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Taiwan team arrives in US

2009-05-04T22:12:00.002-05:00

Hello,
On behalf of D5580 Team Taiwan we are excited to have our counterparts from Taiwan here in the US!! Tuna, Tina, Ada, Louise and Sean. We hope you have as great of a time as we did! Follow their travels as they blog
http://tw348009gse.blogspot.com/

Post Script - D5580 District Conference

2009-04-24T23:58:00.002-05:00

Greetings from Minot North Dakota USA - where D5580 is gathering this weekend for the annual District Assembly and Conference. I (Mary Anne) have had the opportunity to visit with our Taiwan friends from the inbound team here and look forward to their first presentation tomorrow (Saturday). After watching their rehearsal this afternoon I am confident that they are ready and will charm these northern Rotarians.

All of our 2009 Team Taiwan members have emailed this week to reinforce their thoughts regarding an absolutely outstanding GSE experience in D3480. While we are glad to be home, we realize that a little piece of ourselves has stayed with our Taiwanese friends who have become like extended families to us. Thank you again, D3480, for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share in your world for a short time. You really did "touch our hearts"!!!

Home Sweet Home! THANK YOU ROTARY!!!

2009-04-22T12:49:00.008-05:00

After about 24 hours of travel, our team made it back home last night. It was hard to leave our new friends in Taiwan, and they definitely sent us off in style. Our final days were full of fun and fellowship.

Saturday and Sunday our team had a booth at the District Conference. Our "giveaways" including pins, stickers, Post-It Notes, sunflower seeds and soybeans, along with our "puppets" made it a popular location! We were able to meet and talk with many Rotarins from the district, and also had the opportunity to chat with Rotary Youth Exchange students from throughout the world. On Saturday night, we attended a banquet for the Rotary International representative and had yet another 11-course meal! :) Sunday, we did our presentation for about 300+ people at the conference. They were a very receptive audience and sang and clapped along!

After the conference, we were joined by the UK GSE Team, as well as members from the outbound UK and Taiwan teams, for one last session of KTV! From "I Will Survive" and "The YMCA" to Taiwanese pop hits, members of all four GSE teams sang and danced for hours! We even learned some new dance moves from our Taiwanese friends! :)

Monday was our last day in Taiwan. We all checked into the "Grand Hotel" for our last night and spent the afternoon relaxing and some of us even went for a swim in the hotel's beautiful olympic sized pool. I think we wanted to squeeze every moment possible out of the warm weather!

That evening, we were joined by all our new friends, host families and the other GSE Teams for a Farewell Party. As funny as it sounds, it was a joyful, yet extremely sad, celebration. We all shared what we had taken from the experience and thanked District 3480 for their overwhelming hospitality. We were joined by the outbound team to show off our singing and dancing skills for the crowd. District 3480 suprised us by presenting us with Chinese scrolls personalized with our new Chinese names. They are beautiful and something that will always remind us of the life-changing experinece we had in Taiwan.

As we said our goodbyes, I don't think there was a dry eye in the room. As the GSE Chair PP Paul put it, "Our time together was short, but intense." :) It amazed us all that you could make so many great friends in such a short amount of time.

The next day, a handful of Rotarians came to the hotel/airport in the early morning to send us off. We said one last tearful goodbye to the people and country we had grown so fond of! Thankfully, we will see some of these new friends again as we host the GSE Team from District 3480 this April/May!

Thank you District 5580, 3480 and Rotary International for this amazing experience! You really did "make our dreams real!"

The Placing of the Rock

2009-04-17T10:55:00.004-05:00

Our day started with a beautiful breakfast on the hotel terrace overlooking the lake. The fog and mist lifted early this morning and the sunny view over our coffee was absolutely spectacular. We decided that TODAY would be the day of the "placing of the rock" - our GSE Committee at home gave us a painted stone to leave in an appropriate place on our journey, and we couldn't imagine a nicer home than Sun Moon Lake. So we found a good spot and had some ceremonial photographs before leaving a little piece of D5580 behind. Look closely at the photo - the heart-shaped stone that we left is at the base of the large rock.

