Temples and Turtles

There's a lot more to see and do than just sit on a beach when visiting Little Okinawa!

We took chairs, beach towels, and novels planning to park ourselves in sand and relax.

But, that never happened. 

Armed with a scooter and a map, we decided to do a little exploring before settling down into relax mode.

We found this century old banyan tree.

Obviously when someone built the nearby structure, they didn't account for growth!

Nearby was a small lighthouse used to help guide ships through the Taiwan Strait.

We had multiple opportunities to hike among the island fauna.

As well as climb into, under, and through many coral caves.

Between the climbing, walking, and gazing our eyes also feasted on the architectural beauty of the plethora of temples.

 As you can tell some were big, some were small. Some were in back alleys, while others stood overlooking the ocean. Some were located in highly trafficked areas, while others were tucked away far from peering eyes. Some were plain, while others were beyond ornate. I lost count of how many temples are on the island, but for only being only 9 kilometers around, there's a lot!

But, among all the main roads, side roads, and back alleys we traveled, Carl and I never saw evidence of a church. Or at least a church building. There well may be an active, established body of believers or there could not.

While having temples, Xiaoliuchiu is also well known for its sea turtles.

Since we had decided to explore instead of snorkeling, I didn't think we would get to see any.

But, I was wrong.

After climbing to the top floor of this pavilion, we were able to see some onf the coral surrounding the island.

From all the way up there, we were able to see several huge sea turtles swimming among the coral.

If I could see him from that far away, he must have been huge!

And as all adventures must come to an end, so did this one. But, we left in awe of God's beauty and humans' ability to communicate even without the same language!

While we enjoyed being just the two of us, we can't wait to bring the kids to do some above water and under water exploring!

Just the Two of Us

Our anniversary is right around the corner.

April 23 to be exact.

Twenty-three years ago, there were only 2 members of the Carl Dingus family. It didn't take  long to start adding to that number. And we didn't stop till six years and four kids later.

For our first anniversary, Carl and I left two month old Nick with my mom and dad, and went to Niagara Falls for a couple days. Just the two of us.

Since then, every vacation we've had has been either with the kids, or in a group of other couples. Until this week. We went on a mini-vacation: just the two of us.

This was also our the time in five years of living in Taiwan, that we vacationed without the accompaniment of a Chinese speaker. That may not sound like a big deal to some of you, but when you know so little, its hard to do some of the simplest tasks.

This adventure started outside the ferry terminal. "Look for the ladies wearing the pink hats," we were told. "They will help you park your car."

Except when we got there, there were no ladies wearing pink hats. There were no ladies at all. I tried asking for help, but no one understood English. So I called a friend fluent in Chinese and had her ask for help, but twice the individuals only spoke Taiwanese!

Finally, a nice Chinese speaking lady approached our van. Using my friend as a translator, we made the necessary parking arrangements.

Next came the buying of the ferry tickets. Fortunately for us, the ticket agent spoke English. Tickets bought, we waited for the next ferry to load. 

Soon we were on our way to Xiaoliuchiu, a coral island about 15km off the coast of southern Taiwan.  About 13,000 residents live on the 2.6  square mile island.  

The main road that circles the island is only 9 km long!

After our arrival, we waited for the B and B owner to find us. It wasn't that difficult. Using our mutual friend once again as our long distance interpreter, we rented a scooter and checked into our room.

Mosaic scene over the fish pond at the B and B. 

Our Bed and Breakfast. The red scooter was our rental.

Then, it was time to start exploring!

Flower Vase Rock

Two sources of income- snorkeling tours and fish farms!

This is the end of the road, for now! 

Coming soon... temples and turtles!

Oops! What Did I Just Agree To?

For some reason, that phrase kept popping into my head the last three to four days.

It could be, since it's spring break, I have spent more time outside of my normal English bubble. Yes, it is spring break. And yes, unlike most spring breaks I experienced in Ohio, it has actually  felt like spring. Except today. It's chilly and dreary! But that has nothing to do with my earlier statement.

On Saturday, I went to get my annual straight perm. 

I had never heard of such a thing until moving to Taiwan. In the USA, there is a similar treatment called the Brazilian, but it supposedly only last three months and can be quite expensive.

After living here for eight months, I realized I needed to do something. The older I get, the more frizzy and out of control my hair gets. Add to that mixture  the high humidity of living on a subtropical island.

In Ohio, I could straighten my hair every morning and it would stay. This, I could handle. Here, when I straightened, it was frizzy again as soon as I walked outside. The upside of this- wrinkled clothes, no worries. By the time I walk the five minutes to my classroom, the wrinkles are gone.

Great for clothes, but not so great for out of control frizziness.

The above picture was taken our first Christmas in Taiwan.

So, I decided to give it a try. One of the best decisions I have ever made. On the mornings I swim before school, I just shower and go. There's no need to blow dry or straighten. No more frizzies- bring on that humidity! Which by the way very rarely drops below 60 percent in the winter and during the hot summers, it ranges between 70 and 90 percent!

