING TO AUSTRALIA!!! We’ve been saving since we got our feet under us here, and we’re going as our 5^th anniversary gift to eachother (our anniversary is in June). We’re also going down to visit Claire and Rob, whom we haven’t seen since they left Canada, about 2 years ago!! It’s going to be sooo nice to see them face-to-face again and not just through a computer screen. Plus, we haven’t had a real vacation since… Well… When Candice and Tyler were here we still had to work a bit, so I’m not sure! And it’s definitely time. We’re both starting to get burned out (our workloads have both increased in the last short while), and we’re really looking forward to remembering what the western world looks like before we head home. Hopefully it’ll ease a bit of the cuture shock before March!

What you're studying:

Dave: How to incorporate Taiwanese flavours in Western cuisine. I’ve also really been into baking old-school bread lately. I’m fascinated with bread and how you can get something so diverse with only a few ingredients.

Steph: A few months ago Beth Moore was giving away e-reader versions of a couple of her books. I downloaded them, and forgot about them until this month when I was looking for a new book to read. The one I picked is about the disciple John. I’m really not a devotional book person, but I do love Beth Moore’s bible studies because while they’re biblically and historically based, she often throws her own thoughts into the mix as well`. Many, many years ago I bought her Bad Girls of the Bible series and have read each of them probably twice at least. I just love them. And this reads the same way, like you’re watching a story about a person’s life, not just the things that happened to them.

One thing you’re looking forward to at home:

Dave:  Seeing our nieces and nephews and FINALLY seeing our friends and families again.

Seeing how much Canada has changed and is changing can be a little alarming when you’re so far away and detached from it. Reverse culture shock could be interesting.

Getting used to a car again when we’re so used to a scooter! Scooters here just zip between cars and around them so it often takes half the time to get anywhere!

Stepping outside and NOT seeing a skyscraper.

Feeling grass between our toes.

The cold (but not really. We’re just tired of the heat!).

One of my students' drawings. Some of them are starting to make recognizable shapes and pictures! I'm so proud!

Dave found a coconut. So he cracked it open to see if there was water in it.

This is a Taiwanese workout machine. Honestly, when we first moved here we thought they were for kids. They are SO much fun!

EVERYTHING in bags!! Even eggs!

While the boys (and Meagan) drove their scooters to Kenting, the girls got to ride in the AC!

Looks like Dave's joined a biker gang.

Our first view of the beach.

Snorkeling! See that coral behind Dave? It made this lovely (abet a wee bit sharp) cove that was perfect for Ari and to to snorkel in. We may not have seen any turtles, but we did see some pretty fish!

My favourite piece of coral.

BBQ- South African-Taiwanese style!!

My best girl- we 'practiced' our snorkeling in the pool first!

Can I stay?

Kenting Aquarium. SO much fun!

My Taiwanese Kagawong.

The kid seemed to LOVE my face.

A bunch of sweet little monsters for Halloween.

Halloween with the Frizz? No way!

M&M's chocolate bar. Best. Chocolate bar. Ever.