1)When approaching a light that's turned yellow simple increase your speed.
2)When approaching a light that's turned red, increase speed and honk your horn.
3)When going through a red light, watch out for those pesky traffic cameras.
4)When approaching an intersection with no lights, stop signs, or yield signs, the general rule is - you hesitate, you will wait.
5)Learn to recognize the yellow signs on the side of the roads written in Chinese. These say, "caution traffic camera ahead".
6)Driving the wrong way down a road is perfectly acceptable and many times is a more convenient way to get where you're going.
7)Hazard lights are actually parking lights. Just stop in the middle of the road and turn them on - instant parking place.
8)Sidewalks are actually small roads made for scooters and any other vehicle able to get on them.
9)Bus exhaust can be a great heater during the winter, just drive your motorcycle right in. *note - don't breathe while using this method
10)Sneezing with your motorcycle helmet face shield down is not advised.
Next time you're driving in Taiwan remember this simple driving tips and they will enhance your driving experience. :)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Originally, I thought it was just one of those days
This morning, I was thinking about yesterday and complaining to the Lord about it 'cuz it was "JUST ONE OF THOSE DAYS". You know the type - things don't go well, people say things that irritate you, you wish you could stay in bed all day - one of those kinds. So, I was complaining to the Lord about it. And I could pretty much immediately sense the Lord questioning my assessment of the situation. And so, together we began to rehash the events of this "not good day".
Here is how my actual day went...
I got up had a great quiet time. The topic was - Trusting the Lord in all situations and allowing Him to work in any way and in any situation, as He desires to work.
Next, I went to Bible study. We had a great time, awesome conversation and one of the ladies is continuing to open her heart more and more the Lord. (I thought, OK Lord, the morning was pretty good. You made Your point, but the rest of the day was not!)
So, next I went home had lunch and then headed out to meet with a different friend. We are also doing a Bible study of sorts but I'm doing all the reading and it's reading the Chinese Bible and then we discuss. This is helping me with my reading ability and we have good Bible discussions. (OK Lord, other than I'd like to be able to read Chinese better than I do. This too was pretty good)
Then I headed out on my motorcycle IN THE RAIN and got all wet on the way to check on another friend at her shop. I was going to buy a few things from her, of which she had none of the stuff I wanted. But I did still have a good time talking with her and hearing how she's been doing. (OK Father this was good too - other than the RAIN)
By now it's after 6pm so I head home. I get home and get something to eat, put the dishes away, etc... Later the Chinese lady living at my house comes out of her room and so I go see how she's been. She's been having a rough time. So, we talk about this for a little while. Then she began saying some things, things that by this culture are considered normal, but by American culture are considered rude and in no way normal. What she said isn't the point, it's a cultural thing. I've lived here long enough to know that, but at times it still wears on you. (I don't like the way many of the people here sometimes talk to each other and their kids and I try to counter things they say, as much as I can. Cultural or not, there is nothing uplifting about it.) Anyway, I listened to her for a little while and then changed the subject back to what's been going on with her.
Then I went to my room -- irritated. I sat in my room and fussed to the Lord for a while and then busied myself with other things.
That night, I couldn't sleep. My mind wouldn't shut down and so I woke up this morning tired and began complaining to the Lord again. But instead of going to Him with "Those things said last night really frustrated and bothered me" it turned into "yesterday, was just one of those days!"
So, why am I writing this? Well, I just thought I'd remind you guys - DON'T DO WHAT I DID! If something bothers, frustrates, irritates you - go to Father first. Eph. 4:26-27 says, "Don't let the sun go down while you're still angry and don't give the devil a foothold". My lack of sleep last night was because I didn't go to the Lord and work through this first, I gave the enemy a foothold. Instead I let my mind go wild, didn't sleep, let the enemy turn a small mole hill into a mountain, and I'm tired today! When all I needed to do was go to Father and say, "Can we talk about this?" And then pour out to Him and listen to His response to me.
Well, now I've done that and I'm feeling much better. And I've realized, yesterday wasn't "one of those days" after all, it was actually a pretty good day. The only thing that could have made it better is if I'd ended it sitting with Jesus pouring out my heart and hearing His. BUT it's never too late! I'm so glad we serve such a merciful, gentle Father. Aren't you? He is so sweet and He expounds the boundaries of our cultures.
