The day of my birthday was also the school fair. We all came to school early in the morning. All the Chinese teachers were in charge of preparing a game. Students and parents would go to the different classrooms playing games and earning tickets for their performance. Although I had to work on my birthday, which was a Saturday, the atmosphere was fun and laid back. The fair ended about 1 p.m. in which Kristen and Samantha took me out for my birthday. They treated me with bubble tea and then we picked up my friend Rosa from Fuzhong station. The rainy day, didn't stop us from celebrating. We were still able to go on the Gondola near the Taipei zoo. The Gondola takes about 30 minutes overlooking the city and the surrounding area. The Gondola stops at the top where there are many tea houses as well as hiking trails. We had traditional Chinese tea and dinner at a cute, scenic restaurant overlooking Taipei 101. After we took the Gondola down and gazed at the night view of the city. We went right to Sam's apartment and got ready to go out while playing drinking games. Rosa decided to leave as she needed to go back home. It was a fun night of drinking until 5 a.m. definitely a memorable birthday. The next morning wasn't very pleasant and I ended up sleeping almost the entire day until we needed to prepare for the pot luck at Sam's place. I made homemade reeces cups! It was an enjoyable birthday weekend and one I will surely remember.
Jade
The first Sunday in May, I reconnected with one of my Taiwanese friends, Jade. It was wonderful to see her again after so long. We first walked around the NTU campus and then she took me to a Middle Eastern restaurant, Sambaba, owned by a man from Tel Aviv. Later that day, Jade took me to an art exhibition at the world trade center. The art work were from artists all around the world. Together we cashually strolled for a few hours then went back to where we began our day to enjoy a fruit drink and swam at a public indoor pool. A wonderful day : )
Hualien trip
Jade invited me with her friend Ian to Hualien for the weekend. Ian, an American teacher in Tainan, recieved a scholarship to study Chinese at an University in Taiwan. One of his options was to study at the University in Hualien. Jade and Ian had visited Hualien just two weeks before, but Ian wanted to get a better feel for the area before he made the decision to move. The weekend was truly special.
We left early Saturday morning and met Ian in Hualien. We went right to the hostel, put our things down and explored the city. We found a nice coffee/tea shop at the cultural park where we sat down and enjoyed the atmosphere. During the day, we took it easy, relaxing and enjoying each others company.
The hostel we stayed at, sleeping boot, was perfect! It had a warm atmosphere and the co-founder was a lovely guy. We spent time relaxing on the couch and gazing at the peaceful scenery. That afternoon, we met a Swiss (Adrian) and an Israeli (Nadav) guy. Short story: I was at the sink washing my coffee cup while Jade went to go check on Ian. He decided to take a nap because he was so exhausted from the overnight bus ride. As I was standing at the sink, I heard a guy on the couch speaking on his cell phone in Hebrew! I tried to listen to make sure I was hearing Hebrew as he was talking very quietly. I sat across from him smiling and waited patiently for him to get off the phone. As soon as he got off the phone, I looked at him and said, "Where are you from in Israeli"? (In Hebrew of course). He looked at me and smiled. It was a nice surprise to meet him as I've only encountered Israelis once before in Taiwan.
Once Ian woke up, we rented scooters and drove to the University Ian was thinking of going to in the Fall. We strolled the campus for a while then went to a free native dance performance. Every night there is a free native dance show for the public where both locals and travels come to enjoy a bit of aboriginal culture. Around the proximity of the dance space was a market filled with jewelry, nick-nacks and famous marble pieces from Hualien. We walked around after the show and then checked out the night market.
The next morning before we left the hostel, we sat down had some tea/coffee and a little snack at the table, while chatting with the young girl who was doing a work exchange at sleeping boot. While everyone was sitting and talking, I checked my e-mail. I saw I received a message from Benji. The subject said: I love you. The message read: "Dear Gabriela, I love you. There is nothing in this world I want more than to be with you." I was speechless. My heart was filled with pure happiness, a feeling unlike anything I received before. I stood there at the computer with a big smile on my face and unable to continue reading. The letter was full of emotion; everything I've waited to hear for 6 years. My friends said, my face was glowing all day. Suddenly, the rainy day didn't bother me. The feeling was so powerful nothing could let me down. The day was amazing! Ian, Jade, Nadav and I rode scooters all day wherever our hearts desired. We stopped at the ocean side to enjoy the sound of the tide hitting the pebble beach. Later we found, a winery in Hualien that we explored. For lunch, we had teppanyaki. Then, Ian had to leave to get back to Tainan and Nadav had to get back to Taipei.
In the afternoon, Adrian joined Jade and I. We went to a secret place where not many people were. Kids, families, friends were playing in the stream and some were jumping from a big rock into the water. It was a very scenic area high in the mountains. We drove a bit more and found a B & B in the middle of the mountains, where you could view Hualien city. At the B & B there were many tables/chairs outside to sit, drinking tea and admiring the view. Lucky us, we saw a rainbow! That hardly ever happens in Taiwan.
All weekend, we took our time smelling the fresh air and enjoying each others company. We weren't in a rush to see so many things, only discovering and spending time in a few places. After those two days, we all went back home feeling refreshed and a sense of peace. During that weekend, even though it was short it felt so special and inspiring, as if we spent the whole week traveling in Hualien and learning so much from the people we met and their life stories. I believe, we all grew a special place for Hualien in our hearts.
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
In May, before the trip to Hualien, I also received a great e-mail from a Jewish girl named, Danielle. The message said, "The rabbi of chabad told me you were at the seder last month. I'm not sure what you thought of it (I was at the other one), but was wondering if you ever wanted to join me on a Friday for shabbat. I'm usually there every week and it would be awesome if another American girl showed up."
Danielle and I met up one late afternoon before Jade and I swam together that night. In fact, two days before the trip to Hualien. Those few hours Danielle and I talked were so special. There was one moment, we were sitting on top of the steps of Chiang Kai-sheik memorial hall. We were gazing at the beautiful area and feeling so comfortable with each other. A feeling of bliss and peace; neither of us wanted to say goodbye.
Later I got a message from her. "Gabriela! It was amazing meeting you today! I had the best afternoon with you! I'm looking forward to the next time I see you : ) I wrote her back and at the end of the e-mail I said, "I feel we will be good friends." She agreed : )
I feel so blessed the rabbi of Chabad reached out and connected us. Good friends are hard to come by.
We met up a few more times for the dragon boat festival and to volunteer at an orphanage. Both really great days together. :)
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