salamanca: i'm in love

Hello everyone!

It's been a while since I've last updated. here's a recap!
I'm all moved in and settled into my new home here in Salamanca. This city is perfect. The past week has been especially fun because it has been the Festivals of Salamanca. aka party over here all day, everyday. It's an awesome experience because everyone is out and about and there have been concerts every night in the beautiful Plaza Mayor. My favorite part of the festivities is the casetas, outdoor street bars that sell tapas ( small finger food/ appetizers). It's so fun to be able to go to a caseta after class to get tapas. Last night, my API group went  " caseta hopping" where we went to 3  different casetas. Usually there is the " pincho de feria" which is like the deal that includes one food item and a drink like beer, wine, agua. It's about 3 dollars for all of it. So awesome.

I've been attending Spanish grammar, culture, and conversation classes everyday at the Univserity of Salamanca. The teachers are fun and I enjoy the classes for the most part. It's crazy to me that it's only been 2 weeks here. This place feels like home already.

Hope everyone is well in los estados unidos.
Love, Karen

Recap of the past few days

Hi everyone!!

Here's a recap of what we have been doing!
We left Madrid and arrived in salamanca 4 days ago! I met my host family. It is a retired couple: Maite is my mom and Tomas is my dad! I love them already; they are absolutely the cutest couple ever. Living in a host family environment is amazing because I get to be surrounded by Spanish all the time and am forced to use it. It has been wonderful so far.

Salamanca is awesome. There are no words to describe how happy I am here. Everything is literally perfect and seems like it should be out of a dream. The weather is amazing, the people are nice, shopping is too tempting, food is delicious... pure joy. I honestly can say that I am truly happy here. I do indeed have much to be thankful for.

I will be attending the University of Salamanca. It is the oldest university in Spain and the 4th oldest in all of europe. pretty cool! There is so much history and culture here, I am in awe of life here.

I hope everyone is well in the States. Kisses and Hugs from ESPANA!!

SPAIN: the best adventure

Hi Everyone!
I'm writing this from Espana! I'm in Madrid in the center of the city and it's AMAZING here. Words can't describe how in awe of this place I am. It makes me so happy to be able to walk out of our hotel and be in one of Madrid's main squares in a few steps! The buildings are gorgeous, the weather is perfect, food is delectable. Everything seems like a dream.

It's me and about 24 other students from API that are here in Madrid. We will go to Salamanca in 3 days. I can't wait to meet my host family and everything.

Today, we went to the famous Prado Museum. It's one of the world's most famous art musuems with thousands of pieces of art from many different centuries. We got to tour that and then had free time from 12:15 to 3;45 to explore whereever we wanted. My group decided to walk around and get lunch in the supermercado de san miguel. it's basically an indoor market with so many desserts, fruits, tapas, wine, and breads. I know i'll be going back there a lot.

This afternoon at 4, we are going to walk to the Royal Palace to tour that and see where the Spanish Royalty has lived. I'm super excited for that. Tonight, we go out! Spanish nightlight if pretty freaking sweet. the city never sleeps it seems!

Adios, hasta luego!

the last week

So much has happened since my last post about Cirque du soleil! Since that time, we have gone to d.c for 3 days, gone to Wilmington for the day and a ton of other activities. Let me recap:

Washington D.C was super crazy/busy/fun. I have always liked the city and I fell in love with D.C even more this time. It was an insanely busy 3 days. We saw more monuments and museums than I have ever seen in my life. It was exciting to do things like ride the duck boats of D.C and go to a Nationals' game. Basically, I love D.C and would love to work/go to school/ live there someday.

Wilmington was yesterday. We started the day off by exploring the battleship. I had a group of boys and I think they really liked being able to tour the ship and see all the different aspects of it. We then went to the aquarium and just looked around. I absolutely LOVE the aquarium; for me, it's such a peaceful place and I would love to be able to go more often. After a delicious dinner, we headed home.

