[Real time update: I know I’m really behind in my blog posts, but I wanted to post a current update]
This past weekend I went back to Kenting but on a totally different mission that last time for the Fulbright Mid-Year Conference. This time, I went with the student teachers that were placed at my school last semester to celebrate them finishing their tests. I felt so fortunate and honored that they had invited me to join their trip and was really excited to see them again after the long winter break. It also was an excellent opportunity for me to personally experience complete language and cultural immersion since all of them are Taiwanese locals that speak primarily Chinese.
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On Sunday, Deborah and I set out on a mission to try to use as many forms of transportation as possible to get us from Grace, Charles, Kristin, and Kaitlyn’s apartment in Kaohsiung to the HI-Sukhimvit hostel in Bangkok. So, within one day, we took a scooter, rode the MRT, HSR, HSR shuttle bus, taxi, plane, airport shuttle bus to hostel, and walked on foot. When we finally arrived, we treated ourselves to some yummy mangoes with sticky rice and then called it a night.
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I’ve been to my fair share of Chinese weddings and banquets in the States, since many of my cousins chose to have the traditional Chinese banquet after their weddings. And after a while, I pretty much memorized the usual line-up of twelve courses, including sea cucumber, fried shrimp, dual-colored rice, lobster, etc. But, none of that compares to the first Taiwanese engagement party that I went to this Saturday.
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Nov1
So, before going out for Halloween, Deborah and I, each dressed up as an 80s girl and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, decided to check out a free concert at Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. I heard that Guang Liang was playing, so I wanted to go. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to stay for him to play, but we did have an excellent interaction with some Taiwanese boys after they heard us speaking not Chinese. It went something like this:
Taiwanese Boy (TB): Anyang Aseo! (”Hello” in Korean)
Me: Women dou shi mei guo ren. (”We’re both American” in Chinese)
TB: Oohhh! **pause** If you give me a chance, can I love you?
Us: **laughter** Nimen ji sui? (”How old are you guys” in Chinese)
TB: Gao yi. (”10th grade [US equivalent]” in Chinese)
Yeah. Best pick up line ever.
May24
I’m not really a fan of Starbucks, but I can’t deny that they have the most convenient hours and locations. So, I went to Starbucks to get some work done while getting my daily dose of caffeine and ordered a grande iced coffee. There I am, sitting next to the window just doing some work, minding my own business, when the lady that rung up my order comes over to talk with me. In appearance she seemed Chinese and somewhere between her mid-40s to 50s (you can never really tell with Asians, seriously). She asked where I was from and I shared how I don’t speak Mandarin because my mom and dad speak different dialects of Chinese and she shared how she understood Cantonese and Mandarin.
Next thing I know, she’s offering me a free refill on coffee. I politely reply, “Oh, it’s okay, I don’t want too much caffeine” (true story, by the way, since Starbucks basically injects extra caffeine to keep Consumer USA up and running). She then offers that the next time I come to Starbucks she can give me a drink for free. I thank her and then go on doing my business. I turn around, and she’s back, offering me a complimentary lemon tart (which was pretty delicious, too). I was so taken aback by my interaction with her; if she weren’t an old Asian lady, I’d say she was hitting on me!
From my small conversation with her, there was a sense of minority connection–or more specifically Chinese connection. We didn’t even exchange names; although, in hindsight I regret not asking. But, I really have been noticing one of the great blessings of Chinese culture is that sense of family ownership. I mean, think about how pretty much every Taiwanese living in the DC metro area knows every other Taiwanese person here. There was some immediate sense of almost shared experiences and community just because of our Chinese or Taiwanese heritage.
The past few weeks, I’ve been reminded of a conversation I had about cultures in God’s kingdom with a friend. Sometimes I don’t think we see our culture or race or heritage as a blessing from the Lord or even something that should be seen or discussed. But, just as our gender has a role in God’s kingdom, so does our race and ethnicity. They are purposeful blessings that we should use to further God’s kingdom not just ignore.