We then spent some time at the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village nearby, learning about the customs, music, and dance of the 9 indigenous tribes. We were impressed with the demonstrations and many of us even took part in the Wish Bead Ceremony, where we made a wish using a beetle-nut. Some of the more adventurous ones went on some of the roller coaster rides as well.

As we traveled back to Taipei we shared stories, laughs, and iPod tunes with our new friends from D1220 in the UK. It's amazing how a few days on a bus can make new acquaintences feel like old friends in a hurry. On the way home we stopped for dinner at a very nice golf course, where we were seated in the VIP room at the largest round table any of us had ever seen. The lazy Susan alone is bigger than most dining room tables. Once back in Taipei, our hosts took us home so we can prepare for the District Conference which starts tomorrow. Wan An!

Heading South to Sun Moon Lake

2009-04-16T19:09:00.007-05:00

Our Thursday started with a bus tour going south this time, toward Sun Moon Lake. We first stopped at the Yuli Distillery for a tour and samples of rice wine, and saw photographs of the 1999 earthquake that devastated the area. A little further down the road, our multi-course yummy lunch was at the Ching Sheng Restaurant, and after lunch we had a chance to walk across the street to the Wen Wu Temple to have a look around.

A chartered boat was our next mode of transportation, and we rode through the rain around to see the sights of Sun Moon Lake, which is incredibly beautiful even when it's pouring!!!!!

The boat brought us to the Harbor Resort Hotel, where we unpacked, dried off, and had a walk around the town before dinner. Can you believe that there's a Starbucks less than a block from us??? Dinner was held on a private balcony overlooking the town, and as usual, we had more than enough to eat. We all sampled the rice wine in between courses of chicken, beef, vegetables, and fish.

The evening was open for relaxing, so we had great conversations with our new friends from D1220 and looked in awe at the mountain views from our balconies. Another great day!

Yilan, Keelung and More!

2009-04-15T09:36:00.002-05:00

After a relaxing evening of soaking in the hot springs in Yilan, we were ready for another big day of site-seeing! We started out of a cultural village where we were able to see traditional arts and crafts. We also took in musical and dance performances.

After lunch, we made a stop at a winery where we learned more about the history and manufacturing of wine in the Yilan area.

Our final destinatin of the day was the city of Keelung, which happens to be the "sister city" of Therese's hometown of Thunder Bay Ontario! We were able to meet with the major of the city and Therese presented him with special gifts provided by her city. We also watched the sunset over the Keelung Harbor and got some great photos with the giant state of the "Goddess of the Sea."

We hit up Keelung's night market for dinner. Everyone is learning the favorite dishes and bubble milk tea, spring rolls, and strawberries dipped in a sweet red syrup were among tonight's top choices. Some of us also tried some adventurous eating - pig tongue, intestines and ovaries were also on tonight's menu! :)

Tonight, we are back with our host families in Taipei and ready to hit the road again tomorrow for a trip to Sun Moon Lake!

Traveling

2009-04-13T17:12:00.004-05:00

During our last week in District 3480 we are spending a few days exploring the island on a couple of mini-trips. On Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday we are traveling to the east coast of Taiwan to Hualien, Taroko Gorge, and Keelung. We'll return to Taipei briefly on Wednesday night to re-pack a bit, and then Thursday/Friday we'll head south to the Sun Moon Lake area.

The scenery at Taroko Gorge is spectacular and breathtaking - walls of rock as high as the eye can see with a very narrow road for the tour buses to navigate.

We are traveling on a tour bus that is not only very comfortable, it's also equipped with karaoke, so we've spent some time singing some of the miles away. It's really a pleasure to travel with the D1220 team from the United Kingdom; it's fun to have some time with them as they begin their Taipei adventure and we are finishing ours.

We look forward to the weekend District Conference as well, which will be held in the Taipei Grand Hotel. There we will greet all the D3480 Rotarians on behalf of our friends and families in D5580. The Rotary family truly is international.

As always, our wonderful Rotarian hosts are taking care of the details and encouaging us to relax and enjoy the experience. PP Paul, PP Tuna, PP Susan, Liz, and Albert are our wonderful hosts for this trip.