This Monday starts the last week of camp. It's crazy to me that camp is almost over. It seems like one huge blur. It's been so fun at times and yet so frustrating at other points. I've definitely learned alot from this experience. 2011 has been an amazing year so far and I can' t wait to see how it turns out. Spain in a month... oh boy.

much love, Karen

Cirque Du Soleil

The past few days have been super busy here at FuHsing. July 4th activities turned out disappointing as it stormed that whole night, but we returned to the Durham Bulls stadium for a Japan vs. USA game. It was gorgeous night on July 5th and after, there was a 20 minute fireworks show. It was so beautiful to be able to see the fireworks and I loved seeing all of the kids reactions. They were so full of excitement and joy.. so precious.

Yesterday we went to Cirque du Soleil at the RBC center and it was INCREDIBLE. I've always wanted to see Cirque du Soleil so I had so much fun along with the kids. There was a lot of " oohs" and "ahhs" throughout the evening. For those who haven't seen the show, please do. It is probably one of the coolest shows I've ever seen.
Yesterday was especially fun because we all go to have a Q&A session after the show with 2 of the performers. They were from China and the kids were fascinated with them.

Today we go to some museums and have a pretty chill day. We go to Washington D.C this weekend, one of my favorite places to go. So pumped!
Until later,
Karen

CAMPERS HAVE ARRIVED!

Campers arrived on friday night at around 8 p.m. All of us counselors went to welcome them at the airport with our crazy bright signs and all. It was awesome seeing a group of 40 kids and their teachers all dressed in their yellow t shirts. They looked drained and I could totally understand how it is to feel after a 20 hour flight. We helped them get all of their luggage and then the meet and greeting began!

I absolutely LOVE my group of middle school boys. They are so cute and adorable and asdljfslj. Precious. The wonderful thing is seeing all 7 of them get along and hang out with each other.  No one is excluded and they all help each other out. I've never laughed more than I have in these last few days. They are such a joy. In my group of boys, I have so many different personalities and behaviors. Here's some kiddos in my group

1) Kyle: he's kinda the leader of the group. loves the word " handsome" and calls me  Lady Ka Ka. He cracks me up

2) Brian: He's a little shyer and quieter. He has this awesome spiky hair that everyone likes to touch. Sweet as can be
3) Paul: the brainiac. so incredibly smart and well spoken.
4) Jerry: the mischievous one. he likes to play little tricks and chase the meredith squirrels.

Yesterday was their first full day in NC. We had activities around campus and then we went to Lake Crabtree to play games. I played baseball and soccer with the kids. It was super fun and exciting to see all of them having fun.

I am loving this experience and so glad I did it. It's kind of bittersweet for me because it's like a part of Taiwan came to me this summer. These kids remind me of all I love and miss about Taiwan and I'm so glad that they are here in NC.

More updates soon. Tomorrow we go to a Durham Bulls game for July 4th! We're going to have our own viewing booth/area and fireworks after the game! I hope the kids have an awesome time learning about this American holiday!
Much Love, Karen

FuHsing starts today!

Hi everybody!

A new adventure has begun! The FuHsing program is starting tonight at Meredith when the kids arrive at the airport! For all of you who don't know what I'm talking about, FuHsing school is a private school in Taipei, Taiwan that has a partnership with Meredith College that allows them to send a group of students over here every year for a cultural exchange program.

This year there are 36 students coming. 25 middleschoolers and 11 high schoolers. I am so beyond excited right now! We will be doing so many awesome things like going to Washington D.C, wilmington, a farm, Cirque De Soleil, a Durham bulls game and more! It's basically the all American experience packed into 3 weeks. I can't wait to see all of the students and see their reactions to everything.

I have been going through training with all of the other counselors and they are awesome. We have  a great group environment.

More training now! update soon :)

starting a new adventure...

So.... my time in Taiwan was wonderful and awesome, but it is now in the past. While I do miss it daily and want to go back soon, I'm ready for my new adventure in ESPANA!

