Haňule z Kyjova

Because the students have some exams these two days, I’m free! And also some of the teachers. Elaine wanted to take me somewhere else first, but after our conversation with teacher YiCai (arts teacher) we decided to go to National Palace Museum in Taipei. I was so excited, because teacher Yicai is very good painter too and he really understands chinese paintings and calligraphy. We arrived to the museum at about 11:30 and dear Yicai treated us for lunch first. So we went to this good restaurant directly in the complex of buildings of museum. They order me some other traditional food. First I had a rice cake with some meat, shrimp and garlic sauce, then some fried oysters (which were really delicious). Most interesting was a soup that, as I was told, is served for good luck and was made of pigs legs – so the bad luck will walk away. I had to eat the skin of the boiled pigs legs, but it wasn’t too bad (probably I’m getting used to all these weird things).

For your information the National Palace museum offers a collection of more than 650 000 pieces of ancient Chinese artifacts from different eras of Chinese history. All those treasures were originally situated in Palace Museum in Beijing, but due to the Chinese Civil War many of those artifacts were evacuated to Taiwan under the order of Chiang Kai-Shek. The building itself was built in 1960s and big vaults to store the treasures were made in the mountains that lie in the back. Many Chinese (mainlanders, how the taiwanese call them) travel here to Taipei to see their own treasures! And pay for them! And it is the truth that there were only chinese groups in the museum and only a few other foreigners…

It is a pity I couldn’t take photos inside the museum, but I hope many of those beautiful things will remain in my memories. First we went for special exhibition of Shen Zhou (1427-1509), artist from Ming Dynasty. The artists in this era were very alike our Renaissance artists – educated in many ways, like painting, calligraphy, poetry, and sometimes also medicine and fortunetelling. His works were delicate and splendid. Actually it was a real luck that we went this day, because this particular exhibition will end with this day! And I started to really like the chinese painting! There are some of his works that I have seen today (photos googled ) :

Shen Zhou’s work

one of the most famous pieces  – jadeite cabbage

and pieces of pork made out of a stone – really looks tasty

and how it looks when cooked (the first two pieces)

The chinese painting is like calligraphy. You need only your brush, ink and water. But there are many ways how to make the stroke, many ways how to combine water and ink to make the strokes more or less dark and emphasize one part. When learning chinese painting, you usually start with calligraphy, continue with small paintings of bamboo and orchids. I think most astounding paintings are simple flowers and than landscapes. Paintings are usually accompanied with a poem or few words about the painting or about the feeling of the artist. When you understand the words, you can better perceive the painting and find your own hidden meaning.
Then we also saw some marvellous pieces of pottery and ceramics from different eras. Some only with simple glaze and some decorated with colours, mostly blue, but in later times also with many different colours. Last thing to see was collection of furniture and some modern works of chinese painters.

The museum will take much more than a day to see everything. Teacher Yicai tried to explain all the pieces, their composition, how they were made and also the purpose and what we can see behind the strokes, so we spend there more than 5 hours and didn’t see half of everything exhibited there.

Thank you teachers for this beautiful day, for the commentary, translation and gifts!

On saturday I went with English teacher Elaine and her friends Rosemary and Peter to see a tea farms in Pinglin near Taipei. We arrived to Pinglin and went by a long and new pavement around a river. The road took us around several tea plantations going uphill. The season for collecting leaves will be in 10 or 14 days, so now the tea leaves were not very big, just starting to grow. When collecting the leaves you have to take the heart and two other leaves under it, so you can!t make it with any machine, only with your hands. That’s the reason why is the tea so expensive. I tried to chew few leaves and it tasted really of tea

Because it was very hot and no shade where we could take a rest, we decided not to go the whole route and go back for lunch. We drove down to the centre of the city and stopped at a resturant. There we could choose from fresh vegetable and some fish and shrimps and they cooked it for us! It was all very delicious and served with a very good green tea with a very storng aroma. I ate also the little fish, also with tehir heads and tails and inides! and the shrimps too! But it was really good when you got used to the crunchy feeling

We also stopped at a bakery, which is very famous in the surrounding area. There were special cakes which are made for wedding or for birthday and other occasions. I took a picture of them but you won’t feel the beautiful smell of it all.

