The Break-up

I don't want to talk too much about this as it is my own business, but as of this weekend, Boyfriend and I are no more.

There are MANY reasons as to why we have decided to go our separate ways, but one reason was his family. His family(or probably his mother) said I was "not tall enough and not thin enough" for him. I guarantee these aren't the ONLY reasons why she objected to us being together as I am super liberal and American and NOT Taiwanese.

There is a lot more to this story, but I don't feel right talking about it in a blog. I just wanted to mention that because that is a big cultural difference between Chinese/Taiwanese culture and Western culture.

Now I know why I have yet to see a Taiwanese man with a Western woman. Taiwanese men seem get a LOT of pressure from their families about everything.

I also seem to have a problem with mothers-in-law. They never like me. Maybe because they feel threatened by me. I say this because my star sign is Cancer and Cancers sometimes have that "Motherly instinct" Now of course I DON'T want to be a mother to my boyfriend..that's just odd, but I want to make him happy and take care of him-it's just my nature.

So anyway, I've been a mess and yesterday was absolutely depressed. Today, I feel better. I am not going to talk about it anymore because it makes me feel bad and it is none of your business. The good thing is is that once I started teaching, the kids made me feel better without them realizing it and after teaching I felt like my positive self again and was reminded of why I am here: for the kids.

OK, so Saturday I went to the Taichung Park to see what they had going on for the Lantern Festival...it was nice, but it started to pour so I left an hour after I arrived. Here are some pics and video:





Other than that, I know nothing. I am just taking it day by day and staying positive. I just want him to be happy and I feel that this decision is the best thing he needs to search for true happiness in EVERYTHING. I am going to miss him dearly and hope that one day we can be friends. If you ever read this; Thank you for everything.

Couples Who Karaoke Together...

Stay Together!

Tomorrow, February 14^th 2008 (coincidentally the Westerner’s Valentine’s Day) is the Lantern Festival and if I’m not mistaken, it signifies the end of the Chinese New Year.

This week has been a week of relaxation, cultural education and spending time with family (even though I wasn’t able to spend it with mine).

Wednesday was my first day off and since Boyfriend had to prepare with his family, I decided to take a taxi to Iie Jong Jie by myself and do some shopping. I bought my candied tomatoes on a stick, bought some cute shirts for only NT$150 each (about €4) and some other small things. Afterwards, while walking home, I stopped in a small store selling tea. The owner was really nice but I kept trying to tell him in broken Chinese that his tea was too expensive for me. It was packaged tea from all over Taiwan! Alishan, Sun Moon Lake, Hualien, etc. So finally he showed me a “High Mountain Oolong” tea from Sun Moon Lake and brewed up a pot for me. He is a tea connoisseur and seeing as I am a tea snob, I couldn’t say no! Unfortunately, his English was limited just as my Chinese is limited, but ironically, we communicated through Yahoo! Taiwan’s online translator on his laptop. It was really good tea so I bought a couple packages and he threw in a ceramic tea steeper thing for free! My rest of the night was followed by relaxing, laundry and watching DVD’s and movies on TV…Ahhh…such bliss! J

Thursday was interesting. I wasn’t expecting to hear from Boyfriend as he was busy with family stuff for the new year and even though the night before he said he would ask his parents if I could go to the temple with them, I still didn’t count on it. But, as I was in the video store I got a call from Boyfriend telling me he would pick me up in 5 minutes to go to the temple! So we first went to his parents’ house where I met his parents again (his mom even gave me a red envelope with some money in it!!!!) and I met one of his sisters for the first time! So we went to the temple and prayed and I admired the big gold Buddha and the architecture and the garden. The good thing is it is right by my neighbourhood! After that, we went to a Japanese style fast-food restaurant (Tonkatsu- it is actually one my fave restaurants…OK, OK I have a LOT of faves J ). We then walked around the park near NOVA and the One building and then Brian took me home.