Now that the preparations for my trip are actually happening, I think it's slowly beginning to dawn on me that I"M REALLY GOING TO SPAIN. AHHHHH.  I've paid the program fees, filled out numerous forms, received my renewed passport, and will be going to Washington, D.C on Sunday afternoon for the last component: the Spanish Visa. After I receive the visa, it's done. I'm going. For real.

I am so ready to be in a new place, meeting new people and experiencing a whole different culture. This semester could possibly be the best semester of my life...

AND I GET TO GO BACK TO ITALIA.
I'll be using this blog to update about the Spain preparations and my time in Spain.

So excited for this new adventure!

goodbye Taiwan... for now

So it's the last night here. I am feeling so many things it's kinda hard to figure out. This past month has been one of the best months of my life. And I know that sounds so cliche, but it's the only way I know how to describe my time here in Taiwan. I have come to love this country and feel at home here. I came to Taiwan as a tourist, as someone who really didn't see this country as "home." Yet, knowing that I have to leave tomorrow makes my heart ache just a tad.

Spent the day with my grandma today, helping her clean the kitchen and just spending time with her. I have the best memories with her, from being a little girl and having her live at our house in NC to this past month. I admire my grandma so much. Saying goodbye to her today was rough; she hugged me for a long time and as I was walking away, she said " please come back!"  I kept a strong face until I got into our taxi and had to watch her get smaller and smaller in the rearview. Then, tears.

I think back of how long it has been since I last was in Taiwan. It had been 6 years that I hadn't been to Taiwan and it makes me wonder, is it going to be that long until the next time? I can't go another 6 years w/o seeing my relatives. I thought I had little in common with my relatives that were an ocean away. I was so wrong. I have felt and experienced so much love in my short time here. I wish that my relatives were a mere 10 minute drive away, not a 20 hour flight.

My time here in Taiwan has been everything I thought it would be: amazing, a learning experience, wonderful. Words aren't enough to describe how I feel. All i know is that I'll be back soon. I can't forget that I have half my family living here. Family that I love so much.

Until next time, Taiwan. I'll be seeing you soon....

Love, Karen

Formosa- Beautiful Island

I now understand why the Portuguese decided to name Taiwan " Formosa."

I went on a day trip yesterday to Yilan, Taiwan with a family friend, aunt, and mom. It was really awesome to see parts of Taiwan that I had never seen before. 6 years ago, I only saw Taipei b/c my family didn't travel to other parts. This time, I've got to travel around Taiwan. awesomeeeee

We went to a place called "Peculiar Rock." It was breathtakingly beautiful. I didn't know places like this existed in Taiwan. I'm not one to usually like the mountains, but I have to admit that these were undeniably beautiful. This place was so incredibly peaceful; I felt like I could just sit on a rock for hours and just look at the ocean. 

Here's some pics: 

Next we stopped to take some pictures of some natural waterfalls. So lovely. 

Overall, a great day. Oh yeah! I met my future husband in a museum. He's pretty handsome, don't you think? tehehhehehe 

4 more days here :(    I'm trying not to think about leaving this amazing country. This month has been everything I hoped it would be. 

See you all soon. I love you guys! 

- Karen 

Kaohsiung

Hello everybody! Hope you all are well and keeping cool! Miss you guys!

Went to Kaohsiung for 2 days and it was GREAT. It's a port city in the South of Taiwan, right on the beach. It's the picture of paradise: palm trees, wind,etc. loved it. It was super cool because our hotel faced the famous Love River and there were people practicing in boats for an upcoming festival.

