Funny Observations...

1. My older cousin and I were walking down the mountain to go to Tonghua Night Market the other day to get some small snacks and fruits, and a taxicab honked and zoomed past us. We were already walking like right next to the cars. Were we supposed to climb on top of the cars or something?

2. My cousins and I just ate at this all-you-can-eat hotpot place, and I walked all the way home, which is a long-a** way. I thought if I stopped walking, I'd puke right there on the street. Normal logic is "You eat to enjoy the food, so just eat until you're satisfied", and Asian logic is "I have to eat as much as I can so I can get my money's worth" and Asian logic is what got me in this situation. At least I got in some exercise, because I've been eating enormous amounts of food lately...

3. As I was walking up the mountain to go home, I passed a security guard for an apartment complex in his box practicing the flute. L.O.L. You know those ladies in those old Chinese movies with flowing qipaos and huge ornaments dangling off their head? They play flutes.

4. I was walking and saw a ginormous (I know it's not a word, okay) dog that kept barking. As I walked past, the lady said, "Why are you barking so loud? Do you know that that's not good?" What the heck? You don't reason with a freakin' dog.

5. I was walking across the street to the Cathay Hospital to get my third chemical peel, and saw a nicely-dressed, seemingly decent guy in front of me standing on the street corner, fixing his pants around that area. He fixed the front then he fixed the back. We were in a really nice area and he was standing on the corner of a really big street with about 30-40 people crossing. I don't get it. You just couldn't wait? Are you like 5?!

My mom wasn't kidding when she said the word I'll use most often in Taiwan is "unbelievable".

My sister and I were talking on Skype and we concluded that God always does things last minute. She said that she's always to the point of pulling out her hair and freakin' out, and then God says, here's a solution. Lol, which is so true.

Hurry!

1. I took the Taiwan High Speed Rail to Kaohsiung (yeah, that's how they spell it, ridiculous. the entire world is using pinyin and Taiwan created their own pinyin. so stupid.) Anyway, I was walking into the elevator that would take me down to the "cars" (train) and there were four or five other 40 year olds, one holding a child, about to board the elevator. The elevator door opened and they rushed in. One of the "moms" that was standing in the elevator was outwardly fidgety and as we walked in, she goes "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! (not exaggerating) Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Get in! Get in! Get in! Which one is it?! One or two?!" I half-expected there to be a bomb somewhere near us. I think my blood pressure shot up 10 points, and I don't know how high hers shot up. Jeez.

2. I boarded late, and I had a window seat, so when I got there, a mom and daughter were already sitting down with their two luggages in front of them. The daughter got up and took her luggage out, so I could get in, and prepared to take her mom's luggage out. Her mom then goes, in Taiwanese (that's about all I know in Taiwanese), "It's okay, it's okay!" LOL. Like, wow. How rude would that be in the U.S.? Oh, man, Taiwanese people...sometimes I just don't know.

It's when I experience small nuances like this that give light to the Taiwanese people or culture that I feel 150% FOREIGN.

My Story

I realized all that has happened to me since I became Christian has never been written down. I don't ever want to forget the things God has done in my life. So, here's my story...

I became Christian freshman year of college when I was in a crappy relationship and bad time in my life. I remember going to a church with a group of people and Jaeson Ma was there...he had just finished a conference in Houston that my sisters went to. At that time, my ex-boyfriend and I had broken up for a good six months or so, I had tranferred to UT and was, unbeknownst to me, very depressed and lonely. I had come out of a physically and emotionally abusive relationship that had destroyed me.

I was in desperate need of God, and I didn't even know. I prayed, yes, but I felt like I was in a dark hole. Jaeson Ma prayed over people - some cried, some didn't. I went up there and he prayed over me, and I'll never forget what he said. I remember everything Jaeson Ma relayed from God, even though I started crying right when he started speaking. He said, "God sees you and he knows you're lonely. He wants you to know you're the apple of his eye. He has a magnifying glass on you. He loves you." Then, he started saying, "Evangelism, East Asia, South America, write down everything that you think of, carry a notebook with you." He said the exact words to make me feel like he completely understood - it could only have come from God, because these were the things I had prayed to God before. He said things I felt but could not put into words. Only God could have known.

I started in a small, Chinese house church and had gone to Canada Bread of Life's 5 Bread 2 Fish conferences, etc. It was from them that I first heard of the 10/40 window and the Back to Jerusalem movement...that the gospel would be brought to Asia and then back to Jerusalem to complete the full circle. They said Asians in the U.S. are important, because what they need in Asia is money. I later realized that God was slowly introducing me to what is happening in Asia, and I started picking up books like "Brother Yun: The Heavenly Man" and "The Back to Jerusalem Movement." People didn't introduce these books to me, I just somehow found out about them. At one of the 5 Bread 2 Fish conferences, I made a promise to God that I would aid in this movement.