Week 3

2009-04-11T09:28:00.003-05:00

Our team can't believe we have already been in Taipei three weeks. The time has just flown by. On Thursday we all had two vocational exchanges and presented at the Taipei Formosa Rotary Club. My (Natasha) vocational exchanges have been unbelievable! All the organizations I visited were well prepared and organized and gave me very informative presentations. I have learned soo much. I can not wait to share what I have learned to all my HR colleques at home.

On Friday, the team visted the campus of NTU (National Taiwan University) and then presented at the Longshan Rotary Club. Friday afternoon we were able to have a private viewing of a stone musuem. We all enjoyed seeing the different rocks that had natural pictures on them of faces, numbers and animals.

Saturday we met up with the D3480 team who took us to see the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial and then we all attended a Rotary Charter ceremony. The days have been getting much warmer (75 F)-- and we still haven't gotten used to the high humidty. Many days we feel like "sticky rice"-- We are excited to continue our adventure as next week we travel with the GSE team from the UK to Sun Moon Lake and Toroko Gorge!

Happy Easter!

A Rainy Day in Taipei Town

2009-04-07T08:28:00.008-05:00

An amazing day of culture awaited us this morning. We saw beautiful treasures at the National Palace Museum. All of us were in awe at the number of items on display....and we saw but the tip of the iceberg. Can you imagine the talent and skill (not to mention the patience) in hand carving pieces from jade and ivory. The detail alone was something to behold. All these treasures housed in a building surrounded by much natural beauty.

Lunch at the Silk Palace Museum followed, where our tastebuds were again tantalized by a variety of dishes... the sesame balls and bean curd sheet rolls were a hit. A short walk from the Palace Museum brought us to the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aboriginals where we were introduced to yet another facet of Taiwan.

The later afternoon saw us up in Danshui, known for its Fisherman's Wharf. Sadly, the weather failed us and the heavens' opened to shower us all. Good thing we were all prepared with umbrellas (except for PP Paul, who sported a yellow slicker-perfect for spotting our leader in the crowded shopping lanes!). We are an ever resourceful group...and a little (OK, a lot of) rain may stop us from sightseeing, but never from exploring Taiwan life. Foot massages for all became the highlight of the afternoon. We all left feeling relaxed and ready for a round of shopping and browsing.

We're all excited about what tomorrow will bring.

Bowling, Massages, and Vocational Visits

2009-04-06T08:50:00.005-05:00

We haven't posted much on the blog for the past few days because we've been so busy! On Friday we all had a vocational visit, which by all reports were excellent and interesting and inspirational. Over the weekend we had various activities planned by the hosts, and on Sunday we switched host homes, so we were kept very busy. It's hard to believe that our time in Taiwan is halfway over already - it seems like we just arrived!

We started the week at a new host home with a little down time this morning, which gave us all a chance to fully settle in with our new families. We took the MRT (which we're really getting good at!) and then had a car ride to the Shuang Ho Rotary Club - a very nice Club that meets in a multi-purpose building. We were really tempted to stop at the bowling alley but time just didn't permit! This Rotary Club can sing!!! We all enjoyed listening and participating when we could. For this presentation, PP Paul served as our interpreter.

After our presentation we headed back to the middle of town to catch up with our vocational visit hosts, most of whom were meeting us at 2:30. While in the lobby of the hotel, we were tempted by Rotarian Liz to indulge in a short massage before we went off to our vocational visit this afternoon. The evening is free for us to enjoy our families. Tomorrow we have a day of sightseeing planned so it's early to bed for everyone.

Culture Day

2009-04-02T08:44:00.007-05:00

What a wonderful day we have had! We've been so busy and are really enjoying the opportunity to meet so many new friends and extend our relationships with people we have known just for one week - they already feel like long-time friends.

Our hosts today were Rotarian Daniel, PP Paul and PP Tuna - we met at Caesar Park Hotel at 9:00 for our first adventure of the day to Bi-Hu Theater, where we saw incredibly talented young people demonstrating acrobatics, tumbling, and Chinese opera from our VIP seats. We were impressed with their strength and flexibility... some of us almost hurt for them as they moved their bodies into such amazing contortions.

