How fast two weeks goes! My family arrived on may 26th, and have already left. It was really different, having my parents here and them being fully reliant on me, from finding breakfast to asking the price of a tea set, to giving the taxi driver directions to our next destination. My parents said that I have changed a lot, that I walk taller and speak more confidently than when I first left the US. I hadn't noticed the changes until now, but now I remember certain points in my exchange where I got certain... "growing up points"(?) and I guess I just most recently got to level up. Cool:)
We went to many places and did many things, so much that I am finding it really hard to recall everything.
Here is a brief list:
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall
Sun Yet Set Memorial Hall
Taipei 101
Danshui
Jiufen
Fulong Beach
Raohe Night Market
Shilin Night Market
National Palace Museum
Taipei Zoo
and plenty of really good restaurants.
Taking care of my family for the past two weeks has really been... exhausting. I really don't know how my parents do it everyday. What I found most challenging while having my parents here was finding places to eat. I hadn't realized it, but a lot of the things that I eat here are completely different from what we eat back home, so getting my mom, brother, and sister to try new things was sort of challenging. Some nights, the only thing they would eat was ramen from 7-11. Thank goodness for my dad, who did try everything I sent his way, if I didn't have him, I'm sure I would have given up really early in the visit and just taken them to McDonalds. Love you Papa!
Other than being a little picky when it came to food, my family was amazing. We walked a lot, and I mean a helluva lot. I guess that because I have been here so long, a 10-15 minute walk has become no problem for me. I can't say the same for my family, though. I'm afraid I broke my mom's poor feet with how much walking I made them do. That is just what exchange has done to me. Made me a walker, not a driver. I hope that this change will stick with me when I get back, so then I can walk the 5 minutes to the grocery store, instead of driving to it.
All in all, having my family visit has been a blast! I remembered all over again why I missed them, my brother and sister especially, finding that they haven't changed at all. And, it was great exercise for my Chinese speaking skills, though I feel that my speaking skills have digressed in recent weeks because my Chinese classes have ended. None the less, I was proud of how I handled having my family here, and I miss them a lot now that they are already gone.
Thanks for reading, any questions or comments you have are greatly appreciated:)
A.