Week 23: 新年快樂 (Happy New Year!)！

Happy Lunar New Year everyone! This week was the midyear conference for the southern region (Taichung, Yunlin, Changhua, Chiayi, Kaohsiung, Pingtung, and Kinmen), followed by our long-awaited winter break.

Monday was the first day of our conference. Everyone met up at Taipei Main Station, then departed for the hotel in Tamshui. Unfortunately, along the way, we, the Kinmen cohort, were informed that we had to give our site presentation that same day. Oh dear.

The entire bus ride was spent rehearsing the song for our presentation, which was a parody of "Fly Me to the Moon" ("Fly Me to Kinmen") that included both of our coordinators. We also figured out what we were going to do during the dance break: four people (including myself) were going to do splits, two people were going to juggle, four pairs were going to twirl and dip each other, and someone was going to do a handstand.

We also rehearsed throughout the conference breaks. Besides a minor mishap, we did pretty well in rehearsal. The presentation itself went well enough too (apart from the stage breaking in half while we were doing our splits), and on the second day, one of the other site coordinators told ours that the Kinmen presentation was their favorite!

After the first day was over, we had a nice dinner at the hotel which included unlimited orange juice (with pulp), then hung out in one of the hotel rooms chatting. We were exhausted, but it was nice to see the other site cohorts besides Kinmen.

The second day, we woke up early, had a delicious breakfast in the hotel lobby, then had a series of workshops and more site presentations. One of them was led by one of our very own Kinmen cohort members, who did a phenomenal job! The whole Kinmen cohort showed up to support her.

During lunch, we had a scavenger hunt to find clues and win Fulbright tote bags. Thanks to my partner's diligence, we won two of them! Then we had more workshops, then dinner (this time with unlimited orange juice without pulp).

On the last day, we had more workshops and site presentations. We had another Kinmen cohort member lead another workshop, so we split our group in half to support her during both sessions. She did a wonderful job as well!

After lunch, everyone boarded the buses to Tamshui, then went to the train station. It was bittersweet at the station; we were finally free to enjoy our breaks, but a lot of us weren't gonna see each other for a while. Some of us planned to meet up a couple weeks into the break while others would be off on their own schedules the whole time.

The Kinmen cohort gradually dissolved as everyone boarded trains or headed for hotels, but a handful of us roamed the nearby mall before we split up. My partner and I checked into the hotel his parents had booked, walked around Taipei a little, then he headed to Taoyuan to pick them up as their plane landed.

I stayed back at the hotel and relaxed, but I met them for the first time later that evening. I was nervous at first, but I think it went well!

I had planned a trip to Yilan for a couple of days, so from Thursday to Saturday, I hung out with the Yilan cohort. After brunch with my boyfriend and his parents, I took my train down to Yilan, then waited in a makerspace café for my friend to finish her last day of teaching. The makerspace was wonderfully cozy; between the instrumental covers of Studio Ghibli soundtracks and the hot oolong tea, I was more than content to stay inside and watch the rain.

Once my friend came, we headed to her apartment, then eventually went to dinner at a nearby Japanese restaurant. I liked meeting the rest of her cohort (or at least everyone who could come)! Most of them came to dinner, then hung out at her apartment later to celebrate her finishing her law school apps.

I slept in on Saturday, but so did my friend. We headed to xiaolongbao for lunch, then herself, another Yilan ETA, and I headed to the Lanyang Museum in Toucheng. Originally, I had hoped to go scallion picking, but as I had feared, Yilan's weather was far too rainy to go.

The Lanyang Museum was also closed due to it being Lunar New Year's Eve Eve (I'm still not sure why it was closed on the eve of New Year's Eve), but the three of us admired the architecture, took some photos, then walked to Wai'ao Beach.

Wai'ao Beach was stunning! I'd never been to a black sand beach before. Although it was overcast, the beach was still beautiful, and I liked being able to see Turtle Island and nearby mountains looming out of the fog. After we'd walked along the beach to the train station, the three of us headed back to Yilan.

For dinner, my friend and I had to sprint in the rain to the train station, but we made it! We got ramen with some other Yilan ETAs, then hung out at a nearby apartment. My pants and my friend's pants were soaked in the rain by the time we rolled up, but fortunately another ETA lent us some sweatpants. We'd meant to watch a movie, but instead we just chatted, listened to music, and watched a YouTube documentary before heading home.

Saturday was my last day in Yilan. I didn't do much, just got lunch with some other ETAs again, then walked around and hung out. They walked me to the train station, then saw me off, which was sweet. Although the weather was a bit uncooperative, I had a good time hanging out with the Yilan cohort!

Back in Taipei, my partner and I had a Lunar New Year's Eve hotpot dinner. We ate at a friend's apartment with some Penghu ETAs, then got ice cream from 7-Eleven and rewatched part of Bo Burnham's Inside. I've missed having dinner at friends' apartments; it reminded me of college a little.

On Sunday, my partner, his parents, and I went to Maokong. We headed to the gondola and got one of the crystal cabin ones so we could stare out the bottom. The view of the rest of Taipei was beautiful! It was clearer this time than the last time we went, so it was easier to see Taipei 101 and everything else.

Once we got to Maokong, we walked around and even ran into a New Taipei ETF. My favorite part of the walk was gazing at the rest of Taipei. Even though the sky was a brilliant blue, from Maokong, Taipei was shrouded in a gentle mist, so it looked like the city was rising out of the fog.

We found a teahouse with little tea rooms and spent an hour or so sipping tea, then got ice cream with little cat-shaped cookies. The tea and the ice cream were both wonderful! When we got back to Taipei, we walked around, had dinner, then walked around some more. Among other things, we saw some cute handpainted lanterns for Lunar New Year. It was a tiring day, but I had a great time!

It's only been a couple days since break started, but I've had a good time so far. I liked visiting Yilan and Maokong! I've also liked being able to chat with friends, both new and old.

The biggest realization I've had this week is how much I love my cohort; I already miss them. I know it hasn't been that long, but hanging out with the Yilan cohort reminded me of hanging out with my own, and I'm a little sad we won't all be together for a month. I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's stories from the east coast (of Taiwan) and Southeast Asia though.

Until next time!

Important Writer's Note: Given that I won't be able to access my laptop for the next several weeks, blog posts for the rest of winter break will be posted several weeks late. Thank you for being patient!