Less than a week into our Taiwan adventure, my husband suggested that we explore trails at Zhishan Park, which was a short walk from our Airbnb. Immediately, I recalled the walk in the park we had taken several days earlier. The “Monkey Trail” we ended up on had consisted of stairs heading straight up a mountain! Exhausted, we had given up. Could we successfully navigate the trails at Zhishan?
Since Taiwan is located in a tropical climate, I looked forward to trying new varieties of fruit during our six-week visit. One of the Taiwanese friends we met at church on our first Sunday suggested several fruits we should look for at the store. What did they look like? Could we even find them?
My husband was thrilled to discover a pear-shaped fruit he remembered from his childhood years in Taiwan. He called it a wax apple or bell fruit. In other countries, it goes by numerous other names: java apple, wax gambuor, samarang rose apple, or makopa.
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For the last few days, I’ve been considering what my One Word for 2020 should be. In 2018, it was trust. I learned so much about trusting God, trusting my family members, and trusting those around me. Last year’s word was UP! When 2019 began, I had no idea how much my kids and I would grow up. We even flew up into the sky and around to the other side of the world. Indeed, it’s been an adventure.
As we prepare to return home, it feels like something of a fresh start. I get the sense that God wants to do something new in our family—as if spending 6 weeks in a foreign country wasn’t new enough! The word on my heart for 2020 is renew.
On our first Sunday in Taiwan, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. We planned to attend church in the morning, have a restful afternoon, and eat an evening potluck meal at Grammy’s apartment. What would our day actually be like?
For the past three weeks, We have been so busy exploring Taiwan that it’s tough to carve out time to update the blog. Over the next several months, I’ll continue to share the highlights of our trip. If you want to see our most up-to-date adventures, make sure you follow #Taiwan4theHolidays on Instagram.
When we first explored Zhongcheng Park, which is around the corner from our Airbnb, we were awed by our surroundings but mystified by some of the exercise equipment.
We arrived in Taiwan on the night before Thanksgiving. After gearing up with necessities and exploring a night market on our first day, we explored a nearby park on Friday morning. In the afternoon, we met up with my mother-in-law, who lives three bus stops away from our Airbnb.
Anyone who knows my husband’s mom is aware of her passion for shopping. On our second full day in Taiwan, she introduced us to one of Taipei’s underground malls. Later, we headed to the local cat cafe for a dose of kitty cuteness.
As we ventured from our apartment on Friday morning, gorgeous weather greeted us. It was an ideal morning to explore the park at the top of Tianmu. A short walk sounded perfect since our feet were still a bit sore from the previous day’s adventures. But would our excursion merely be “a walk in the park?”
Early Tuesday morning, we left my parents’ house in Maryland. Twenty hours of flying and two layovers later, we touched down in Taiwan on Wednesday night. A driver met us at the airport and drove us to an Airbnb apartment—our home base for the next six weeks. The night concluded with a short visit from Grammy and a snack run to the 7-11. Exhausted, we fell into bed.
Thanksgiving Day marked our first morning in Taiwan, where most people do not celebrate the distinctly American holiday. We woke up early and set out in search of breakfast.
Our braces journey began eight years ago when the dentist sent our son for a consultation with the orthodontist. Within weeks, my son’s mouth was full of metal. Thus began our initiation into the process of teeth-straightening.
Two years later, my son’s braces were removed to reveal a handsome smile. But our encounter with braces had only begun. Soon, our four daughters would also experience this modern-day rite of passage.