Father help to live within the boundaries of Your culture at all times!
Here is how my actual day went...
I got up had a great quiet time. The topic was - Trusting the Lord in all situations and allowing Him to work in any way and in any situation, as He desires to work.
Next, I went to Bible study. We had a great time, awesome conversation and one of the ladies is continuing to open her heart more and more the Lord. (I thought, OK Lord, the morning was pretty good. You made Your point, but the rest of the day was not!)
So, next I went home had lunch and then headed out to meet with a different friend. We are also doing a Bible study of sorts but I'm doing all the reading and it's reading the Chinese Bible and then we discuss. This is helping me with my reading ability and we have good Bible discussions. (OK Lord, other than I'd like to be able to read Chinese better than I do. This too was pretty good)
Then I headed out on my motorcycle IN THE RAIN and got all wet on the way to check on another friend at her shop. I was going to buy a few things from her, of which she had none of the stuff I wanted. But I did still have a good time talking with her and hearing how she's been doing. (OK Father this was good too - other than the RAIN)
By now it's after 6pm so I head home. I get home and get something to eat, put the dishes away, etc... Later the Chinese lady living at my house comes out of her room and so I go see how she's been. She's been having a rough time. So, we talk about this for a little while. Then she began saying some things, things that by this culture are considered normal, but by American culture are considered rude and in no way normal. What she said isn't the point, it's a cultural thing. I've lived here long enough to know that, but at times it still wears on you. (I don't like the way many of the people here sometimes talk to each other and their kids and I try to counter things they say, as much as I can. Cultural or not, there is nothing uplifting about it.) Anyway, I listened to her for a little while and then changed the subject back to what's been going on with her.
Then I went to my room -- irritated. I sat in my room and fussed to the Lord for a while and then busied myself with other things.
That night, I couldn't sleep. My mind wouldn't shut down and so I woke up this morning tired and began complaining to the Lord again. But instead of going to Him with "Those things said last night really frustrated and bothered me" it turned into "yesterday, was just one of those days!"
So, why am I writing this? Well, I just thought I'd remind you guys - DON'T DO WHAT I DID! If something bothers, frustrates, irritates you - go to Father first. Eph. 4:26-27 says, "Don't let the sun go down while you're still angry and don't give the devil a foothold". My lack of sleep last night was because I didn't go to the Lord and work through this first, I gave the enemy a foothold. Instead I let my mind go wild, didn't sleep, let the enemy turn a small mole hill into a mountain, and I'm tired today! When all I needed to do was go to Father and say, "Can we talk about this?" And then pour out to Him and listen to His response to me.
Well, now I've done that and I'm feeling much better. And I've realized, yesterday wasn't "one of those days" after all, it was actually a pretty good day. The only thing that could have made it better is if I'd ended it sitting with Jesus pouring out my heart and hearing His. BUT it's never too late! I'm so glad we serve such a merciful, gentle Father. Aren't you? He is so sweet and He expounds the boundaries of our cultures.
Father help to live within the boundaries of Your culture at all times!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Blessed by a Visit
My sister and brother-in-law came for a 10 day visit. We had such an awesome time. We drove completely around the Island of Taiwan. Went to the ocean, the mountains, Taroko Gorge, Taipei and all around Taichung. They got to eat a home cooked meal, thanks to Rongro (man, can she cook). Many of my friends took them out to eat. They did great with the food, even with things most Americans find extremely unappetizing such as - deep fried intestines. They wimped out when it came to stinky tofu though, I can't imagine why!?
We laughed until we cried talking about silly family stories. Like the time my nephew and niece decided to see if water thrown outside would really freeze. They threw it on the front porch and when their mom and dad returned from the grocery store - it had indeed frozen. Their dad ended up flat on his back and the groceries ended up all over the place. Granted at the time, their father didn't find this scene to be funny, now however, we laughed and laughed. Or how when we were young our father had the magical ability to speak Chinese whenever he hit his finger with a hammer (of course now that I speak Chinese, I know he was fibbing). We laughed until our sides hurt remembering many silly things such as these.
