First Day in Hsin Chu

Oh my goodness. What can I say except I so wish all of the parents were here to see their children. This fabulous group of students offered not one complaint during our extended stay at LAX where they kept a mean game of spoons going, played some other card game I never did figure out the rules to, window shopped, and enjoyed spending the $10 meal voucher from American Airlines. We arrived in Narita around 9:30 p.m. local time. After getting more meal vouchers and hotel vouchers we made it to our hotel room sometime around 11:00. the dining room closed at midnight so several of the students enjoyed a grilled salmon dinner. They were most entertained by the 3 tator tots that accompanied their meal. Let me take that back; they were most entertained by the toilet/bidet.

Our host students were at the airport in Taipei ready to meet us. I'm not sure what all was going on during the bus ride from Taipei to Hsin Chu, but the laughter was non stop. The two delegations were totally meshed. We arrived in Taipei around 12:30 and went straight to the mayor's office for the press meeting. The students changed into their shirts and hats at a road stop so at least they were not in the same shirt they had been wearing for 40 hours. After the mayor's office, we learned to make meatballs at a local meatball store. Hsin Chu is known for meatballs and rice noodles. I think meatball making is a pretty universal technique. We took a short walk through some of the inner market to a temple. The little market was outdoors with just a roof overhead and offered a wide, wide variety of food. The aroma of the spices from the booths was sharp but not unpleasant. It mixed with the incense from the temple.

The parents met us at city hall. After loading luggage, several of the students' parents went on home, and the students and host students were planning to walk through Hsin Chu, and I think ice cream was on the agenda. Other students loaded up and went home. They are exhausted but happy and having a good time.