But once again, this is not what this post is really about. It's about my agreeing to things that I don't know what I am agreeing to.

For example, to get my hair done, I go to Nina's. She speaks some English and has a few employees that do as well. That, of course, doesn't mean I am always serviced by one of the English speaking stylists. But, there is enough English that I have successfully had my hair, straightened and cut once a year.

This past Saturday, the beginning of spring break, I made my annual trek to Nina's. After I got all welcomed and settled in, a nice young man came to wash my hair. He asked a lot of questions in the process. I knew they were questions because they ended with the word ma. Ma is kinda like a verbal question mark. 

Using the contextual clues, I think I know what he was asking.

Are you comfortable? 

Can you scoot up a little?

Is the water the right temperature?

So to these questions, I answer how. How is like the English ok. So I said ok to everything he was asking me. 

And that got me wondering....

What if he was asking if I wanted a snake's blood cocktail?

What if he was asking if I wanted my hair cut short?

Or colored purple?

Yikes!

This could be a problem!

Well, I am happy to report that my hair is not purple or overly short. It is straight, though. 

It's such a relief when I walk out looking how I envisioned I would look at the end of the four hour process and 4,500NT  (US $150) poorer.

Last year, as I got my hair straightened, Abbi went the opposite way- curly! Her Chinese is way better than mine, so I am sure she wasn't on the edge of her seat the whole time.

On Monday, I had a similar experience.

This time at the hospital.

I needed an endoscopy to monitor some little polyps in my stomach. No big deal, except in Taiwan, this is a procedure the patient is awake for! Yes, you read that right.

I did it last year and survived, barely!

I gag brushing my teeth and you expect to not swallow, not gag, while you push a camera down my throat? Our bodies are programmed to expel foreign material!

Yep. Not me.

They ended going up through the nose and then down.

Not an experience worth repeating.

This time, I asked to be put out. Asleep. Unconscious. Unaware. 

Guess where that procedure is done? 

The Children's Hospital.

The nurses all giggled with nervousness when they realized I was an adult and not the child they were expecting. And once again, the questions just kept on coming.

I hope I answered them correctly.

I must have, because half an hour later, I was awake again and ready to walk out. All my limbs were intact. Everything seems to be in working order.

But, as you can tell, communication is a problem.

I live my life inside an English bubble. When I am outside my bubble, people want to practice their English with a native speaker. Except those, of course, who want to cut my hair or put a camera down my throat.

They like Chinese. 

Go figure!

Harvest

Even before Carl and I decided to take the big step of tying the knot, we agreed that if and when children were added to our union, that I would become a stay-at-home. Actually, I think we both had made that decision before we even knew each other. Fortunately, when Nick was born, we were at a place financially where that was possible. 

Over the next seventeen years, I held to the thought that if I was to ever teach again full time, it would be at the school my children were attending. There were never any details in that thought. Just a commitment. And as usual, God already had it planned out, way better than I myself could have put together.

Morrison Academy Taichung is a K12 school located on one compact campus. When I started teaching second grade here five years ago, Nick, Ben, and Abbi were in high school. Jacob was in his first year of middle school, and I, of course, spent most of my time in the elementary section. We were spread out over three distinct areas, but never-the-less, all together.  Often Abbi would stop by my classroom just to say hi. Ben's senior year, he and several friends would come have lunch in my room once a week. More times that I can count, Jacob has delivered my forgotten glasses on his way to his first class. 

This is just another proof that when God gives you the desires of your heart, he meets those desires!

So while there are some downfalls of having thirteen grades housed in one facility, there are definite benefits. Opportunities abound! 

Wanting to meet more than just traditional academics, the high school is full of clubs that span from cooking, audio-visual, to hiking. This year some students got together and along with a sponsor, started a sustainable garden. Throughout the year, they prepared the beds, researched how to grow organic food, and recently were able to make their first harvest available to the community.

During a recent library class, Mrs. Strange, our librarian teacher read the book If You Plant a Seed.On Friday, I had the privilege of accompanying my class to see and learn about this special garden. Two of the group's members were there to answer the class's questions.

 Taichung, while small compared to Taipei, is still an urban setting. Many elementary children never see food while still in the ground. Few families have a yard,  let alone a vegetable garden. They never experience the joy of planting a seed, watching it grow, and then enjoying its flavor and freshness. 

As a teacher, its great to see my students learning hands-on, as well as seeing what they could be part of when they reach high school. I was impressed by some of the thoughtful, higher level questions they expressed. Obviously, they are listening and learning!

Thank you Mrs. Strange for looking beyond the library's walls. 

Thank you Mrs. Peleo for the awesome photos!

I am proud and pleased to be a member of this community. While I am not perfect, neither is this community. But, God isn't looking for perfect people or communities. He is looking for obedience, for those willing to seek His face!

I pray every day that my words, my actions, my faith will be like the seeds the high schoolers have planted. With God's love, they will also grow and produce an abundant harvest!