Heyyy readers! Back again to this space to just to clear off some spideyy webbies here. Here's just like a 5% story from my entire trip due to time restraint (you know I can write lengthy stories whenever I can and super short when I really can't afford to do so at the moment). I'm still composing on some small parts of my memory from this trip. Making a little time everyday to write down some of my thoughts when possible. So here you go!
The train ticket from (Shongshan) Taipei to Hualien.
While in the bus, I caught the sight of Taipei 101. Unfortunately I haven't got the chance to visit there yet. Ahhhh wait for me one day aiteee!
Love how clean the places are!!
On Christmas eve, we had classes and steamboat for the night. It was cold so when we had something boiling hot, it was just pure blessing for us!
On Christmas day itself, we put on our rubber boots which some were even too big for our size, walked like bosses (ahh too much don't bother) and followed shifu to their "secret garden" to harvest some vegetables. I slapped on a lot of mosquito repellent generously onto my skin and began to seek out for the hidden organic vegetables planted by shifu. Shifu said they rented an abandon land to plant their own vegetables. Before we start harvesting, we were instructed to use the sickle to knock onto our little plastic stool. For what? You might be wondering. Well, shifu said when we do that we can scared away the snakes. After that, shifu ride on her uber cool and handsome three-wheeled bike back to the abode to take us some snacks. Back she came with a big tray of fried noodle and homemade bubble tea!! I haven't drink it for years and this is homemade by shifu. Our tummies was filled and bloated love. What more we could ask for? It's just too perfect.
While we were hunting for the vegetables among the wild grass, occasionally the train would passed by us in a whoosh in the distant. Mist formed faraway at the top of the mountain. And quite regularly, you would see the locals here riding their scooter passing by us.
We harvested 6 baskets of vegetables and we stacked up all of them on a hand trolley and pushed them back to the abode.
Look at the mist
Homemade bubble teaaa!!! Haven't had one for a decade.
Embraced by the beauty of nature. Tantalizing my taste bud with this precious and immersing myself into the dreamy sight, sound and air.
At the bewitching hour of the day.
Every morning, we could only wake up at 3.50am in the morning (not earlier, nor later as long as you can make it on time at 4.10am to assemble at the chanting hall). Every day we move at a speed of light, making our beds and make sure they are perfectly folded at 90º at the edges, wash up, have our hair braided and etc. Def one of the most memorable thing back then!
Prison
When I first step foot into this place, I was completely awe-struck. The place was situated in a secluded place at a quite hilly area. Before the bus made its way there, we passed by a huge and vast park for tourist to visit. The weather was cold, and as the bus continue to made its way in. Along the journey you can spot misty hills there. As we arrived, we could see that the gardens were very well maintained. Beautiful plants and flowers can be seen here. Perhaps you could have thought that you have been leaded to the wrong place. The place was beautiful, I would even believe if they tell me it's a homestay area or touristic area.
The place and air were clean. As we descended from the bus, we were first greeted by a friendly black dog there, who actually led us to the hall where we were supposed to go. I didn't take photos of the place since it's forbidden to bring in cellular phones.
When we have arrived at the hall, I was quite shocked at first. Seeing a huge hall filled with the prisoners all seated on their chairs and all of them turned back to see a whole bunch of us people making way into the hall. We did our first performance, but I see that they were not quite amused into what we were doing in front. After that, as we performed the second sign language song called 很幸福, I could see they became more involved in what we were doing. As if on cue, many of them decided to follow our repeating sign languages at every chorus. There was also a session where we do group singing, and the mic was passed to some of them to also sing together with us.
Why were they locked here?
What's our difference with them? I'm not completely sure what got them in there. They look perfectly fine and neither do they look exceptionally despicable. Some of them were so young, some look like they were at the same age as me. Sometimes I wonder, how do they really feel in there. When they were singing, some began to tease the ones sitting next to them, resting their arms across their pal's shoulder and laugh like old friends. Sometimes it's painful to see this and when I see that they got accepted in our eyes, they began to open up themselves and smile and respond to us.
Old Folk's Home 荣明之家
JX and me were the emcess for this visit. I haven't really been to any old folk's home before and it's my first time doing such a visit. When we have arrived, we pushed the elderlies in their wheelchair to the main hall to entertain them.
Mosquito stings.
On New Year eve, we volunteered at the hospital. A place where 李师伯 told us to: 见苦知福.
Indeed, many people would be celebrating out there to count down on the arrival of a whole new year of 2019. Despite the excitement out there, there were still many patients at the hospital moaning with pain and agony and their only wish was to get out from there and lead a normal life.
I met an old grandfather who was very pessimistic at first at his own condition. Tears flowed when he said those words and his caretaker would help him wipe his tears away in a very positive attitude, asking him not to say negative things. He was a very kind person I could see, from how he treat his caretaker and how his caretaker communicate with him. What touches me was after a long leisure chatting with him, he changed his view by saying he would get better soon and shalt not have negative thoughts anymore. He said he used to travel a lot of places, a traveller he is. But due to his condition he couldn't make it anymore.
There's indeed no better time than now to achieve whatever you want.
At the ICU, many patients were bed-ridden, some couldn't even open their eyes, some were in coma mode. Sometimes just can't help to think how blessed we are when we are still healthy.
We moved so quickly that I ain't got the time to collect these maples. Woe is meee.
The train moaned and creaked at every swaying on the railway. We passed by many beautiful sceneries. Feasted my eyes on the beautiful coast which were mostly secluded. The gradient of the seawater was really alluring.
Too many things have happened and when you don't immortalise your thoughts into some kind of writing, that's as if those things have never took place at all in your life. Our thoughts and memories, lose a little as each day passes. Didn't afford to write down everything but whatever matters to me, I have them simplified into a photo, a word or a thing that might somehow evoke the whole memory in it. Sorry I can't write too much here for the moment but I'm glad you dropped by, thank youu and I hope some things, somehow that I have mentioned in here will be able to motivate you. Well, somehow.
Signing off,
S.Y