In just a few short hours Valerie and I will board a bus to take us the 2 hours to the airport. It doesn't seem real that this trip is over. Yet I sit here with much gratitude in my heart for all the experiences I've had and the people I've spent time with.
These last few days with Elsa in Taichung have been a real joy! She took us on a tour of some rural villages as well as Sun Moon Lake. Today we visited one of the residential Deal schools here in Taiwan. The children were delightful and the staff were incredibly hospitable!
I need to go and pack. Look for one more post from me and Valerie as well.
-Jen
P.S. Here are pictures from Taichung: http://s792.photobucket.com/albums/yy202/jen-val-taiwan/Taichung/
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Taroko Gorge
This week Valerie and I got to spend Tuesday through Thursday in Taroko Gorge. Julia Delaney came with us to translate for us as we traveled. And we enjoyed her company! The gorge is an amazingly gorgeous piece of God's creation. We spent hours and hours hiking the trails and climbing mountains. It was exhausting but so worth it! Here are a few pictures: http://s792.photobucket.com/albums/yy202/jen-val-taiwan/Taroko%20Gorge/
-Jen
-Jen
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Kaohsiung pictures
Here are a few pictures from Kaohsiung: http://s792.photobucket.com/albums/yy202/jen-val-taiwan/Kaohsiung/
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Deaf in Kaohsiung
Do you remember Miriam and Aaron? They are two Deaf volunteers from Oregon who I met at the beginning of Deaflympics. Well they are traveling around Taiwan now and needed a place to stay in Kaohsiung. So they asked me if my friends, the Delaney family (where I'm staying for the next 10 days) would put them up for a night. The Delaneys were very welcoming and agreed.
So yesterday, shortly after I arrived we picked up Miriam and Aaron from the airport. And from then on I got to interpret the many interactions between them and the Delaney family. It was great fun! The Delaneys have not had much contact with Deaf people and had many questions.
Remember my train ride with Chiang? Well I found out that he attends a Deaf church here in Kaohsiung. The Deaf pastor lives in Taipei and holds services here every other week. It just happened that there was a Bible study last night! So Aaron, Miriam, several of the Delaneys and I went. It was all in Taiwanese Sign Language (TSL) so Chiang interpreted for us into ASL. Then I interpreted for the Delaneys into English. We had a wonderful time! This coming Sunday Chiang's church will not have a service so he is going to visit the Delaney's church and I will interpret for him.
This morning Mary Delaney took Aaron, Miriam and I to visit Lotus Pond, a famous sight in Kaohsiung. We climbed a pagoda, visited a temple, and walked through the little shops around the edge of the lake. Mary explained the Taiwanese beliefs and the reasons behind some of the things we saw. It was really interesting.
Then we had the grand adventure of trying to get Miriam and Aaron off to the bus station. First we didn't even know if the buses were running because of all the damage from the typhoons. But they were. We got them there, got their bus tickets, and found out the bus was leaving early. In just five minutes, in fact!
Tomorrow I'm going to visit the Deaf school where Chiang teaches. I'm really looking forward to that!
-Jen
So yesterday, shortly after I arrived we picked up Miriam and Aaron from the airport. And from then on I got to interpret the many interactions between them and the Delaney family. It was great fun! The Delaneys have not had much contact with Deaf people and had many questions.
Remember my train ride with Chiang? Well I found out that he attends a Deaf church here in Kaohsiung. The Deaf pastor lives in Taipei and holds services here every other week. It just happened that there was a Bible study last night! So Aaron, Miriam, several of the Delaneys and I went. It was all in Taiwanese Sign Language (TSL) so Chiang interpreted for us into ASL. Then I interpreted for the Delaneys into English. We had a wonderful time! This coming Sunday Chiang's church will not have a service so he is going to visit the Delaney's church and I will interpret for him.
This morning Mary Delaney took Aaron, Miriam and I to visit Lotus Pond, a famous sight in Kaohsiung. We climbed a pagoda, visited a temple, and walked through the little shops around the edge of the lake. Mary explained the Taiwanese beliefs and the reasons behind some of the things we saw. It was really interesting.