..for wedding

..for b-day

a christian church!!!

We went also to a Tea museum and the security man here was so nice that he allowed us to go in without paying! A foreigner is a rarity even here. I could read something about the history of tea growing in Taiwan, see the traditional equipment for tea-drinking…

Than we went higher to the mountains. The road was very zigzag, turn every few meters and quickly rising, so it was a little adventorous journey. After a while we stopped at a temple. This temple was bigger than the one we have in Nei-li, the monk here was very nice and wanted to talk a lot. He said the temple has also a facebook profile We could make a wish to the gods here. You take to peaces of moonlike shaped wood and ask the god for helo and guidance. Than you throw the peaces to the ground and if they stay one from front side and one from back side the gods will make your wish come true. Also the wish you can say in any language so I for a long time used czech

The view from the temple wasn’t very nice, because it was going to rain and the clouds were very low. But the wind was filled with water and all fresh and also soft. I like their mountains. They are very high and look different and beautiful.

On our way home they made me a round-car-trip around Taipei 101 It was fun. We stopped directly under the building so that I can take a picture, but it was tto close to get it whole.

Than we went to Rosemary’s sister. They live in Taipei in a very good area of flats. They have completely newly furnished and designed flat with beautiful new wooden furniture from a traditonal trea which has a strong fragrance. Thier dughter is very interested in chinese culture. She plays a traditional instrument “guzheng” so she played us some songs before dinner. The family offered me to stay for few nights if I wnat to know more about Taipei, and I was very glad to accept their offer.

We got home very late, so I went directly to bed. In the Sunday morning, we went with homepa to his classmates meeting somewhere in the outskirts of Zhongli. We had a barbecue in a garden. By a taiwanese barbecue you must underestand that they start with some vegetable, than pork meat, some mushrooms, sweet potatoes, corn, after that you get their soup, dessert, than you continue with fish, shells, shrimps, and other seafood and than you are so full that you feel like you will never eat again!

I didn’t write anything yesterday, cause I was too tired and also it was very ordinary day. I went to school at 9, I stopped at Irene and hleped her decorate a little board in her office:) Than I had my chinese dancing and kung-fu classes. In the chinese dancing we did a choreography, which I really couldn’t follow, because the others are doing it for many months and this was my first time… Next week I have to stop by the teacher and ask her to teach me that more slowly. In the kungfu class we did the same as last week , but more slowly, so it was good. I learned nearly every move, and didn’t feel as lost as last time. The teacher also said I’m a very smart student Although I forgot everything in one day I think it will get back more easily next time.

I had a lunch with girsl from 308, which is becoming one of my favourite classes. I stopped there after lunch, when I was going to arts class, to show them my calligraphy and they were pretty impresed by my work Thank you guys! Then I stayed for 3 hours at arts class with the exchange students. Mary told me that it is so unfair, that they are doing it for 6 months and I’m here only 2 weeks and I’m better then they are in calligraphy and also kungfu

The teacher of art (his name is something like Icai, I don’t know how to write it in pinyin) gave me this time only blank paper to try writing without the red helping lines. It was much more difficult to write and to keep the strokes in the right distance and size, but on the other hand it was more liberating. The teacher has really high expactations of me, because he has not given the exchange students only a blank paper yet.

Today I had 3 classes in a row in the morning, so my throat was a little sore after that. But these were good classes. In the first 305 there were some active students, and I went to play volleyball with them after school. They enjoyed taking photos with me and making faces and so, boys mostly Than the class 301, which was very active class, and it was real fun to talk to them, they had good questions and there were many sympathic boys The last class was 302. They prepared also something for me. One girl introduced me their school dancing group. They do street dance, and are pretty good. I think it’s this group: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9ntSXT_iFs

Other boy introduced me something I still can’t underestand well. I told you about this military office and that children have to take some kind of practice in handling the gun and they also go once to a real shooting range and shoot from a real guns. So they have also this kind of dance with giuns – not a real ones but wooden. And it looks really good, but it’s a bit startling for me. I couldn’t find a video of this but when I do I will show you.