Then it was off to the Shui-Ming-Lou Restaurant, where we met with the ladies of the Taipei Lily Rotary Club. What a warm and wonderful group of women! We felt right at home. They sang along with our presentation and we had a chance to visit with all of them when the presentation was over.

A short walk brought us to the Miniatures Museum of Taiwan - a place where artists showcase their talents (and patience) by creating miniature replicas of real-life locations, as well as imaginary scenes - kind of like walking through a dollhouse museum. Rotarian Albert and Rotaract-er Cindy joined us too and it was great to have a chance to visit with them as we moved throughout the afternoon and evening.

We were momentarily transported to Britain this afternoon, at the Madame Rose Tea House, where we enjoyed tea, coffee, and a wide variety of treats including mini-sandwiches and scones. It was very relaxing to sit and visit. During our conversation we settled on our Chinese names, taking into consideration our birth year and our interests/roles: Natasha is Curious Dragon (Hau Chi Luong), Kesley is Fast Running Pig (Kwai Pau Tzu), Malika is Orchid Horse (Lan Hwa Ma), Therese is Jewel Monkey (Chen Chu Ho), and Mary Anne is Good Mother Hen (Hau Mu Chin). Our hosts were able to provide the Chinese characters for us, so the next chance we get we'll have a caligrapher write them down for us. We also taught Albert and Cindy the correct pronounciation and usage for "Uff-da!" and were treated to the Taiwanese equivalent, which is "Wa-lei!" Hey, this IS a cultural exchange, isn't it???

Our last stop of the day was the See-Join Taiwan Puppet Theater. We had a wonderful private dinner there, followed by a traditional Taiwanese puppet show. But the real treat came after the show when the owner gave us all puppets and showed us how to use them. We even got a chance to go backstage and put on our own puppet show, complete with dancing and kung-fu style fighting. It's surprisingly challenging, given that each puppet weighs almost 5 pounds. Today's memorable quote was from Therese: "I think I'm covered in puppet."

Tomorrow we have a vocational day and our weekend activities are being planned by our host families. I (MaryAnne) will have the chance to be one of the judges at a Rotary-sponsored English speech contest for students on Saturday. There were also rumors of sailing, hot spring-ing, hiking and shopping... and the team is gathering on Sunday night with many of our new friends at a KTV (Karaoke TV) place to sing up a storm. Hopefully we'll be able to showcase our talents by singing our team-chosen song...

April Fools Day

2009-04-01T08:14:00.003-05:00

The day started out at Starbucks for a Team Meeting. It was a great time to share what we all did on our first Vocational exchange and talk about what we are learning and all that is to come.
We completed our second presentation to the Taipei Castle Rotary Club. The second one went much smoother, we didn't forget any to sing any songs this time. After the presentation we were all given local cells phones which were MUCH needed as we have had no way to get in touch with each other or our host families. Kesley was by far the most happy about this! Thank you Rotarian Albert!
After the RC meeting we toured Confucious and Pao-An Temple and then went to the Shilin Night Market. Joining us today were two members from the inbound Team (Ada and Sean). It was really fun to spend the afternoon with them. PP Paul treated us to many great foods at the night market. We tried fruit milk, big cookie inside little cookie, Strawberries w/ syrup on a stick (Tasha's favorite) Custard and Bean stuffed pancake. It was all wonderful. We are definetly not going hungry!

Snow in Taiwan? and Pottery

2009-03-30T11:35:00.008-05:00

Monday, March 30 was a fantastic day for the team. We started out by going to visit the Yingge Pottery shopping district. We all were amazed at the detail of the pottery pieces and of all the different tea sets and other types of pottery. I believe we all found some treasures to buy. We then went to Tai-Wha Pottery. This company is one of the #1 pottery places in Taiwan, and is considered the "presidential pottery". We were treated as special guests and were given a private tour to see how they made the pottery pieces and hand painted the items. There was one artist today that was working that we were able to watch and take pictures with. Because the store has affiliation to the Rotary we were able to shop at a HUGE discount. We all came out of the store with the most beautiful items and gifts. Therese, was officially titled the "biggest shopper"! But the keepsakes she has are priceless. We definitely thank PP Tuna and Stanley for having the patience for 5 women shopping!
The team then had a short stop at Miniature World and off to another local Taiwanese dinner at Longtan. We all had sooo many foods to try: (jao-jzn (dumplings), baby clams in soy, meat roll, jellied chicken, pan-fried beef soup bun) just to name a few. Oh and I can't forget Tofu with preserved egg which MaryAnne ate after being peer pressured from the team because we all tried it. MC summed it up the best saying it tasted a bit like potato salad.

