Week 20: Happy New Year!

Happy 2023! It doesn't feel real that another year's passed, but here we are! It's been a pretty packed week.

Photo credits to Lily Gunning, 2023.

Last Monday (12/26/2022), the other Little K ETAs and I had a couple adventures exploring Little K. During lunch, we went to a fort near Lake Lingshui called L26. I was late due to some fun maps-related challenges, but I made it, and we got to stare out at Xiamen and walk along the beach. I also found some cool shells and rocks.

After work, the other ETAs and I met up at Shang Chi Elementary, then headed to a beach with a wooden hammock. Along the way, we made a couple of pit stops at various parks and memorials. The first was a memorial park with a gazebo-like structure labeled with different kinds of birds. Admittedly, the entire place had Wilmington, Delaware-esque nature preserve vibes.

Our second pit stop was an artsy beach fort with artistically-arranged tires, chairs, and abandoned cars scattered around it. The other Little K ETAs and I walked around the top of the fort to look out at Xiamen, then checked out the beach to check out something large and round that had washed ashore (it was a tire).

The beach we went to itself had an oysterman path, much like the one leading to Jiangongyu Islet near Jincheng, a swing, and, as promised, a wooden hammock. We all took photos together and took turns sitting on the hammock, then checked out the oysterman path before heading to some nearby food stalls for dinner.

I got to try my first Kaoliang sausage as well as a dan bing with taro paste inside, both of which were excellent. The other Little K ETAs and I ate at our beloved Little K FamilyMart, then crossed the bridge home together. Back at the apartment, we hung out with some other ETAs and just chatted until bedtime.

I had a great time exploring Little K with the other ETAs! Although it was a little chilly, I always like walking along a beach or exploring another fort with my friends. Little K definitely holds a special place in my heart, as do the other Little K ETAs.

I didn't do much on Tuesday. I taught. Took a nap. I also spent an extra hour at school doing some extra work, then picked up dinner from the food stands on Little K. If the food stands were open earlier than 5pm every day, I'd certainly eat there more.

Wednesday was busy, busy, busy. After teaching, I picked up some bubble tea with my fellow Mr. Hong House ETAs, then scooted to Jinsha to get to the Kinmen History Museum, which is where our final workshop was. We all had presentations on different topics: teaching, living, and culture. The teaching group discussed different teaching scenarios, the living group showed a vlog-style video compiling the day-to-day experiences of the group, and the culture group presented various smaller topics like festivals, cultural tours, and art.

After the workshop, I drove with my partner to pick up a new scooter helmet. Unfortunately, it was too big (and the shop couldn't resell the helmet once I'd worn it), but the shopkeepers were nice enough to let me pick out a new helmet without paying for both the new and the old helmet.

Wednesday night was also our NQU Chinese class graduation. Each student had to have a performance, so several of us from Class B and Class C decided to sing 月亮代表我的心 ("The Moon Represents My Heart") by Teresa Teng. Class A had a skit, one student sang a song, and another recited a poem. It was a nice time seeing all the other Chinese classes and hanging out! We also had food, and one ETA's family even came to watch, which was sweet. Afterwards, we all hung out at FamilyMart for ice cream and snacks, then headed home.

I spent Thursday being crazy stressed for Taipei. After school, I ran some errands and picked up Lunar New Year decorations, then did laundry, washed dishes, took out trash, packed for the weekend, etc.

Friday was better. I went to EV, packed, had dinner, then rushed to the airport with some of the other Mr. Hong House ETAs. Once we touched down in Taipei, we all checked into our hotels, then my partner, two other ETAs, and I headed to a New Year's party at New Bloom.

It was a nice evening! As usual, I ended up chatting and making friends with some people in the bar. This evening's new friends were some German exchange students and a Dutch exchange student from NQU as well as a Twitter microcelebrity. We also ended up convincing several of the former to come visit Kinmen, which was surprisingly easy.

I slept pretty poorly, but I think I managed to sleep six-ish hours on Saturday. My boyfriend and I went to a nearby Persian buffet, which was pretty good. My favorite food was probably the saffron and pistachio ice cream. After lunch, we met up with another ETA at Krispy Kreme and walked around one of the Eslite Bookstores, then sat in a café and enjoyed some tea. It was a pretty chill day just walking around with the other two ETAs, and I think I needed that. I especially liked sitting in the café and staring out at Taipei.

We headed to an Indian restaurant for dinner, then hung out near Taipei 101 to watch the fireworks at midnight. The three of us listened to a New Year's concert for a while, then met up with the rest of our cohort. Despite the (light) rain, it was a good time hanging out with everyone; we got to meet one of our cohort member's friends from a study abroad program, plus saw the 金門大橋 (the Kinmen Bridge) displayed on Taipei 101.

As it drew closer to midnight, we all stared up at Taipei 101 and got ready for the countdown. The fireworks were stunning! Yes, my neck hurt a bit from staring up for about five minutes straight, but honestly, I think it was worth it. Among other displays, there were brilliant orange fireworks fired from every single terrace; bursts of red and white fireworks streaming out of the top spire like bird wings; and spiraling cascades of glimmering gold sparks that climbed the tower.

Once the fireworks were over, the cohort and I headed to a rooftop bar nearby. Unfortunately, the bar was absolutely, completely, 100% packed. Pro: Got to see a lot of other Fulbrighters from other cohorts. Con: Everything else. Apparently the bathroom stalls in the women's restroom had to be flushed manually. My partner and I left after about an hour. Happy 2023 I guess?

Photo credits for the lefthand photo to Lily Gunning, 2023.

I woke up on Sunday nice and late, then headed to the Maokong Gondola with several other ETAs. Although we had to wait for about forty-five minutes to an hour or so for the gondola, I didn't mind waiting with everyone. We chatted, played little waiting games, and just generally vibed.

The gondola was a cute little pod with "Maokong elves" (little mascot creatures) on the side. Although it moved pretty quick, it was about twenty minutes from the base of the route to the top, and it passed the Taipei Zoo and Zhinan Temple along the way. We had a beautiful view of the rest of Taipei as we zipped along, and we also had some lovely ambient music courtesy of one ETA's Maokong Gondola playlist.

Maokong (貓空) was pretty tranquil. The tops of the mountains were shrouded in white fog, but we could still glimpse patches of blue sky up above. Since Maokong's known for its tea, the six of us decided to sit and drink some tea at a local teahouse and hang out for a couple of hours. I also spent some time wandering around with my partner afterwards and we found a nice vantage point to gaze out at Taipei from.

Once the sun had set, we could see the entirety of Taipei, including Taipei 101, glittering from the gondola. Then, we took some photos in a photo booth and headed to Raohe Night Market for dinner. I got to try fried quail eggs, which were delicious, and also drank some watermelon juice before heading back to the hotel for an early night's sleep. It didn't work, of course, but I think I needed the extra time to just rest. Not a bad way to spend the first full day of 2023.

I didn't do much on Monday (01/02/2023). I checked out of my hotel, got lunch, and bought a new hoodie. My boyfriend got a haircut though, and he looks great. We headed to the airport afterwards, hung out with the other ETAs on our flight, then went home.

I wish we weren't so tired all the time. We're definitely all exhausted, and I think we desperately need a break. In spite of that, I had a nice time in Taipei with everyone, and I'm happy to have rung in the new year as a group. Hopefully, 2023 brings a little well-deserved relaxation for us all. Happy new year!