Then we had the grand adventure of trying to get Miriam and Aaron off to the bus station. First we didn't even know if the buses were running because of all the damage from the typhoons. But they were. We got them there, got their bus tickets, and found out the bus was leaving early. In just five minutes, in fact!
Tomorrow I'm going to visit the Deaf school where Chiang teaches. I'm really looking forward to that!
-Jen
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
More Pictures
Here is the link to our latest pictures: http://s792.photobucket.com/albums/yy202/jen-val-taiwan/Olympics%20Begin/ They include Valerie's visit with Iris, Volunteering, Taiwanese cuisine, Valerie teaching an English class, and our trip to the ocean!
Volunteering at Deaflympics
I've been so busy putting in full days volunteering that I have neglected the blog! So here I am again. Today is my last day in Taipei and I am sad to be leaving the people I've met, the friends I've made, and especially Valerie.
I really enjoyed working as a volunteer. It was very satisfying to be able to help people. Deaf from all over the world would come to our table and I would interpret their requests and find answers for them. Many times I understood what they were asking even though they used a different Sign Language. But I must admit there were times of failure. One man from Turkey went away unhelped because I couldn't understand him. However, a few days later several men from Turkey came to our table and I understood them and got them what they needed! I was so thrilled!
The last day I worked we had some of the strangest requests. We were officiallly only the info center for Table Tennis, but... There was the spectator from Israel who came complaining that he was being followed by police officers 24 hours a day, and could he speak to the organizing commitee and find out why? Since he wasn't a part of the Deaflympics we told him he needed to go to the police station. Would I come and interpret for him? I told him I was working and sent him on his way. Then there was the Indian man from California. Did we have empty cardboard boxes he could have to ship his things back to the States? A Deaf reporter from the States wanted us to set up an interview for him with one of the gold medalists. A group from Pakistan wanted to know how to get their free backpacks and jackets. And so it went on and on.
During the lulls I enjoyed spending time with Stephanie. We had great conversations about meaningful topics that really challenged me. I will miss her too.
Tomorrow begins the next stage of my adventures. I will be visiting the Delaney family in the southern city of Kaohsiung. While I was volunteering I met a Deaf lady, Anne, from the Philippines. When she heard I was going to Kaohsiung she said she had to introduce me to a friend of hers from there. Chiang is a Deaf man who was working here at Deaflympics as an International Sign interpreter. He knows Taiwanese Sign Language, ASL, and International Sign. He is also a teacher at a Deaf school in Kaohsiung. So we met! He asked me if I'd gotten a train ticket yet. I said no. He said all the better! If we travel together we can get a discount! So tomorrow I get to spend the morning on the High Speed Rail with Chiang. I hope to learn a lot from him. He also said that I can visit his school while I'm in Kaohsiung!
-Jen
I really enjoyed working as a volunteer. It was very satisfying to be able to help people. Deaf from all over the world would come to our table and I would interpret their requests and find answers for them. Many times I understood what they were asking even though they used a different Sign Language. But I must admit there were times of failure. One man from Turkey went away unhelped because I couldn't understand him. However, a few days later several men from Turkey came to our table and I understood them and got them what they needed! I was so thrilled!
The last day I worked we had some of the strangest requests. We were officiallly only the info center for Table Tennis, but... There was the spectator from Israel who came complaining that he was being followed by police officers 24 hours a day, and could he speak to the organizing commitee and find out why? Since he wasn't a part of the Deaflympics we told him he needed to go to the police station. Would I come and interpret for him? I told him I was working and sent him on his way. Then there was the Indian man from California. Did we have empty cardboard boxes he could have to ship his things back to the States? A Deaf reporter from the States wanted us to set up an interview for him with one of the gold medalists. A group from Pakistan wanted to know how to get their free backpacks and jackets. And so it went on and on.
During the lulls I enjoyed spending time with Stephanie. We had great conversations about meaningful topics that really challenged me. I will miss her too.