Since that time, any conference, sermon, etc. that talked about the movement in Asia, especially China, I would listen with keen interest and learn. I seeked out any kind of information about what was going on in China. It wasn't hard for me, because I've always had a keen interest in Chinese culture, and when I wasn't in Asia, I always felt like there was a magnet that was pulling me there. I yearned to be there.

I watched any movies about China I could get my hands on...I think I've seen every single one, and if I haven't, you bet I'll get my hands on it soon. And, everytime I watched, I would enjoy every minute of it, and yearned, yes, yearned to be there. I followed an organization called Half the Sky foundation, a children's home started by Americans that has many locations in China. One time, the year Jaeson Ma was at UT for Rez (Resurrection Week), I saw on the public board (where people walking by could write on), someone wrote, "I want to father 12 fatherless children", and that brought tears to my eyes. I think it's because I have a heart for orphans, and China, undoubtedly, has a lot of orphans. I once told God I wanted to adopt children from China. I know, without a doubt, that my future and God's purpose for me is in Asia.

As I look back, everything seemed to be for this purpose. I went out with a guy from Taiwan for 2 and a half years and dramatically improved my Chinese. I think he was even responsible for my interest in Asia a little bit, because I didn't speak Chinese all that much before him or was even interested in Asian things - mostly Korean, though. I started at a Chinese church and started listening to sermons in Chinese when I became Christian, so I know a lot of bibical vocabulary in Chinese. THE END. (Lol, I don't know how to end the story!)

This is my story. It's my whole life, because God is my whole life, and the reason why I'm here.

/edit/

Good sermon by Jaeson Ma, btw. This is Part 1, find Part 2/3 on Youtube.com. The title is "Noise to Signal".

everytime i get off the blue 5 bus, i say "thank you God for keeping me alive." hehe, jk...but that's how i really feel sometimes.

i went to get my second chemical peel the other day and the girl who did it for me was really funny. i asked her where to get good food around here and she's like "if you want to know about food, just ask me." then she started talking about dating, i.e. if a guy and a girl go out together by themselves, people will always think they're dating or like they each other....there is no "oh they're friends". i told her it's not like that in the u.s., when you see a guy and a girl together, it could be anything really. she goes, "well, then how do you know? it is, but it isn't, so is it or is it not?" lol. that's the way she talked.

there was this little boy on the blue 5 today and he was really cute. we use a YoYo Card here to pay for transportation...you just swipe it. so, he had it around his neck and when he went up to the machine on the bus, he leaned over the rail, stuck his head out, swiped his card, and got off - like he did it everyday. i mean, yeah, it sounds really normal, but i swear he was like 6. i don't even know how he was out by himself.

taiwan indigenous people, yay! i went to TITV (Taiwan Indigenous TV), and for all you immature people, yes, i know it spells "TIT" in the middle. how immature! anyway, i went today for dubbing and it was fun. interesting experience, even if i don't do it ever again. AND I SAW A CELEBRITY!!! i almost forgot! i've seen him on TV like a gajillion times, and i was sitting on the sofa, and he came over with his wife and kid, sat down, and ate lunch....RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! i was like, noooooo way this is happening. it's like i'm part of their family (laugh all you want) but after awhile, i was like, okay, he's just some normal person. lol. no big deal, really.

so people have been telling me they really enjoy reading my blog and i'm really happy! it's SO encouraging to me when people tell me they learn so much about God from me or they say they enjoying reading my posts. you guys are the ones encouraging me.

The Chinese title actually translates into "Valentine's Day", but the English title is "A Time to Love". The best Chinese movie ever...with the depth of emotion and storyline as The Notebook, but better!

rain, rain, go away...

it's been raining these past few days in taiwan and it suuuu (high-pitched tone)....uuuucks (and pitch comes down)...we straight? but all's well that ends well!

clothes smell good
my clothes smell good! now about the lint problem...

