Haňule z Kyjova

Now after the few weeks not so many things happen. Everything has settled down. But that doesn’t mean I’m bored! during the week I had many classes. Some were a bit more noisy, like 215 or 315, full of boys only. But they were nice in the end:) And when I asked in 315, what should I visit in Taiwan, one of the boys invited me to visit his hometown on Saturday!

On Friday I had Claire’s classes, two of them 205 and 207 prepared some program for me too, so I stayed for 2 lessons. The first class introduced me the Dragon Boat festival, which takes place on the 5th day of the 5th month of the traditional Chinese calendar. We prepared some traditional food like the rice dumplings wrapped and steamed in bamboo leaves. I tried to make also different type of dumplings filled with meat. They also prepared a performance of the legend. The story is that a well known poet Qu Yuan opposed the emperor, was banished from the city and after a few years he committed a suicide drowning himself in the Milou river. It is said that people that admired him raced after his body on boats, but could not find it so they at least threw rice balls into the water, that the fish would feed on the rice and not on his body.

In the 207 they introduced me the Lantern festival. This is connected to Pingxi. It originated during some wars, when people ran out of the city to save themselves and only a few stayed to secure the city. When they were sure that the enemy is gone, they released lanterns to the sky and let the other people know that it is safe to get back. Nowadays people write a wish on the lantern and release them to sky hoping that the gods will grant their wish.

We also prepared a different kind of dumplings, little balls boiled in a soup, one sweet and one salty, also some wraps with nori and eggs and dried meat. Everything was very good, so I ate all day! and then I joined their P.E. class too.

In the evening I went for dinner with my friends Lulu, Fish, and the twins Jerry&Cherry We had a good hotpot and then went to Zhongli to find some chopsticks for me to buy. But it’s really hard to find good chopsticks! I could not believe how hard it can be! I had also some papaya milk, and we sat in 7/11 for a long time and talked till 10 pm.

my hotpot before cooking

On Saturday the boys planned a trip to Daxi. It is a place famous for “dogan” – a kind of dried soybean thing, similar to tofu but made more hard. I didn’t know how many people is coming with us and who exactly. It was a surprise that 6 boys wanted to go somewhere with me

our “sheep team” – Zhewei, John, Kunchi, Sugar, and behind us Stone and 

We took a bus from Zhongli to Daxi. There we went to an old street which looked different form all streets I have visited since. It looked more old and historical, many shops on both sides, that belonged to different shopowners and had names on the facades. The boy from Daxi, whose name is Kunchi, took us for the best and most famous food – togan, tohua and kind of fried rice. Everything was really tasty and I enjoyed their company.

the old street

We also walked the bridge in Daxi, which is only for walkers and many street artist usually gather here to give performances and earn money. There is a saying that if you walk the whole bridge hand in hand with your partner you will soon brake up!

the Daxi bridge

After the walk we decided to go back to Zhongli to a kind of haunted house Only 4 of the boys accompanied me there because the other two had to go to study. We went to a King House. It’s a kind of hanuted house were you can choose two different kinds – detective or horror. I’ve chosen horror one And the boys were a little bit afraid Sugar was a little shaking

There were several rooms, very dark ones, and we had to find the key to the next room. But there were masked people that were really scary and they made us very afraid… It was fun, but also I was a bit afraid:D Zhewei screamed a lot and in the dark we really leaned to each other how we were afraid.

To relax a little after this we went to bowling. We played one game. I have to say that I was never better – I did 114 points, which is the best in my life! And also I was the second best!

On Sunday Sarah took me to lunch at a sushi restaurant and then we went to see an exhibition at the Taozuan city hall. The paintings were made by a boy who has autism. The paintings were very colourful, gaudy, with strong emotions of love. I liked it!

In another room there was an exhibition of calligraphy, so we pisited also this one. We were very lucky, because the artist who did all the works was there too. We asked him some questions, about his works and he gladly answered, So we spend there nearly an hour!

Sarah wanted to take me to a village near te seacost. It is a small village but the inhabitants painted many walls and buildings with dufferent pictures and then it became famous. And finally I could see the sea!!! I was so happy that I ran to the water in my jeans and didn’t mind that it was all wet to my knees. I love the see! And the sunset was very beautiful, although the beach was not the perfect one, or the cleanest one.

We had dinner in a revolving restaurant at the cost. You can eat a lot of seafood here, and the inside of the restaurant keeps turning, so we could see the dark see and also the lights of the city.

So exhausted after the whole weekend! But it was worth it!