Our hotel was fabulous, probably one of my favorite hotels of all time

view from our window 

Sunday night, I got to meet some of my relatives. I met my great-uncle, great-aunt, and 2 distant cousins. We went out for dinner at this restaurant that was so yummy 

After dinner we went to one of my favorite places: THE NIGHT MARKET. these markets are so much fun, I love finding random things for cheap. and there is always good dessert too :)

 nom nom nom 

On a more serious note, I visited one of my great-aunts in the hospital on Sunday with my mom, grandma, and great-uncle. She has stage 4 cancer and will be starting chemotherapy this week. Her spirit was still strong and she talked about everything positively. My grandma and mom sang her the Chinese version of the hymn " In Christ Alone" and I couldn't help but tear up a little. It's one of my favorite hymns of all time. It was inspiring to listen to my great-aunt speak of her situation. She has no fear.  She quoted one stanza that I thought was extremely powerful and pertinent to her situation. 

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me

From life's first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny


No power of hell, no scheme of man


Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand
Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

I'll miss her.....

Kaohsiung was wonderful, but I have to say, Taipei is still my favorite city in Taiwan. Nothing beats the big city with sounds of people milling around, taxis bustling everywhere, and the smells of delectable food stands. I love it here.

8 more days here :(  I wish I was staying for another month... I'll have to come back soon! 

A Perfect Day

Today was such a perfect day. I went exploring with my cousin in an area of Taipei that I think is just perfect. I've fallen in love with so many aspects of this city. It's perfect. There are cute shops everywhere, delicious smells of food, a convenient metro system that allows for independence, and streets filled with cabs, motorcycles,and people going about their daily lives. I wish pictures or words could do this place justice, but they can't. I'll try anyway...

Today started with my cousin and I going to the most amazing/ adorable cafe I have EVER been to. SO CUTE, I was so elated. Aleigha, you would have loved this place. It was a French set-up with a warm feeling. Couches, French wall hangings, etc. It was precious. and that was just the design. 

THE FOOD WAS AMAZING. 

Even that was so cute. We ordered tea , sandwiches, and a chocolate banana Belgian waffle. it was the best waffle I've ever had. 

after that delightful lunch, we went shopping in the streets of Taipei and found awesome deals. This is what I love so much about traveling. Finding cute shops, food places and people watching. A lot of things make me happy, but traveling brings joy to the soul. so fulfilling. 

Today was a great day. I love it here... 

the citizens' kindness

Helloooo everyone!
Hope everybody is having a wonderful, relaxing summer. I hear the NC is freaking HOT recently. Stay inside and stay cool guys! I'm actually surprised that NC is hotter than Taiwan this year, usually it's a bazillion degrees here. Apparently there's a typhoon coming, so it has been mild and windy. very nice.

So since i've been in the country, I've realized that many Taiwanese people are so incredibly kind. Strangers on the street will ask me if I need help because they can tell I don't live here, store-owners will offer free samples of food if they see I especially love an item. The kindness that I come into contact with daily is touching. This is the part of Taiwanese culture that I hope I never take for granted. I can only hope that when visitors come to the U.S.A, they might be able to leave with a good feeling.

I've been able to spend a lot of time with my aunts and my grandma. I really love  being in the company of my grandma, she is 78 years old and spunky as heck. I love her sass and vitality and my relatives have said that I remind them of grandma. She tells me stories of when I was young and the year that I lived in Taiwan when i was 3. She remembers so many little details. I hope that when I'm old, I'm just like my grandmother. Independent, sassy, and absolutely adorable.

Tomorrow I will be going to explore Taipei and I'm finally going to Taipei 101, the 2nd tallest building in the world. It was #1 until Dubai had to go and one- up Taiwan. of course. I never get tired of Taipei's beauty:

Much love, Karen 

Shopping & Eating & National Drills

Hi everybody!
sorry for not updating in a while. Haven't been feeling too great, I have literally laid in bed for the last 3 days. But I"m feeling a little better!