I shared with the team this morning that over the weekend, I was able to take a trip to the south western side of Taiwan (about 4 hours away from Taipei), there I saw what looked like snow??..but instead it was a place that manufactures salt and they make Salt Mountains. It was very unique to climb up and slide down on salt! We are all excited about our first vocational exchanges for tomorrow!

weekend adventures

2009-03-29T07:37:00.004-05:00

While some members of Team Taiwan were enjoying a traditional Taiwanese wedding on Saturday, I (Mary Anne) was busy visiting Yilan and Luotong north of Taipei with my host family. We experienced some traditional night market food for lunch - goat soup and strawberry shaved ice - both very tasty. Thank heaven for my host Susan and her son Benson (see photo) for navigating the ordering because I most certainly was lost. On Sunday after an elegant lunch at the Grand Hotel I was chauffeured around Tien Mu where I lived with my family from 1970 to 1972... and it's a completely different world now. Our former residence at House 8, Lane 23, Road 3, in Tien Mu is long gone, although I did figure out where it was - and in its place are large apartment buildings. The rice paddies in our back yard have also given way to new businesses and apartments. We did have the opportunity to take a long walk in Tien Mu Park and then also up to Yangminshan (Grass Mountain) to enjoy being outdoors in a relaxing garden setting. We are rested up and ready for week #2, which, judging by the schedule, is going to keep us hopping.

I would be remiss if I ended this post without thanking our wonderful first-week hosts for their gracious hospitality. The Rotarians of D3480 have been so generous and helpful in getting us off to a tremendous start of our GSE adventure.

Taiwanese Wedding, A Grand Affair

2009-03-28T22:28:00.002-05:00

Therese, MC, and Kesley had the opportunity to attend a GRAND Taiwanese wedding celebration with our host families. The groom is the son of a Rotarian. This wedding was complete with "shows" ----three of them, which included a presentation of food and showmanship. There were twelve courses to this lunch. The ceremony was not a separate affair, rather it took place synonymously with the reception in a beautiful hotel ballroom. About 500 guests were in attendance. MC and Kesley were lucky enough to get lucky bouquet candy from the bride.

The twelve courses included shark soup, sea cucumber, pigs feet, chicken soup, sea scallops, among other things.
The bride wore three different beautiful dresses. The tradition is to rent these instead of buy. She began with a white wedding dress, then moved to a elegant teal dress, the last was pink. Pictures are forthcoming.

Did we mention our new friends Eileen, and Mattes a young exchange student from Denmark.

1st Presention, 2-28 Memorial, Taipei 101 and more...

2009-03-28T10:28:00.003-05:00

What a day! We’ve run the gamut of emotions from excitement to the sobering reality that even events that have happened in recent years can still shape the present day.

A walking tour of the Old Downtown from the Main Station to the 228 Memorial Park revealed fascinating sites of Taipei. We moved from bustling streets lined with street vendors selling all sorts of fascinating foods (so many options, so little time!) to a whole building of 4 floors with over 100 different shops dedicated to selling computers of every shape and size (very reasonably priced, too)

The tour of the 228 Memorial Museum was both a fascinating glimpse of the history of Taiwan, and one that evoked many sobering emotions among all members of the team. The National Taiwan Museum offered a a flying glimpse of the natural history of the island.

Our FIRST presentation was to the Tatung Rotary Club…an opportunity for all of us to formally share a pictorial glimpse of District 5580 with the members of this most welcoming club (which is also the home club of their District Governor). Mary Anne gave a most inspiring welcome in Mandarin. All members of the team shared their slides with enthusiasm. It’s a relief to have the first one done.