Tomorrow begins the next stage of my adventures. I will be visiting the Delaney family in the southern city of Kaohsiung. While I was volunteering I met a Deaf lady, Anne, from the Philippines. When she heard I was going to Kaohsiung she said she had to introduce me to a friend of hers from there. Chiang is a Deaf man who was working here at Deaflympics as an International Sign interpreter. He knows Taiwanese Sign Language, ASL, and International Sign. He is also a teacher at a Deaf school in Kaohsiung. So we met! He asked me if I'd gotten a train ticket yet. I said no. He said all the better! If we travel together we can get a discount! So tomorrow I get to spend the morning on the High Speed Rail with Chiang. I hope to learn a lot from him. He also said that I can visit his school while I'm in Kaohsiung!
-Jen
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Deaflympics Coming to a Close!
by Val
Well, the 2009 Deaflympics is coming to a close very soon. Jennifer is completing her last day of volunteering today, and I am here at the arena with her to watch some events and meet whoever happens to cross my path. I think Jennifer said she'd met and talked with Deaf people from 22 or so different countries. I'm sure she's adding to that list right now!
This week, I was able to watch swimming, orienteering (at a national park in the mountains--so beautiful!), basketball (Greece beat Chinese Taipei by 50 points), athletics, and tons of people. Most of the time, I feel intimidated to start a conversation with anyone because I'm afraid I won't be able to communicate with them. However, yesterday, I spent the whole morning with a Deaf man from Boston who was also a school teacher and a former world skiier. He's here just to watch the games and invite people to Las Vegas in July 2010 for Miss Deaf International, of which he is the co-founder. We used a LOT of paper to communicate as we simultaneously watched the athletic events, and he taught me several signs as he can speak somewhat and I could read his lips and repeat what he said using sign language. We even ate lunch together at McDonald's, but after that, I think he was pretty exhausted from having to communicate so slowly with me, so we said goodbye! Maybe Jennifer will be able to go to Vegas next summer to help with Miss Deaf International! That's an idea!
Other than that, it's been so much fun to spend time with my friend Rebecca and get to know her life that I've only ever read about in e-mails! Last night, we walked her dogs by the river and looked up at the stars shining over Taipei, and talked and talked. A memory to last forever! Thanks, Rebecca!
Well, the 2009 Deaflympics is coming to a close very soon. Jennifer is completing her last day of volunteering today, and I am here at the arena with her to watch some events and meet whoever happens to cross my path. I think Jennifer said she'd met and talked with Deaf people from 22 or so different countries. I'm sure she's adding to that list right now!
This week, I was able to watch swimming, orienteering (at a national park in the mountains--so beautiful!), basketball (Greece beat Chinese Taipei by 50 points), athletics, and tons of people. Most of the time, I feel intimidated to start a conversation with anyone because I'm afraid I won't be able to communicate with them. However, yesterday, I spent the whole morning with a Deaf man from Boston who was also a school teacher and a former world skiier. He's here just to watch the games and invite people to Las Vegas in July 2010 for Miss Deaf International, of which he is the co-founder. We used a LOT of paper to communicate as we simultaneously watched the athletic events, and he taught me several signs as he can speak somewhat and I could read his lips and repeat what he said using sign language. We even ate lunch together at McDonald's, but after that, I think he was pretty exhausted from having to communicate so slowly with me, so we said goodbye! Maybe Jennifer will be able to go to Vegas next summer to help with Miss Deaf International! That's an idea!
Other than that, it's been so much fun to spend time with my friend Rebecca and get to know her life that I've only ever read about in e-mails! Last night, we walked her dogs by the river and looked up at the stars shining over Taipei, and talked and talked. A memory to last forever! Thanks, Rebecca!
Monday, September 7, 2009
First Day Volunteering
Yesterday was an amazing day! I worked at the Table Tennis Information Desk. However, because Table Tennis is in Taipei Arena and the arena is a central location for the games, we had MANY people coming to our table for general information... VIPs requesting a car, media people wanting to know how to get to their press conference, officials asking for their team ID number, Deaf needing to find an audiologist, and numerous spectators wanting event schedules and locations.
I was glad to be working with Stephanie again. We make a great team! I translate from Sign Language to English and then she translates into Mandarin to get an answer from our Taiwanese co-workers. It works really well. I was able to understand most of the Deaf who came to our table minus the man from Turkey. He moved on and looked for someone else to help him. However, when I was successful the Deaf were so grateful for the help.
Part way through the day we had International Sign Interpreters assigned to our station since there were so many Deaf coming to us. I wasn't needed as much after that, but I got to have some great conversations with the interpreters. They were a real encouragement to me.
