Taiwan Day 5

The children woke up really early today. After breakfast, we headed for Chia-yi Gang Ping Elementary School. Today, the girls sported a common hairstyle, the French Braid! Thanks to Mdm Jean Lai for turning into a temporary hairstylist for the girls! (^_^)

 

The final look.

 

Arriving at the school...

 

The children were pleasantly surprised to see a welcoming party at the school!

 

The Principal, Mdm Wu Chiu Feng

 

Entering the school after being presented with garlands.

 

The children listened to the Principal's address with interest.

 

Mdm Lai addressing the school after that.

 

The pupils in the school were attentive too.

 

The Chinese Orchestra members.

 

Exchanging of tokens

 

The orchestra putting up a performance for us.

 

The children's turn!

 

Jing Wen, erhu soloist

 

The quartet...

The pipa soloist

Presenting of corporate gifts

More gifts

Presenting a smaller version to the Chinese Orchestra teacher i/c

The children's warm welcome signage...

 

Group shot

From them to us...

 

Alishan's famous produce

 

More gifts

The children were assigned buddies and attended a lesson in their buddies' classes. All too soon, it was time to leave...

 

Saying goodbye...

 

More goodbyes - One pupil was so reluctant she broke down...

 

Group shot!

 

We moved on to Chiayi Park for a brief tour...

Historical mournament...

 

Confucius' temple

 

Entering the temple...

 

There, the children were amazed at the number of students praying for good results. The pink and white slips are all examination notices/registration forms.

 

The trip back to the resort was filled with free-for-all KTV!

 

Everyone had a good time.

The day was long but the children began to show more confidence and stage presence. (^_^)

Cheers,

Miss R. Lim

(on behalf of the teachers)

Day 4 - A day of DIY!

After a hearty breakfast, we made our way to Tsou Cultural Village. The children were awed by the sights along the way, but what made them really excited was being able to try their hands at different activities. Sharing some highlights:

 

The children put on their gloves in preparation for making their own 爱玉. 

 

Listening to some information about how  爱玉子 is collected.

 

The children had to rub the bag of  爱玉子 vigorously for at least 10 minutes.

 

More rubbing...

 

While waiting for the  爱玉 mixture to set, we tucked into a hearty traditional meal. 

Picture shows smoked bamboo rice.

 

After the lunch, we headed over to the ancient tribal meeting grounds for a brief history of the tribe.

 

Trying on the symbol of an accomplished hunter.

 

Bing Yang trying it on as well.

 

The children were really excited to make their own bird-chaser; a traditional contraption for shooing birds away from crops.When it is swung, it produces a sound, ranging from buzzing to whooping (depending on how hard it is swung)

 

Of course, they were supervised by the accompanying parents and teachers as they needed to shave their bamboo pieces with penknives.

 

Success! The children ran off happily to try out their new "toy".

 

Everyone was extremely immersed in their new role as "bird-chaser" ...

 

Some tried to calibrate their contraption...

 

Next stop: Alishan coffee place/coffee arthouse (阿将的家). The children loved the relaxing ambiance and listened raptly to Mr and Mrs Jiang. (^_^)

 

The children got to try their hand in the various stages of coffee-production.

Stage 1: Pounding the beans

 

Stage 2: Sifting the beans

 

Mr Jiang demonstrating the sifting.

 

The children were in for a yummy treat as the Jiangs showed their warm hospitality by treating the children to tea time snacks of candy, lollipops, cakes, crackers and beverages.

 

Next stage: roasting the beans

The children enjoyed themselves tremendously and all had an early night's rest as they had to wake up early the next day.

Cheers,

Miss R. Lim

(on behalf of the teachers)