CEO of Ideata TBWA
had lunch with the the owner (yes, not CEO, the owner, as i found out) of Ideata TBWA at a French restaurant (ooh la la) and we was so nice! i thought it would be some serious conversation but he was so personable! he says that he's thinking about retiring soon, and after he finds someone to take over, he wants to start teaching or talking about his experience at a university. he's already done it a few times. we had a good two-hour talk about advertising, career, Taiwanese politics, etc. it was interesting! i told him my sister Jennifer is majoring marketing and he said he would love to talk to us both and invite us both to eat when she is in Taiwan. (Jennifer, if you read this before i tell you, surprise!) anyway, he knows lots of people in advertising, so since you're interested in brand management, he can hook you up! really nice man.

http://www.ideata.com.tw/

Taiwan Indigenous TV
they recently started this English-language thing where they broadcast a one-hour newcast on TV in English about the indigenous (yuan2 zhu4 ming2). they're talked about a lot, because there's this really popular show here like american idol and lots of contestants are idigenous people, because most of them, can sing really well. you know A-Mei? she is an indigenous Taiwanese. anyway, so my point is, they were looking for people who are native english speakers do help be like the broadcasters. i don't know if that's the word, but you know when they're broadcasting the news, and you hear the person narrating (lol)? that's what i applied for. so they called me and i'm going in for a test try. cooooool.

Teaching English
yah. decided not to take the part-time job and just substitute for this school. i'm going to HK for 3 weeks in december and my sister will be in taiwan for the last week in december, so it's just too much of a hassle to start working now. i can come back in january and get a full-time job since bible classes are in the evenings. perfect. i can even attend bible study. yay, now i can go visit my extended family in kaoshiung.

other lil' tidbits:

- you can get three big bottles of fresh-squeezed orange juice for 200NT ($6 U.S. dollars)
- i fit in more when i dress up than when i don't (go figure)
- prices for clothing in department stores in taiwan are similar to the u.s. but it's the fancy restaurants that you can go to for 1/3 or even 1/2 the price of fancy schmancy restaurants in the u.s. that makes sense. no, really. it makes a lot of sense.
- i got a blockbuster card. hehe. there are a mix of chinese and english movies in these blockbusters! not that i can't get my fill on crunchyroll.com, which is a.m.a.z.i.n.g.
- whenever i hear a testimony, i have the urge to sing. L.O.L. i like testimonies, tee hee.
- i can't get over the fact that mcdonald's in where i've been, taiwan and shanghai, have 24 hour delivery and they have a breakfast menu, which means i can wake up, dial mickey d's, get up, get dressed, have breakfast delivered, then head out the door. amazing. which is pretty much what i did when i was in shanghai and starving at 3 am.

Chile

Houston

Taiwan

(at the suggestion of Amy Lee!) <3


/edit/

I just went to the store and bought a lemon air freshener (my room - yay), two lavender spray fresheners (one for the bathroom, one for the kitchen), 3 new face towels in a package (blue, yellow, and pink), a mini baby powder teddy bear spray to put in my purse (for those awful public bathrooms), and a big thing of teddy bear fabric softener.

I am ecstatic.

EWWWWWW GROSS!!!

i never really tried to keep clean when i was in the u.s., because my mom always kept the house super clean. she always told me that if the mom is clean, the child will want to be clean as well. i always thought it was bullcrap, because that never happened in college. guess what? it's happening in taiwan.

i feel grossed out when i see pieces of hair or dirt on the ground and immediately sweep it up. i don't know why!! taiwan, when it rains, has this odd smell, and it makes the apartment smell different...like weird. also, most of the people here hang their clothes to dry, and i did the same, and my clothes came out funky!! my clothes always smell like Charmin' in the u.s.! if the floor is dirty, your feet will be dirty, and i can't stand my feet having little bits of stuff on it. i felt so disgusted.

the grossest thing happened today when i went to the bathroom at the church. it was one of those where you pee into a hole (i hear it's more sanitary) and i had to look down to make sure it didn't spray (now i know what guys feel, except we can't aim), so i smelled my own urine and almost barfed. then, i looked up, and the trash can was right there, without a cover. guess what i saw? someone went number 2, wiped, and didn't bother to cover it up. i almost barfed in my mouth. jk, but i had a really strong urge to puke.

so tomorrow, i'm going to "biao1" (run fast like lightning) to the grocery store and get myself plastic slippers to wear when i come out of the shower, like a huge thing of Charmin' fabric softener (that's the one with the teddy bear, right?), and a flower-smelling disinfecting spray to keep in my purse when i go to public restrooms.

but i guess it's good to experience these things. i will be evangelizing in countries that have far worse conditions, i'm sure. jeez, didn't know you could learn something from looking at leftover poop. (omg i want to barf just thinking about it). i want to throw myself into a pool of disinfecting liquid.

prayer is important ESPECIALLY when you least feel like it

i'm apparently not so bad at teaching, because the two kids i used to tutor in the U.S. "still haven't found one as good as you", to put it in the hiring person's words. i also landed a job teaching English and the owner of the place asked, "so what is your wish?", meaning what is your ideal situation. cool. praise the Lord for providing.