I had lunch with in 308 today again. I really like these guys, and they suggested that they will take me next Friday to Taipei! So I’m really looking forward to it! A funny thing happened dduring that. Because students are supposed to take a nap or rest from 12.30 to 13.00, or at least be quiet. And the mlitary officers take care of it, and they wlk the corridors and maintain silence. I have these lunches usually somewhere else, but today we had it in the classroom, and suddenly the door opended and an officer wanted to scold the students, but suddenly he realised that I’m here too and he backed out of the door  quickly as if afraid of me They had PE class after lunch so I went with them and played a little volleybal (although I had a skirt today ) In the afternoon I talked little with Sarah and did soem calligraphy, but today the new stroke – a special hook – was so deliquate and hard to do, that I left after an hour of hard work. After school I played some volleyball with the 305 class. And for dinner we went with family for a chinese duck with noodels. It was really good with soysauce and the noodels were brilliant.

I’m going to bed, today was really hot , 30 degrees C, and all those exersices made me tired. And tomorrow? I will go to a tea farm!!! soooo excited!!!!!!

P.S.: For your information, there are 5 types of calligraphy – seal script, the Clarical script, the cursive style, the semi-cursive style and the regular style. The one I am practicing is the regular style, which is closest to the words we use nowadays.

Next day started well, I slept for nearly 10 hours but I needed it, because I felt a little sore throat yesterday. In the morning I had two classes, one in class 118, where is also the exchange studetn Janek. The other was with Elaine in 308. These children were pretty actvie and gave me some gifts – a game were you try to find a watch, then some food, a hole bunch of bananas, a beautiful scarf which was made for the 100 anniversary of Taiwan. They also gace me this egg they really eat, but it looks like this:

and is called a century egg. You can imagine that the taste was very strong and like a bit rotten But I had to be brave and I took two bites in front of them because else I wouldn’t get their respect And I also enjoy the way they enjoy giving me some really different food and waiting what would I say to that. :)))

I had also a “lunch table” with other students. This time all girls, so we had a little girlish talk:) Then I went again to the arts class to practice a little calligraphy. With my new book it is so great! I can read how to do the strokes properly and the order of them is described here. I hope once I can write my own new year’s pamphlet!

After school I stopped at the playgrounds and girls from the class 308 started talking with me, I had a little race with two boys from this class. Then they invited me for dinner, so we went to a restaurant. I had some noodles with tomatoes and fish, and it was really delicious. We stopped to have some drink too, and I think this will be one of my favourites – green tea with orange juice and pearls. Then we came back to school. They usually stay there and study and prepare for the next day and they leave after 8 o’clock or later. I didn’t want to go home yet, so I went to their classroom and we had a chat till nearly 9pm! They were great, a lot of questions and very cheerful people with good spirits! Tomorrow I might go to their PE class if I feel better, and I will hve some chat during the lunch brake with them!

Sarah today told me more about the relationship between Taiwan-China-Japan. I will write here tomorrow…….

I thought today would be an ordinary day, but it turned to a very special one. I had 2 classes in the morning and one in the afternoon. The first class with teacher Elaine was a special class more concentrated on science (math, physics and biology). And it was full of boys! and only a few girls. It was really fun with them, they were very active and curios, boys making jokes One of them sang me a song that yesterday Sarah taught me. It was so sweet, nearly like a love song Also in the next class, specialized in English, there were pretty good singers, a boy and girl performed for me a short song, which I liked a lot.

After lunch, which I had with another group of students, I went with Elaine to the arts class to ask the teacher more about calligraphy. The teacher (whose name I always forget!!!) was prepared for me. And he gave me a book about calligraphy in English, HIS OWN BRUSH!!!, some papers to practice and a bowl for water and ink! I nearly cried, because that’s one of the most beautiful gifts I was ever given!

The last class today was with Jonathan, the only man teacher of English. I did ordinary introduction of CZE, the students asked some questions and one of them gave me nice cup from 7eleven, so I can use it at school. In the evening we went for another brilliant dinner, and I am getting used to eating the blood cubes Then I had a lesson of chinese with homepa….