At one point I was called away to the Medic station to interpret for a man from Rome. He was very outgoing and friendly. To prove to the doctor that his ankle was feeling much better he stood up, threw his arms around me and proceeded to dance! Stephanie and I had a good laugh over that one.
The highlight of the day came when I got to interpret the Gospel. We're not allowed to share our beliefs while working, but it happened that a group of Deaf from the States wanted to share the message with a Taiwanese English-speaking man who was working at our station. And so I interpreted the whole thing. The Taiwanese man was really interested.
Altogether I had many valuable experiences. And I look forward to Friday when I volunteer again. Meanwhile, Valerie and I are going to watch some games.
-Jen
I was glad to be working with Stephanie again. We make a great team! I translate from Sign Language to English and then she translates into Mandarin to get an answer from our Taiwanese co-workers. It works really well. I was able to understand most of the Deaf who came to our table minus the man from Turkey. He moved on and looked for someone else to help him. However, when I was successful the Deaf were so grateful for the help.
Part way through the day we had International Sign Interpreters assigned to our station since there were so many Deaf coming to us. I wasn't needed as much after that, but I got to have some great conversations with the interpreters. They were a real encouragement to me.
At one point I was called away to the Medic station to interpret for a man from Rome. He was very outgoing and friendly. To prove to the doctor that his ankle was feeling much better he stood up, threw his arms around me and proceeded to dance! Stephanie and I had a good laugh over that one.
The highlight of the day came when I got to interpret the Gospel. We're not allowed to share our beliefs while working, but it happened that a group of Deaf from the States wanted to share the message with a Taiwanese English-speaking man who was working at our station. And so I interpreted the whole thing. The Taiwanese man was really interested.
Altogether I had many valuable experiences. And I look forward to Friday when I volunteer again. Meanwhile, Valerie and I are going to watch some games.
-Jen
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Visit with former student
A quick thank you to if you are reading this! Thank you for choosing to be part of our lives in this way!
Yesterday was a very special day for me because a former student of mine from Conroe High and her dad treated me to a day in Taipei! What a wonderful opportunity and how blessed I felt to be able to visit with her in her country! Iris graduated from Conroe High in May of this year and came home to Taiwan for the summer. She'll return soon to Miami to continue her studies, so I'm thrilled that we were able to meet here!
Iris and her dad picked me up around 10 and we all made a trip to the top of what is still officially named the world's tallest building, Taipei 101. What a view of the city! After taking in the scenes above the city, we had a delicious lunch with many traditional Taiwanese/Chinese favorites, and then headed to the world famous National Palace Museum, home to roughly 650,000 Chinese artifacts and art. AMAZING! A bonus to the whole museusm experience was sipping jasmine tea and sampling traditional treats on the fourth floor teahouse.
To end the day, Iris's dad John drove us up into the mountains (not too big, but huge compared to the hills near my house!) overlooking Taipei. He showed us where he attended university and met his wife. As a parting gift, they gave me some famous cakes from Tai Chung. Truly an enjoyable day! Hopefully, I will be able to visit them in Chung Hwa in the time I have left here in Taiwan. Thank you Iris and Mr. Hsu for your hospitality and great company yesterday! I will never forget your generousity!!!!
Yesterday was a very special day for me because a former student of mine from Conroe High and her dad treated me to a day in Taipei! What a wonderful opportunity and how blessed I felt to be able to visit with her in her country! Iris graduated from Conroe High in May of this year and came home to Taiwan for the summer. She'll return soon to Miami to continue her studies, so I'm thrilled that we were able to meet here!
Iris and her dad picked me up around 10 and we all made a trip to the top of what is still officially named the world's tallest building, Taipei 101. What a view of the city! After taking in the scenes above the city, we had a delicious lunch with many traditional Taiwanese/Chinese favorites, and then headed to the world famous National Palace Museum, home to roughly 650,000 Chinese artifacts and art. AMAZING! A bonus to the whole museusm experience was sipping jasmine tea and sampling traditional treats on the fourth floor teahouse.