i visited another small group today and they were again very welcoming. we played a game and it was fun, comfortable, etc. to be around Christians, esp in a country like Taiwan. all i have to say is they definitely don't have the "southern hospitality" that texas has, of course! (do i feel a little texas pride? who would have thought!)

this march for spring break, i went with a group of UPenn students in the Wharton China Business Society at UPenn to visit multinational and local companies in Shanghai, and exchanged emails with the CEO of TBWA in Shanghai, one of the largest advertising conglomerates in the world. so, this led to that, and i had a webcam chat with the CEO of the TBWA agency here in Taiwan. before i graduated, we chatted about interning opportunities, etc. and he's inviting me to lunch and showing me around the agency next week. cool huh? maybe i can intern there on my free time and meet taiwanese celebrities!!

and just a day ago, i was fretting about how "not well" things were going here. how things change so quickly after prayer....

quick thoughts:

take things one day at a time. i think God is really, REALLY teaching me to solely rely on Him. we are reading about meekness (trusting events that happen are in God's plan...allowing God to use these events to change you for the better) in our small group (in the U.S.) and i am really having to fall back on these lessons in my life, especially when it's much easier to take things into my own hands.

JUST PRAY!!!!!

it's strange, but i just realized, no matter what i'm going through, i won't cry in front of people, i won't cry when i'm alone, etc. but when i get down to pray or pray to worship music, i start crying. lol. i won't even cry in front of family!

okay, so i wrote this because it just happened, and i forget things easily. this language school (this is the school that needed a teacher one day and i didn't go) actually called me! i didn't think they would because they were the ones that asked me to go in one day, and i didn't. and he was actually trying to meet my every request.

and get this: i had headphones on, because i was starting to pray to music on youtube
and the music stopped loading right when the phone was ringing. it's like God stopped the music so i could hear my phone ring. the person on the phone was the guy from the language school. haha. thanks God!

Sorry for doubting you, even for a second, God....

mom's chat/lesson

so i called my mom expecting to give her an update of what i've been doing...or what i did today, i think i called her two days ago too, lol. i'm like that; don't judge me.

anyway, i told her about all this drama on my dad's side of the family and she cleared up the situation for me and gave me a little lesson:

"families should have boundaries. what's yours is yours, what's mine is mine. keep everything clear. you don't meddle in their affairs. you do what you need to do there. if they want you to pay rent, it's fine. you're living there, so you should pay rent. this is reasonable."

okay, good.

then we started talking about how my uncle got really angry by watching taiwanese people call the China representative "zhong guo zhu", which means "Chinese pig." i thought it was hilarious how taiwanese people are so ridiculous. i told my mom that and this is the subsequent conversation that ensued:

mom: "there's one word you will use a lot in taiwan: unbelievable. you will not believe some of the things that happen there. maybe not for some of the more educated who have seen more, but there are many others who haven't."
me: "oh great. why didn't you tell me sooner. but this happens in any country, right?"
mom: "exactly. that is why i think it's good for you to go out and learn. live there and learn how to deal with those kind of people. learn how to deal with your family, how to get along with them. go out and observe, but be careful. there are a lot of people who will trick you in taiwan. just remember that whatever is not yours, is not yours. they prey on people with greedy hearts, and pray often, pray wherever you go."
me: you know that blue 5 bus? (lol) well, even when it goes up the mountain, the driver drives like he's in the fast and the furious III.
mom: oh okay. then you need to pray. (lol)

<3 such a wise mom.

christian concert...

was amazing! i also met my small group and they are a great group of guys and girls. one of the girls told me her testimony and yes, amazing. "with everything God has done in my life, i can't NOT believe in Him and praise Him. everytime i hear a worship song, i cry!"

they joke around all the time, but when it came time to pray for those people who went to the stage to receive Jesus, they were serious. it's a great combination to see in Christians. they are so passionate and not trying to be Christian but just are. so encouraging....i knew i would meet people like this at taipei bread of life....i've seen too many examples!

correction: TODAY is actually my birthday. lol...woops!

God is moving in Asia...

new name for blue 5: the death bus
new name for vanness wu for my sister: mr. so christian

dialogue with my sister:

me: so i have to tell you something!
jennifer: you met him?!
me: no! there were 50,000 people!
jennifer: he was an usher huh? lol...
me: lol, so retarded...

after i told her how vanness forgoed a concert in malaysia to do this for free, was praying backstage, doesn't have an agent anymore but relies on God, praised God onstage, and spoke in tongues:

jennifer: omg...he's so christian now! oh my gosh vanness...he's my brother in christ...! that's really attractive... (lol...what a retard)

Videos:

Vanness Wu


There are more videos, but it takes such a long time to load, and it already messed up once, so I'll post it on another entry.

Hope this fills your heart with glee, Jen. <3