Yesterday I tried, for the first time, local train! And it was so easy. I just had to go one stop, form Neili to Taoyuan, but when there are those chinese signs you don’t know where you are going Fortunately they have it written in the train also in latin. The slow train is more like our metro or tram, full of people that stand in the train. Very convenient thing here is the Easy card, with which you can get everywhere and don’t have to pay for the ticket in cash. I went to Taoyuan for a dinner with AIESEC people and other exchange participants. Their names are Valentina (Italy), Katerzyna (Poland) and Jess (Malaysia). They are all very active and sweet girls and I hope I can see them more.

Nearly forgot to say, that for lunch we went to a nearby town (20minutes ride) to a local restaurant in a traditional house. What looked at the first sight as some seafood, was in fact stomach of a cow But with ginger and soya beans and sour sauce it was surprisingly good

Today I had free morning again, so I went to the arts class to try some more caligraphy. This time we concentrated at oblique strokes, which are a bit different form the horizontal and vertical. It is so nice to have a chance to do something so different, and I have to be really concentrated and my head is all clean after that.

I volunteered today to help Sarah in her classes, because she wasn’t feeling very well, and also as a substitute for an absent teacher. Than I had also Irene’s class , students of 1st grade. They prepared for me a surprise. In groups they tried to describe me something that’s typical for Taiwan. So mainly they gave me some food, like a cake made of pig’s blood with rice, fried chicken, a dessert made of soya beans and pearl tea. They were very well prepared, but some were very shy to talk more:)

So I had 4 classes today – all the afternoon, and I was feeling really energetic after (maybe because I ate so much ), so I sit for a while at the grounds of school watching students play volleyball and basketball. Then I started talking with some girls and we had a race for 100 meters:) I won it! But it’s because I have longer legs Maybe I will join their PE class on Thursday!

This is really a bit different form our schools, we usually just go home after school. There the children play games or just go walking around the playground. And after that they often continue to their cram school lessons!! Such hardworks!

We arrived home late yesterday, so I didn’t have time to write something. In the morning we went to a nearby district called Miaoli, which is famous for fruit growing. The ride took us about one and a hlaf hour, and then we got to a city, that is known for strawberries and oranges. First we visted local market, where we had lunch. I’m getting pretty used to chopsticks, I had rice noodles in a soup, which are very difficult to eat with chopsticks, but I made it! I definitely started to like bamboo. It’s different from what you can get in CZE, it’s more soft and tasty.

There were several small strawberry farms in the town. The hills and mountains envelop this region, so I was really surprised that such sweet fruits are grown here. On the farm you get your basket, scissors and go pickipng up the most beautiful and the biggest strawberries. It is definitely a different way from what we do in CZE The scenery was beautiful around, but it was a bit cloudy, so my camera didn’t take the rigth picture

After we had enough, we went by car to a park near, where building in old chinese style is built. We ate a lot of food on the way up the small hill again The traditional buildings had a big entry and courtyard and were decorated with traditional paintings. In some rooms there were expositions about tradtional chinese wedding.

the groom¨s dress

the bride’s dress

gifts given by the groom to the bride

the main building

the first chinese dragon that I have seen

After this stop, we headed off for home. The dinner was arrenged at the brother’s family, and I went there earlier to watch a bit how the food is cooked. Because there was also other uncle coming this evening there was a lot of food to be preapared. What I liked the most was some pork boiled with garlic and special herbs and spices, that you can buy in a shop. That was really good. Than some warm lettuce, bamboo with ginger and some green leaves, sausages, chicken legs, and ofcourse soup this time with meat balls. It was a real feast! After dinner we had some talk with the uncles about CZE and Taiwan. The uncle, who I will call Nick :), is very interested in tea, and he made us a few very delicate cups of tea. The first was oolong, the second also oolong but the leaves were baked, so the taste was more piquant, the last is called the oriental beauty, and I found this one very good. It’s taste was a little sweet and honey-like. I have to buy this one!

We got home nearly at 11pm, so today I slept till 9:30. In the evening I might go for a dinner with AIESEC people and other EPs that are here, so I wan’t probably have time to write. So see u tomorrow.