Our meeting with representatives of Taipei City Government in the afternoon was preceeded by a group ride on the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit). The Director of Education offered warm greetings and an opportunity for a stimulating exchange of knowledge about the educational system.

Taipei 101, the world's tallest building, with the world’s fastest elevator. It was the first time all our ears popped on an elevator ride! The night view of Taipei from floor 91was amazing, and we were most fortunate we saw it when we did, as later on, the upper floors of the building were obscured by cloud cover. As for the shopping mall that was attached, some members of the team would gladly spend at least a week, happily shopping (but only with unlimited funds at our disposal). The brief browsing we were allowed was certainly tempting!

Dinner in the food court was a fascinating experience. No McDonalds, but fast food with a most international flavour. Indian, Sinapore, Japanese and of course authentic Taiwanese.

Hard to believe we’ve been here 3 days already. The sites we’ve seen and experiences thus far have more than filled our days, and leave us all with much to write about and reflect upon.

Our Rotarian Guide for today, PP Hank, has taken many pictures to document our adventures to date (as have we all). We can’t wait to share them with you. (pictures forthcoming).

Entry written by Therese posted by Kesley due to internet access issues

Tea and Pandas

2009-03-26T16:04:00.012-05:00

The familiar refrain is already "what a great day!" because we're having such an amazing experience with our gracious hosts. Thursday morning we met at the Caesar Park Hotel - it's very convenient because it's close to the railway station. We've been supplied with subway cards by our hosts so some members of the team arrived at the hotel via subway and others were delivered by the hosts at 9:00 to start our day. Our escorts for the day were Robert (aka "PP Tuna" who is the team leader for the team from 3480 coming to 5580 next month) and Spin, another Rotarian. Our first top of the day was Pinglin Tea Museum, up in the mountains to the north of Taipei. There we learned about the intricacies of growing and preparing tea - much more complicated than any of us previously understood. There is an outdoor garden and sculpture area that we really enjoyed too - it was a beautiful warm day and we took many photos.
Then to a tea house for lunch, where we enjoyed chicken, ginger noodles, deep fried tofu, sesame pork, sweet potato greens, chicken soup with mushrooms, and plum juice, followed by a demonstration of tea preparation by Spin. We really enjoyed the oolong tea that he made as well as the method he used, including using two different cups - one to smell the tea from and one from which to drink. Delicious!

The afternoon was spent at the Taipei Zoo, where the highlight was seeing the two pandas. No one was able to get a photo, however, because the lines are kept moving outside of the panda's enclosure by microphoned zoo officials who cause everyone to move ahead quickly. So blog readers will simply have to trust us - we really did see them! We also saw koalas, penguins (complete with "No Hubbub" sign outside their display), elephants, bisons (MC was delighted), camels, tortoises, and a host of other zoo animals. We enjoyed being outdoors as it was a lovely day - sunshine, not too humid, and the flowers are stunning, especially the orchids that seem to be growing everywhere.

Our van returned us to downtown Taipei, where our escorts treated us to a cold beverage at Dante's Coffee Shop, where the "coffee light is always bright". The evening plans included dinner with our host families, and then an evening at "home" with them.

The Quote of the Day came from Tasha; while looking over the mountain scenery from our lunch spot, she remarked, "This reminds me of nothing else I've ever seen before." It's definitely a unique place, made even more special by the wonderful Rotary hospitality. Tomorrow we make our first presentation to the Tatung Rotary Club. Zai Gian!

Food, Food, Food!!!

2009-03-25T09:50:00.004-05:00

What a wonderful first day we had here in Taipei! Last night, we finally got here at about 11:00 p.m. There were 10 very excited Rotarians there to us with a banner and everything! As soon as we saw them, an feeling of exhaustion after more than a day of travel were GONE!