Their visit flew by with lightening speed but it was such a blessing to be able to share life in Taiwan with them, to get to hear first hand how things are going back home in the States, to already begin making some plans for my next trip back (granted it's over a year away but we had fun making plans anyway) and to reminisce and laugh about the past.
Thank you Lord for the blessing of family and visitors.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Cambodia and Vietnam Trip
My roommate and I recently made a trip to Cambodia and Vietnam. The trip was full of amazement, sorrow and joy. We rode around in a TukTuk - those are FUN (I wish Taiwan had them!). Traffic was somewhat similar to Taiwan's - crazy! I kept trying to speak Chinese to the people there. They don't speak Chinese and Kristin, my roommate, is still laughing at the funny look I got from the hotel guy. My first sentence came out in English and then, without my realizing it, everything else came out in Chinese. The poor guy's facial expression said it all - he had no clue what I was saying. His response? "It's OK, no problem." We walked away with Kristin laughing so hard I thought she was going to wet her pants! I think I turned about 3 shades of red! Oh well...
We visited the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. These places absolutely broke my heart. As I walked around on the very site were horrendous crimes were committed, reading about that time in history, and looking at pictures of innocent people who were tortured and killed - I was truly overwhelmed with grief and with anger. Honestly, I'm still processing it.
We also visited Ankor Wat. This is a massive temple complex built in the early 12th century. Massive is an understatement! The place is unbelievably massive. Man's ability to build, even way back then, amazes me. It also grieves my heart. God blessed us with these talents and so much of the time mankind uses those talents towards anything but glorifying God. The place was an amazing site though. We were going to go up in a hot air balloon over Ankor Wat but it was way TOO HOT! So, we opted to return to the hotel and take a cool shower instead.
A highlight for me was a TukTuk drive through a country area. There we got to see how the average Cambodian lives. Houses built on stilts with ladders or stairs going up to the entrance. Families sitting under their homes or anywhere else where there was shade, trying to hide from the unrelenting rays and heat of the sun. Little bare bottomed toddlers running around playing - I'm assuming this is because it's easier than changing diapers and cheaper. There were even several hammock bars. These were long open buildings with hammock after hammock hanging up and swinging in what little breeze there was. The thought did come to mind to stop and swing in a hammock for a minute or two but we didn't.
We also went on a boat ride to a floating village. There were little old ladies in canoes going from house to house selling daily household necessities. There was also a school, basketball court, a pig pen and anything else a town might need. I was amazed as I saw a little girl, maybe 4 years old maneuvering a canoe all by herself. She couldn't have been more than 4...amazing!
We also visited a village that has been plagued by human trafficking. We were told that at one time 100% of those precious little children were being sold to men coming from all different backgrounds and countries. As I watched the little children playing in the dirt street, I also thought about little TuiTui and my young nieces and I could feel the anger rising up in my heart. They have transformed a former brothel into a church and we were blessed to get to walk through it and meet and pray over the local pastor and his family. Their lives are not easy. They are often threatened by men who blame them for interfering with their livelihood (human trafficking) and yet this man and his family persevere. I was blessed to meet them and see the work they are doing and hear the stories they told us. These stories of the horror that once took place in this little village and that they are still fighting against, grieved my heart so much. Little girls being locked in rooms with snakes to teach them to obey what they are told to do. A small room where a girl of 9 or 10 died at the hands of the repeated abuse she sustained. And the stories of triumph, a grandmother who has given her life to the Lord and is now protecting her young grand-daughter from being sold again by the child's own mother. We got to see a new school they are building. It will open this fall and will give these children a chance to be educated, a chance they did not have before. This was a day full of joy, sorrow and righteous anger. I'm still trying to process through all I saw and heard this day.
Our bus ride to Vietnam took about 8 hours. It was very long. Seeing the countryside was fun. The bus would have to slow down time after time to allow water buffalo or cows to cross the road. The border crossing wasn't too bad and we finally made it to Ho Chi Minh City. Here both of us rested (we were both exhausted), went for walks, visited the local markets and tried to figure out how to cross the chaotic streets without getting hit by a motorcycle, car, bus, pedicab, etc... I learned in Vietnam - that Taiwan's traffic isn't really that bad!