I was a bit sore all over the body today, after the kung-fu class, but I went to school at 9 today, although I didn’t have any classes at the morning. But yesterday I asked the arts teacher if I can come to the class and learn caligraphy went I have free time, and he said yes, so I wanted to take the opportunity. There were no children in the class from 10 o’clock so I had the class all for myself. The teacher showed me first how to make the strokes rightly and in which order. He also tried to explain the meaning of the words, but his English isn’t so good so it took a little longer. Then he left me for myself and so for 2 hours I tried hard to copy his work. And there are the results:

When I showed these to Irene she started running through the office and showing it to all the people, letting them guess which is mine and which is my teachers But everone could guess that I’m still not that good

At 12:00 I had a my first meeting with 4 students. I took my lunch from Irene and went to the 5th floor to a studyroom, where we could talk. Normally we would sit outside but it was very cold today (17 C) and windy. When I looked at my lunchbox I was a bit unsure, because there were little fish, with their heads and internals and I was a bit afraid of them. But it was just a bit crunchy and salty and good with the peanuts and rice.

The students were very nice. They brought me some chicken nuggets and potatoes rings. They really like to eat! They also prepared a few questions and they were very interested in Czech republic. They said that our country is very famous for their couples to go for a honeymoon.

At 2pm I had a class with [Pany], a very active and as she says a bit childish, teacher It was in a class that concentrates on arts, so they have more arts classes than the others. They listened really carefully. I could see that they react a bit differently when they saw the pictures of our sights. Like the artist’s mind was really in them. They were so sweet that some of them gave me their own drawing. They are very beautiful. I think the children are really talented and I’m looking forward to meeting them again!

After this lesson we talked a bit with Pany. We talked about dogs in Taiwan, because she has a dog too. I thought that everyone in Taiwan has got a dog, because I see them a lot around the houses. But she said that many people here don’t like dogs and that they often call the police when they see them on the street. The police also can after 12 days, when nobody wants to adopt the dog, put him to death. And also if you want to have a dog in a flat, it often happens that the neighbours call the police on you…

Claire asked me if I can meet with 2 of her later students, that study nowadays at a university. so we had a little chat after that. They are studetns of English and French language. So a we chatted that I totally lost track of time and suddenly it was past 5pm. I wanted to collect my things and go home, but I met Claire in the corridor and she asked me if I can go with her to her English speaking lesson that she has with some students after school, to say them hello. So I went. And form saying hello there was suddenly asking many questions, learning a bit chinese and teaching a bit czech! and I spend there an hour! SO when I got home it was past 6pm! And I was sooooooo exhausted after so much talking.

When I turned on my computer I had a skype call from Martin and Tomáš from CZE, so I didn’t take any rest at all! (thank you guys :)) And in the evening we went for the night market to the centre of the city. That was really something! SO much food everywhere. We tasted a lot of them. Finally I got to taste the so called “stinky tofu”. And it was yummy! with all the garlic and salad. Then we tried some fried noodles, and I don’t know what, but was probably made of pig’s blood. But all was very good and I am stuffed again. And the drink made of sugar cane with ginger din’t help at all. I have to go to bed to digest and regain my strength for tomorrow! Because tomorrow ……. I’ll tell later nighty night!

stinky tofu

something made of pig’s blood

the fruit is so delicious here!!!

maybe next time!

I wanted to wake up early this morning, but I couldn’t fall asleep yesterday. Every information that I gained was “running” through my brains. And I overslept a bit. I wanted to start being a bit active and to go for a swim in the morning but the weather wasn’t good, it was raining a little, for the first time here, and the temperatures were around 18 grades. But I got to school early enough to attend the chinese dancing lesson with the other exchange students. We tried some movemnets from the traditional ribbon dance. The moves look easy but my hands are sore and the ribbons got entangled all the time. I think it looked something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCJZYskdoiw (played from 2:30)

After that we had a lesson of chinese kung-fu with teacher Mike. First we did some warm-up to get more flexible (thanks to that I probably won’t walk tomorrow). Then we started with some easy moves, but after that it started – we took swords and tried a “choreographylike” moves. That was really horrible, because it was so quick I couldn’t follow very much and I was also a bit dangerous with the sword in my hand When the teacher did it he looked really graceful and powerful.