To end the day, Iris's dad John drove us up into the mountains (not too big, but huge compared to the hills near my house!) overlooking Taipei. He showed us where he attended university and met his wife. As a parting gift, they gave me some famous cakes from Tai Chung. Truly an enjoyable day! Hopefully, I will be able to visit them in Chung Hwa in the time I have left here in Taiwan. Thank you Iris and Mr. Hsu for your hospitality and great company yesterday! I will never forget your generousity!!!!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Swiss Welcoming Party
Yesterday I got a call from Stephanie. The Swiss office for trading and commerce was putting on a welcoming party for the Swiss Olympic team and she was invited to attend. She didn't want to go alone so she invited me to go with her. It was a great evening! Just on the way to and from the party on the MRT I met up with several Deaf from various countries and enjoyed getting to know them. Then at the party I talked with many Swiss Deaf. We did our best to communicate using classifiers and gestures. I really enjoyed connecting with them.
So far I have met Deaf from England, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece, Argentina, Japan, and the United States.
-Jen
So far I have met Deaf from England, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece, Argentina, Japan, and the United States.
-Jen
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Pictures from our first week!
We have posted pictures from our first week in Taiwan. Go here http://s792.photobucket.com/albums/yy202/jen-val-taiwan/First%20Week/ to see them.
VALERIE’S PERSPECTIVE
As many of you know, I LOVE meeting new people, so this is the perfect place for me to be! Just now, as I was waiting to cross the street on my way back to the Taipei Arena from lunch, I met a group of Kenyans on the corner. I struck up a conversation with the physical therapist of the group since he was hearing, and I learned about his team of 16 runners. One young lady, Carol, was especially full of smiles as I met her and asked when she would be running so that I could watch her. We exchanged e-mails, smiles, and even a little sign language! Yes, that’s right! Along with Chinese, I’m trying to pick up sign language too!
This morning, I accompanied Jennifer to the arena and decided to hang out at Starbuck's located inside while she was in training. For about an hour, I was quite by myself since Starbuck's wasn't yet open. Then someone tapped me on my shoulder. I thought, "Who in the world knows me here???" It was two voluteers (Mee and Diane) whom I'd met on Friday at the opening ceremony practice. Mee is from Malaysia and Diane from the Philippines. However, Mee currently lives in Australia so she's got the Aussie accent! We talked over an hour, and then a group of Deaf started showing up. Soon we discovered they were all part of the media team. They all tried to converse with me by reading lips, speaking, signing. It was really A LOT of fun to try to join in their conversations...just basic things...where are you from, what are you doing here??? This is where I picked up some new sign language. I can now say I'm from Houston, Texas, for example! Three of the guys are from Austin, Texas! Close to home, comparatively!
So what have we been doing here so far these 7 days? Jennifer and I have been so fortunate to have my friend Rebecca (a native Taiwanese) show us around the city and help us experience all the cultural musts of Taipei. I met Rebecca (Yueh Lan Cheng) in 1994 when we both attended East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas. Rebecca transferred after two years, but our friendship continued. She moved back to Taiwan in 2000, and we kept up mostly though e-mail, and more recently through Skype. In May, she called me to invite me to come to Taipei in September for the Deaflympics, but I doubted seriously that I’d be able to come. After all, I’m a teacher, and teachers are working in September. However, the very next week, I called Jennifer and after about 10 minutes she said, “Well, I have some big news! I’m going to Taiwan in September!” My mouth dropped open. Wow! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. That’s when I decided I wanted to go, but it wasn’t until August 10th that I officially resigned from my job at Conroe High School and bought a ticket Taipei.
We’ve visited Rebecca’s brother’s family in Hsinchu Science Park near the coast, Chiang Ki Shek’s Memorial Hall, the botanical gardens, the Museum of History; we’ve sampled TONS of Taiwanese food; we’ve witnessed the festivities of Ghost Month (a month in which many believe the door to the spirit world is open and the spirits move about looking for companionship). There are parades, food offerings to ancestors and gods, etc.
If any of you want a more detailed account of my experience here, I can e-mail you parts of my travel journal. Just ask!