The trip was great and as I said before, there are different aspects of it that I'm still trying to process through. But all in all it was an awesome trip!
We visited the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. These places absolutely broke my heart. As I walked around on the very site were horrendous crimes were committed, reading about that time in history, and looking at pictures of innocent people who were tortured and killed - I was truly overwhelmed with grief and with anger. Honestly, I'm still processing it.
We also visited Ankor Wat. This is a massive temple complex built in the early 12th century. Massive is an understatement! The place is unbelievably massive. Man's ability to build, even way back then, amazes me. It also grieves my heart. God blessed us with these talents and so much of the time mankind uses those talents towards anything but glorifying God. The place was an amazing site though. We were going to go up in a hot air balloon over Ankor Wat but it was way TOO HOT! So, we opted to return to the hotel and take a cool shower instead.
A highlight for me was a TukTuk drive through a country area. There we got to see how the average Cambodian lives. Houses built on stilts with ladders or stairs going up to the entrance. Families sitting under their homes or anywhere else where there was shade, trying to hide from the unrelenting rays and heat of the sun. Little bare bottomed toddlers running around playing - I'm assuming this is because it's easier than changing diapers and cheaper. There were even several hammock bars. These were long open buildings with hammock after hammock hanging up and swinging in what little breeze there was. The thought did come to mind to stop and swing in a hammock for a minute or two but we didn't.
We also went on a boat ride to a floating village. There were little old ladies in canoes going from house to house selling daily household necessities. There was also a school, basketball court, a pig pen and anything else a town might need. I was amazed as I saw a little girl, maybe 4 years old maneuvering a canoe all by herself. She couldn't have been more than 4...amazing!
We also visited a village that has been plagued by human trafficking. We were told that at one time 100% of those precious little children were being sold to men coming from all different backgrounds and countries. As I watched the little children playing in the dirt street, I also thought about little TuiTui and my young nieces and I could feel the anger rising up in my heart. They have transformed a former brothel into a church and we were blessed to get to walk through it and meet and pray over the local pastor and his family. Their lives are not easy. They are often threatened by men who blame them for interfering with their livelihood (human trafficking) and yet this man and his family persevere. I was blessed to meet them and see the work they are doing and hear the stories they told us. These stories of the horror that once took place in this little village and that they are still fighting against, grieved my heart so much. Little girls being locked in rooms with snakes to teach them to obey what they are told to do. A small room where a girl of 9 or 10 died at the hands of the repeated abuse she sustained. And the stories of triumph, a grandmother who has given her life to the Lord and is now protecting her young grand-daughter from being sold again by the child's own mother. We got to see a new school they are building. It will open this fall and will give these children a chance to be educated, a chance they did not have before. This was a day full of joy, sorrow and righteous anger. I'm still trying to process through all I saw and heard this day.
Our bus ride to Vietnam took about 8 hours. It was very long. Seeing the countryside was fun. The bus would have to slow down time after time to allow water buffalo or cows to cross the road. The border crossing wasn't too bad and we finally made it to Ho Chi Minh City. Here both of us rested (we were both exhausted), went for walks, visited the local markets and tried to figure out how to cross the chaotic streets without getting hit by a motorcycle, car, bus, pedicab, etc... I learned in Vietnam - that Taiwan's traffic isn't really that bad!
The trip was great and as I said before, there are different aspects of it that I'm still trying to process through. But all in all it was an awesome trip!
Monday, May 17, 2010
New at this
Ok, several of you have asked me if I have a blog and I've always said, "no". I've never done a blog before, I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm going to try this! So, please bear with me as I figure this out. For those of you who actually know what you're doing, I'd love any input or helps you might have.
So, why am I finally doing a blog? Simply put, it has been brought to my attention several times and I know this is a good way to keep you all updated on what's going on. I will try to update on a fairly regular basis. If you're wondering what's going on and it's been awhile since I posted, remind me!
All I can say now is, "Off we go...."
So, why am I finally doing a blog? Simply put, it has been brought to my attention several times and I know this is a good way to keep you all updated on what's going on. I will try to update on a fairly regular basis. If you're wondering what's going on and it's been awhile since I posted, remind me!
All I can say now is, "Off we go...."
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