After lunch I had 2 classes with children. Also the people from AIESEC came to the school to meet me. So I got to know Winnie, Joe and Edward. We had a talk with the principal of the school. I didn’t understand a word But they were talking about me and the organisation and also their studies because some of them had studied at the NeiLi.

Tomorrow I will add here some information about traffic and dustmen – but I have to go to bed, I’m all sore today….

Ok, the weather here is so humid that my hair won’t dry. And when I try to dry it with the hairdryer it takes a lot of time and in the end it has no effect, the hair gets all messy after a while because of the wet climate. grrrrrrr

I wanted to add some information about the dustmen car – one day I heard a music like FamilyFrost so I asked what it is. And yeah that’s it, the dustmen car has it’s own melody. So they go around the streets every day and play the tune to let people know they’re close.

Then the traffic. That’s definitely something dangerous. There are no pavements along the streets and there are a lots of cars parked on both sides of streets. So you have to be very careful. Taiwanese also like to drive a motorcycle or a scooter. And when I go home after 5pm there are really lots of cars and scooters that endanger my life :))

…And more scooters parked in front of every shop or restaurant

Today I had the first classes with the wonderful teacher Sarah. In the morning I woke a bit earlier to get ready for the presentations. We had a fried egg for breakfast and I ate it with chopsticks! That was really fun Than I went to school (alone) where Irene told me that the principal wants to talk to me in the afternoon.

The first class started at 9:10 and it was class 110. I was a bit nervous because it was the very first presentation! But the children were very nice and they listened carefully and silently. After the presentation they could ask me questions. A girl asked me if I like their sweets and candies and when I said yes, she gave me her own sweet small cake with a panda and other gave me a pinneple cake (which was really yummy).

Sarah warned me that they like to ask personal questions, and that’s true, in every class they asked me if I have a boyfriend, and usually it was one of the first questions After this lesson I had another class in 114, and again I was given a bottle of green tea! They are so generous! In this class Sarah and the children made me to sing our national anthem, so I was truly nervous and Sarah took a short video:D I haven’t mentioned that, but because of  their classes being so big, they use a microphone during the classes. So it was like a real performance for me

After this lesson we went for a lunch with Sarah. She is like me, she likes to talk a lot. So all the time we just chat, discussing the differencies between Taiwan and CZE, sometimes learning some chinese words and so. She took me to a traditional restaurant and ordered traditional food. I think I didn’t write about their eating habbits. In a restaurant and also at home they make more courses, give them on several plates, than you get your small bowl, where is rise and you just pick with your chopsticks a peace of anything you like from the plates and – I would say they are sharing the food, or plates.

When 3 full bowls of food appeared in front of us I was again shocked. First Sarah told me to try a bowl with transparent soup some rice and some tube looking pale things. She said I have to guess what it is. So I boldly took my chopsticks and picked one of these and ate it. It was a bit crunchy a bit chewy, very difficult to desribe, but the taste was not very distinctive. I thought that it is some part of entrails of an animal, and after I swallowed Sarah laughed and said it was pig’s intestine!!! aaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

But it was ok:) It is called the four-god soup, and it is very healthy The next bowl is noodles with intestine, oyster, garlic and chinese parsley. This one was a lot better, tastier, maybe because I love garlic. and the last bowl was some rice with verygreasy meat, egg and taiwanese pickles. I was so full again!! Sarah wrote me down also the characters for these courses so I can order it myself sometime!

I think, I’m getting you bored with all the food I write here about But it is always an experience!! SO to short, it for dinner I had my first hotpot. It is something we would call “eintopf” – everything is boiled in one bowl – lettuce, egg, meat, clams, crab meat, sausages, and a think that looked like a black block (and it was rice with, I’m not sure, but was probably a minced chicken bladder :D).

In the evening, after a lesson of chinese with my homepa (when I leraned how to properly pronounce the numbers), I showed him a video of czech republic and the Unesco heritage sites, and he really liked it.

Oh and I really made a mistake, giving the children at school my name. Now they all want to add me on facebook, so I will be really flooded by the taiwanese also “online”!