As many of you know, I LOVE meeting new people, so this is the perfect place for me to be! Just now, as I was waiting to cross the street on my way back to the Taipei Arena from lunch, I met a group of Kenyans on the corner. I struck up a conversation with the physical therapist of the group since he was hearing, and I learned about his team of 16 runners. One young lady, Carol, was especially full of smiles as I met her and asked when she would be running so that I could watch her. We exchanged e-mails, smiles, and even a little sign language! Yes, that’s right! Along with Chinese, I’m trying to pick up sign language too!
This morning, I accompanied Jennifer to the arena and decided to hang out at Starbuck's located inside while she was in training. For about an hour, I was quite by myself since Starbuck's wasn't yet open. Then someone tapped me on my shoulder. I thought, "Who in the world knows me here???" It was two voluteers (Mee and Diane) whom I'd met on Friday at the opening ceremony practice. Mee is from Malaysia and Diane from the Philippines. However, Mee currently lives in Australia so she's got the Aussie accent! We talked over an hour, and then a group of Deaf started showing up. Soon we discovered they were all part of the media team. They all tried to converse with me by reading lips, speaking, signing. It was really A LOT of fun to try to join in their conversations...just basic things...where are you from, what are you doing here??? This is where I picked up some new sign language. I can now say I'm from Houston, Texas, for example! Three of the guys are from Austin, Texas! Close to home, comparatively!
So what have we been doing here so far these 7 days? Jennifer and I have been so fortunate to have my friend Rebecca (a native Taiwanese) show us around the city and help us experience all the cultural musts of Taipei. I met Rebecca (Yueh Lan Cheng) in 1994 when we both attended East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas. Rebecca transferred after two years, but our friendship continued. She moved back to Taiwan in 2000, and we kept up mostly though e-mail, and more recently through Skype. In May, she called me to invite me to come to Taipei in September for the Deaflympics, but I doubted seriously that I’d be able to come. After all, I’m a teacher, and teachers are working in September. However, the very next week, I called Jennifer and after about 10 minutes she said, “Well, I have some big news! I’m going to Taiwan in September!” My mouth dropped open. Wow! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. That’s when I decided I wanted to go, but it wasn’t until August 10th that I officially resigned from my job at Conroe High School and bought a ticket Taipei.
We’ve visited Rebecca’s brother’s family in Hsinchu Science Park near the coast, Chiang Ki Shek’s Memorial Hall, the botanical gardens, the Museum of History; we’ve sampled TONS of Taiwanese food; we’ve witnessed the festivities of Ghost Month (a month in which many believe the door to the spirit world is open and the spirits move about looking for companionship). There are parades, food offerings to ancestors and gods, etc.
If any of you want a more detailed account of my experience here, I can e-mail you parts of my travel journal. Just ask!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
More Deaflympics Training
This morning I had training from 9 am to noon. It was an adventure. I met up with Stephanie and we made our way to the arena, but couldn't find where we were supposed to be. We went find informaiton in the office and had to wait and wait and wait. While we were waiting we met up with the Deaf Japanese couple who is also working at our service center. They taught me some Japanese sign language and we had a good time trying to communicate.
Finally someone took us to the service center, but our manager was in a meeting, so we waited some more. During that time the Lithuanian team came through our area and we said hello to them. Then I got to meet the Deaf athletes from South Africa. They were a lot of fun and we gestured the best we could. They taught me a few signs as well! I also saw the German and Ukraine teams. It is so thrilling to connect with Deaf from all over the world.
Finally our manager showed up, but he had nothing for us. During the time we were there, however, several Deaf people showed up looking for help. I was able to sign to them, then tell Stephanie what they said. She in turn asked the Taiwanese in Madarin for the information we needed. It was a good system and we decided we make a good team!
Finally someone took us to the service center, but our manager was in a meeting, so we waited some more. During that time the Lithuanian team came through our area and we said hello to them. Then I got to meet the Deaf athletes from South Africa. They were a lot of fun and we gestured the best we could. They taught me a few signs as well! I also saw the German and Ukraine teams. It is so thrilling to connect with Deaf from all over the world.
Finally our manager showed up, but he had nothing for us. During the time we were there, however, several Deaf people showed up looking for help. I was able to sign to them, then tell Stephanie what they said. She in turn asked the Taiwanese in Madarin for the information we needed. It was a good system and we decided we make a good team!
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