Tuesday, my aunt, grandma, mom and me went to a department store/ mall named Miramar. It was AWESOME. The way malls are set up in Taiwan are super cool. This one had a ferris wheel in the middle of it. Did some shopping and then had dinner in their " food court", which of course was SO much better than food i would find in a mall in NC.

 me very happy about food

 my dinner! ( vegetable steamed buns, hot & sour soup, fried rice, and some grean beans) nom nom nom 

 HEAVENNN 

Well, I got to witness something very interesting on Wednesday. It was kind of a like a national security drill. From what I understood from my cousin's explanation, it is a drill that occurs to practice in case an enemy nation tries to attack. It was pretty interesting for someone who had never really seen it. Basically, everything stopped in Taipei. At 2 p.m , a siren went off around Taipei and life stopped. Cars stopped in the streets, citizens had to go into stores and stores shut down. I think the army/ air force were doing drills during this time. It was fascinating because Taipei is never still. I thought it was pretty cool.





Just for fun: there are TONS of motorcycles in Taiwan. everywhere. common scene in taipei:

Miss everyone back in the States!

Much love, Karen 

the first few days....

Hi everyone!
The first few days in Taiwan have been awesome. haven't gotten to do much shopping or exploring because it's been rainy, but next week will be nice. AKA karen will be frolicing around Taipei in a sundress.
We're living in an apartment complex inside Taipei. It's awesome and very comfy. the view  from our window:

So many things here are different, here's a few to name:
1) FOOD. Taiwan is basically my heaven. it has been nonstop eating for the past 3 days. Every reunion with family has included food, lots of it. Our dinner last night lasted 3.5 hours and included 20 different dishes. Of course, my relatives looked me over once and declared me " too thin" and proceeded to fill my plate everytime and it was half empty. And i had no choice but to eat it. Had to be polite right? The accessibility of food here is awesome. I literally can walk outside of the apartment and there's food everywhere.LOVE IT.

 my cousin and I at dinner!

2) If you think Asians in the U.S drive crazy, think again. Asians in Asia drive insanely. Everyone, bus drivers, taxi drivers, the normal drivers. It is pretty exhilarating. I've already seen my life flash before my eyes like 8 times. I'll leave it at that. 

breakfast time! I miss everyone so much and wish you were all here! love you all :) 

i made it!

So got into Taiwan an hour ago. it's 12:45 a.m here. The last 24 hours were interesting to say the least.

Flew from RDU to Chicago to L.A. Started to feel horrible when we landed in Chicago and proceeded to panic because I thought I was going to be fine this time around on the plane. WRONG. literally threw up every 10 minutes from Chicago to Taipei. SO FUN. had a wonderful little mental breakdown before getting on the plane to Taipei because it is the 13 hour flight. Traveling sure does have a way of turning me into a weak little kid. felt like a complete failure. Thanks to wonderful friends who talked me through my worrying. I literally would die without you all.

Going to Spain is still up in the air as of right now. I don't know if i can travel internationally again for a very, very long time. Each time I fly for a long period, I'm reminded of all the reasons why I hate airplanes, airports, etc. And my mom was with me this time. I'm questioning if I can travel alone anytime soon. So we'll see.

But I'm in Taiwan and I'm so pumped to frolic around for the next month. It's been 6 years and wow, Taiwan has changed so much. The best moment of the last 24 hours: landing in Taipei and seeing all of the lights below from the plane. Made me tear up a bit....
Until later!

getting ready to leave!

Waking up at 6 a.m tomorrow to start the trek to Taiwan! I don't think it has really hit me yet that 1) it's summer and 2) I'm going to be in Taiwan soon. I'll be flying from here to Chicago to L.A and then to Taipei! It's been 6 years since I've been to Taiwan and excitement is setting in. I can't wait to walk the beautiful streets of Taipei, eat the AMAZING food, and shop like there's no tomorrow. But most of all, I'm going to be reunited with my aunts, uncles, and cousins that haven't seen me since I was 13.

I'll post pictures of probably everything on this blog and hopefully some of it will be interesting. Of course, I'm going to miss my friends dearly ( I mean, all of them except Kohl ) , but Skype does wonders. It'll be bittersweet for me to experience so many exciting things without my best friends because I know I'll wish they were beside me sharing the little moments.

The countdown to the start of this awesome month begins now. I can't wait to see what I'll learn this time around in Taiwan!

Love, Karen