Friday,I had lunch with Boyfriend’s family before going to the Changhua Flower Festival. His mom had cooked a whole goose (head, neck, butt and all) and some yummy veggies so we ate that. I was so glad she didn’t have us eat the head, neck or butt otherwise I probably would have gotten sick! But I did take photos! I have to say it was SO nice to have a home cooked meal! I swear… if my grandma (American one from the South, not the German one) were Taiwanese that would probably be what she would have made! It just tasted like comfort food!

Goose head staring right at the camera!!

Goose butt (middle) or in Chinese: Goose Pigoo!!

When we got to the flower festival it was evident that I truly was the only foreigner there!! I know because Boyfriend and I were looking for other foreigners! The entire time, I got nothing but children staring and pointing me and saying in Chinese, “Foreigner!!”, “American!!” (Please note most Taiwanese consider any foreigner to be American)

Anyway, there was a lot of food and a lot of booths selling flowers. Here is the food I ate:

1. Little fried bird eggs covered in tomato sauce on a stick (see photo)

Little girl frying up the bird eggs to put on a stick...

2. Fried Digua (Sweet Potato) ball

It's purple, don't ask me how or why...

3. Glutinous sweet rice dim sum
4. Strawberries and cream
5. Yummy fruity yogurt drink
6. Yummy and hot flower seed drink (what is cassiae, by the way?)
7. Cotton candy of course
8. And some more dim sum

Boyfriend was craving squid and he was whining to have one but I told him I refuse to eat squid!! But I did take a photo of the grilled squid on a stick!

It turned out that Boyfriend bought 3 miniature rose plants and got a 4^th one for free. So he gave that one to me! J Afterwards, we went home and we ate the leftover goose and veggies his mom made as well as this REALLY good radish/turnip soup his sister made! Then all of a sudden, Boyfriend disappeared and I was stuck at his parents’ house watching a Taiwanese dynasty soap opera with his brother and sister not knowing what was going on. Then his parents made it back home and I soon found out Boyfriend went to take a nap. So then they turned on the karaoke and we all sang! I was horrible but it was fun! His parents were sooooo cute singing Chinese songs together!! Then after everyone went to bed, Boyfriend woke up and was singing Wang Lee Hom songs for me J Asians truly love their Karaoke/KTV(KTV is karaoke but with the original voice still on the track) and just as my title says, “A couple who karaokes together, stays together!”

As for Saturday, I didn’t really do anything, but Boyfriend and his brother and I went to RT Mart and I bought a water cooker so that I can have hot tea in the morning as well as instant noodles and soup. It is sooo cold here and since I don’t have heating of any kind, I need hot tea! After that, I watched TV and read my printouts on Green Island as I want to go there in May.

Sunday, Boyfriend had to visit relatives with his family and so while he was doing that I rode my bike to the Science Museum and Botanical Garden. I went to the Botanical Garden first and although it was nice, it was smaller than I expected and it made me sad as I want warm weather again and I want to travel around Taiwan and see waterfalls, and flowers and all that!!!

After that I went into the Science Museum and met up with boyfriend there where we walked around the Chinese Science, Medicine and etc part as well as the exhibit on Austronesian Aboriginal Culture. It was nice. So I finally got to see the Water Clock as well as some other things. Then we went to a Teppanyaki place nearby and for dessert I had a fried banana drizzled in honey while boyfriend had fried taro drizzled in honey…YUM!!! I want more!

So, all in all, I’d have to say that my first Chinese New Year was just right! I’m happy with it, although the weather is freezing cold here! It wouldn’t be so bad if buildings had heating here, but oh well. Now, I’m yearning for sandy white beaches, warm sunshine, hot springs, waterfalls, etc, etc, etc. I have caught the travel bug and plan to travel once the weather gets warm.

Before I go, here is one last Chinese New Year related photo:

This is a photo of radish plants that symbolize something good for the Chinese New Year...