That "Continued" Part...

Talk about a rollercoaster of a day. I don't have a picture to share. You'll understand why soon.

This weekend, things just got better and better. On Friday night, we saw a classical Taiwanese puppet show at the hotel we're staying at. It was fabulous! So much more entertaining than I'd expected. It was two puppeteers, one doing all the voices for the puppets and the other just doing his puppet thing. Then there was a 5-person live band playing Chinese string and percussion instruments that was fantastic! After the show we got to play with the puppets. I was quite a puppeteering prodigy --- even the puppeteers were impressed with my ability to throw and catch the puppet on my finger! A few of you may be getting some DIY puppets when I get back. A lucky, lucky few... Friday night a bunch of us went back to a bar we'd stumbled upon earlier that is definitely home-y and wonderful and laid back and perfect for a group of us to just chill at after a busy week.

On Saturday, three of us went into Taipei proper to plan our internal community service project --- a scavenger hunt! We explored an area of Taipei that we've been to many a time, but never had time to look around. We ended up walking around for about 5 hours, in the hot sun/humidity, with a 45 minute lunch break in a food court where we found comfort in the seating area of a Dunkin' Donuts. Yes, the donuts taste different here; no, the coffee is still horribly burned but delightful for that moment in time. We ended up having a grand adventure, but I cannot disclose in case anyone from the trip is spying here...very secretive, we are...

I was determined to stay in and watch a movie that night, after a long day in the hot sun of the city. But when I found out that a big group of people were going out dancing, including our two professors, plans changed. We had a really great time, met some fantastically funny natives, and had a really great (but tiring) night in general, stumbling into the hotel around 3 a.m.

Slept until noon on Sunday (the ONLY benefit of not having a window in my room), and would have slept longer had I not been woken up by my doorbell being rung (have I mentioned the doorbells? No? Well we have them...) by a friend insisting that I go to Danshui, the town north of Taipei where the river meets the South China Sea. I ended up going with the group and having a great time! It was great to be by the ocean and explore an area where the bustling of people and the honking of cars didn't overpower the landscape. It was beautiful. I had my last meal pre-fast (I decided to for Yom Kippur, randomly, the day before) at a wonderful legitimate Mexican restaurant in Danshui.

This morning, I was greeted by a 4:10 wake-up call from the hotel, signaling the start of our early morning adventure to the Confucian Temple for a sunrise birthday ceremony. It was probably the worst three hours of my trip, thus far. The heat and humidity, on top of fatigue and lack of food got to me and I started feeling really faint when the ceremony started and we all had to stand for an hour and a half, starting around 5:45. About fifteen minutes into the ceremony, the pounding of the large drum near my ear made me physically ill, but I managed to hide it well enough that only three or four people around me, who knew I was feeling awful, noticed me get sick. It was a shame, really, missing the ceremony because I was either in an almost passing out daze or kneeling over to keep from passing out the whole time.

I felt pretty sick to my stomach and head for the rest of the day, even after getting some food in my stomach around 7 o'clock. I did complete my mission and fast for a day without too much trouble, other than the whole headache thing, which I'm pretty sure was more a cause of weather and fatigue than not eating. But I think I also got in my head a little too much. I was thinking about the concept of fasting and why I felt intrigued to do it on this particular day. It was almost like my body said: "Alright. You want to be purged of your sins? You want to feel what it's like to not be dependent on food? I can make that happen for you! Here! Rid yourself of the contents of your stomach!"

I apologize if any of this got too graphic. I'm actually quite amused by the way my body decided to treat me when I embraced the idea of fasting.

But really, it was a very revealing experience. I didn't get hungry, but I noticed myself wondering why I would have thought to eat throughout the day if I wasn't in need of food. I've started eating on a schedule, especially since coming to Taiwan. It's lunch time, I should eat. But do I need to eat? Am I eating because I know this is my only opportunity until I'll be hungry again? Or am I forcing food into my body because the two hands of the clock are both pointing upwards, signaling midday, and food time? Questions swirling in my head. Answers formulating somewhere in there.

To break the fast I had milk tea with tapioca balls (aka bubble tea) and fried rice. Not the best choice initially, but some of the better food I've had lately so it evened out nicely.

Finished the day off with a puddle jumping rendez-vous with a few girls from the trip. It was a wonderful continuation of the process of cleansing and renewal.

Happy Birthday Confucius! Happy Teacher's Day to those in my life (and in others' lives) who have given me knowledge, insight, guidance, and so much more. Thank you for your wisdom and willingness to teach me.

Feeling refreshed,
B(ee)