The people are so friendly and the food is fabulous, although our vow to be adventuous eaters was tested right from breakfast! We hit the hotel buffet and tried a wide variety of Taiwanese dishes including: scallop lips, pickled cabbage, seasoned bamboo shoots, pickled zucchini, Cantonese porridge, steamed buns, lotus room, pastries with bean paste and washed it down with a tall glass of green tea. Tasha and MC loved the pickled cabbage, Kesley's favorite was the pastry with bean paste and all Therese could say was that she was in food HEAVEN! :)

We did a little exploring around the area of our hotel, which is in the middle of the city, and were amazed at the number of American chains. There is a Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, 711 and McDonalds all within one block of our hotel!!! There were also scooters EVERYWHERE!!! Therese saved us many times with her language skills. (She speaks a Cantonese dialect, which many are familiar with here.)

After about an hour, it was time for lunch of course! We once again hit the buffet, this time for beef noodle soup, quail eggs, dim sum, black sesame buns, chicken legs, seafood salad, seafood crackers and more! Yummy!!!

We all parted ways to our host homes and are staying with some wonderfuly families! We can't wait to get to know them better.

Tonight was our welcome party where we enjoyed a 12-course meal, met all those that are involved in the GSE exchange including host families, the outbound GSE team, the District Governor and all the GSE committee members. We also learned the true meaning of gon bay. (Cheers!) :)

Well, it's off to bed. We have another BIG day tomorrow. Wan an!!!

A day lost in Transit

2009-03-24T18:33:00.003-05:00

We are finally in Taipei!! A very bleary calculation approximates that some of our team have been travelling for close to 30 hours by the time we reached our final destination. But as the pictures show, we are a hearty group and look not that much different on our arrival than at the start of our journey ("after" picture will be forthcoming).

We've had a warm welcome from our hosts, who safely delivered us to our first stop...a luxurious one night stay at the Caesar Park, Taipei. We can't wait to see what the new day will bring.

Bye Bye USA

2009-03-23T09:36:00.005-05:00

Dress Rehearsal

2009-02-28T15:25:00.016-06:00

We've had a busy day, with our first dress rehearsal for some members of the Superior Sunrise Centennial Rotary Club at the Bong Heritage Center. We received some great feedback and are planning to make some minor adjustments to the presentation...even though we received a standing ovation! Thanks to those who were able to come and to our family and friends who are supporting us on this journey. We love you all!

Ni hao

2009-01-31T13:21:00.000-06:00

Ni hao, thank you for viewing Team Taiwan's blog! I hope you find our posts, informative and fun!

we're hard at work!

2009-01-31T11:37:00.001-06:00

Team Taiwan 2009 has met three times now, and each time the process of working together has been awesome! This is definitely a group of dynamic women, all of whom are excited to travel and experience Asian culture. Kesley and Natasha have been creating our power point presentation, MC has initiated our blog, and Therese has shared her fantastic organizational skills with the group - she has the most comprehensive packing list any of us has ever seen!

Creating the power point has been a little bit of a challenge; we're using lots of photographs in lieu of a lot of words. Even though many people in Taiwan speak some English, we're sensitive about communication issues that may arise, so we're counting on our pictures being worth a thousand words.

We've also been working on organizing gifts to take, selecting uniforms, learning some Chinese phrases, making sure our passports are up-to-date, creating our team brochures, and getting to know each other. What a privilege it has been to have this time together.

We have one more team meeting scheduled in late February; at that time we'll practice our presentation for area Rotarians and friends before we board the plane on March 23.

We've also been fortunate to have developed friendships with area Rotarians who have provided home stays for our Team when we've gathered in Duluth/Superior. A HUGE thank you to them: Earl and Judy Rogers, Don and Jan Hanson, and Paul and Mary Beth Frost. We're keeping costs down AND practicing our home stays at the same time!

And before we close this post, we send a shout-out to our friend Keith Simons in Thunder Bay - keep saving lives, Keith, and know that we miss you!

Zai Jian for now!
Posted by MaryAnne Korsch
January 31, 2009

Step One: Creation of Blog

2009-01-10T13:28:00.000-06:00

Looks like GSE Team to Taiwan, District 5580- District 3480 is ready!

Blog is created, we have our list of "things to pack", and we have a very engaging presentation that we will practice (and practice) before we leave.

Who are we? Well, click to see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8btgPOgKUx4

Cheers to Taiwan

Best,

Designated Team Blogger

MC