following an unknown path

repeating conversations

There was a joke in one of my foreign language education classes in grad school about a student of French who went to France and came back upset because no one in France knew their lines to the dialogues. 

I think here in Taiwan, someone actually could memorize "their lines to the dialogue" because they are most likely going to be asked the same questions in nearly the same order . . . .over and over and over again.

However, one thing to be careful of is that the conversation patterns change depending on what phase of your life you are in. 

So, since I've been amused by the conversations I've been having lately, it seems that I'm entering a new phase of repeated conversations.

Here is an actual conversation I had yesterday in Chinese (translated to English by me):

Shop Owner: So, hey, why can you speak Chinese?  You been here long?

Me: Yes, I've been here 7 years. 

Him: Ah,  married?

Me: Yes.

Him: Taiwanese guy?

Me: (with a smile) yes.

Him: Oh yeah!  Taiwanese guys are good guys, aren't they!?!

Me: (with an even bigger smile) yes.  they are pretty good.

Him: yall have a baby?

Me: No, not yet.

Him: Oh, that is just not right!  If you really think we Taiwanese people are good.  You should make a little Taiwanese baby!

Me: Well, we've only been married a year.

Him: (visibly surprised) Oh!  Just a year!  I thought it would be much longer than that since you speak Chinese.  . . .So, uh, hey, you a teacher?

This particular shop owner cracked me up.  He had a very lively personality and talked with me for a least 20 minutes while I waited in his shop. 

So, as I hopped on my moped leaving his store, I started thinking, and here are my observations/ponderings:

Observation/Pondering 1:

His reply to the baby question was a new one.  Usually it is followed by something along the lines of "oh, mixed blood babies are beautiful.  I'm sure your baby will be so gorgeous."  

Following, Lawrance's example, I reply to that with "all babies are beautiful."   He can get away with it--they stop that line of commenting with him.  When I'm alone, whoever I'm talking to (especially the grandmas) insist I don't know what I'm talking about because it is a "known fact that mixed blood babies and the most beautiful in the world."  At this point all I can do is smile. (Something Lawrance and I have already talked about is how to help our future children deal with all the compliments they are going to receive while in Taiwan.  But that's another topic for another day.)

Observation/Pondering 2:

The other place this conversation usually takes me is to the fact that we don't have a baby yet.  I mean come on we've been married a full year, surely there is a little one by now . . . or at least one the way!  When the shocked listener finds out, that truly the answer is "no, not yet"  four out five times they will respond "加油" (Jia you)!! 

Jia you is a cheer that roughly translates to something like "Go! Go! Go!"  It is often used to cheer on sports competitors at sporting events or to encourage someone who needs a little encouragement in their studies or to show support to someone who is about to take a test or needs to be brave.

At first I found it quite embarrassing . . . that is because I was listening to it with my American ears.  Once I realized that it just meant something more like "good luck!" or "hope you get what you want soon," it has become much less embarrassing.

Observation/Pondering 3:

I find it funny/interesting that everyone I've spoken with so far about my language skills since I've been married seems to think that having a Taiwanese husband explains why I'm pretty fluent in Chinese.  This is a new one for me and something I've got to puzzle through and figure out.  I mean it totally and completely explains everything they need to know about why I'm here.  Before people always wanted to know why I came . . . and that leads to a good opportunity to share the Gospel, but now that question is gone once they know my husband is Taiwanese. Hmmm . . . 

That's all my ponderings for now. . . back to course planning and syllabus making I must go.

crab crossing

Life on a tropical island is never boring!

Lawrance and I saw this really cool street sign . . . "crab crossing." 

And, Sandy saw this one for "beware of falling coconuts" that she posted on her blog a few days ago.

how do ghosts eat?

Sarah Beth, an MK in Peru, asked on my last post:

That's interesting. Who ends up eating the food? In Peru we have something very similar. They put tons of food on top of the graves of their family members and leave it for several hours. But when midnight comes, the family eats the food! I wonder about the logic... what is it like there??

Something similar happens here.  The food and drink offerings are made first before the paper money is burned.  In order to offer the ghosts (at ghost month), ancestors (during ancestor worship), and idols (at temples and Chinese New Year), incense sticks are stuck into the foods or food packaging.

After a set amount of time--it varies from family to family and holiday to holiday and probably other factors too--the offering table is taken down and the food brought inside. 

The family will then eat the food. Many college students have told me waiting for the tables to come down at Chinese New Year (after midnight) so that could eat the goodies was one of their favorite parts of the yearly holiday.

I have been told that the "spirit of the food" is eaten, they are after all feeding spirits.  Some have told me that because the spirit of the food has been eaten the food tastes bland and stale.  Others have told me that because the spirit of the food has been eaten the food tastes better, as if it has been blessed.  And, then others admit to the food not being that much different at all.

The offering tables are set up differently from area to area and family to family, just like every American family decorates their Christmas tree differently.  But there are also differences in setting up an offering table to idols, ancestors, or ghosts. 

At Ghost Month, often a basin of water and a hand towel can be found on or near the offering table so that their "honorable guests" can wash their hands before partaking of the meal being given to them. These two flickr photos (here and here) show ghost month tables with the typical basins with hand towel out front. 

Not to be confusing, but I don't have any Ghost Month photos easily accessible.  What I do have is photos I took last November outside of my school.  I noticed everyone was setting up tables with drinks as the main offering.  (I have no idea who or what was being worshiped.)  And, at many tables instead of the traditional little red wine cups, there were bottles of coke and tea boxes.

{seven traditional little cups with rice wine}

{seven cans of beer from a restaurant}

{seven lemon tea boxes from a resturant}

{seven bottles of coke}

{coffee boxes from a grocery store}

snacks for the ghosts

Today is the start of Ghost Month, so this weekend when Law and I walked into Carrefour we saw lots of snacks on sale.  Piles and piles of snack food.  At first I was like "why?"  Then it dawned on me--offerings for the ghosts.

________________
People are setting up tables like this with snacks and drinks and fruits in order to worship their ancestors.

roaming souls

Many (if not most) Taiwanese believe that it is best to die at home.  If someone does not die at home it is believed that their souls may roam the earth restlessly, haunting people.

It is also believed that each person has three spirits and seven souls.  Every seven days a soul leaves.  Thus, traditionally the mourning period used to be 49 days. This gives each soul a chance to escape from the earthly body.  At the burial, when the body is cremated, loved ones will cry and scream and plead for the spirits and souls to please, please leave the body before it is burned.

Spirit money and clothing will be burned as a gift for the deceased and food given as an offering so that the loved one will not starve or go without in the after life. 

But, if there is no body and/or the body is not at home, when the souls leave the body the souls will wander, becoming ghosts.

This weekend was the "first 7th day" since the big typhoon washed away homes and lives.  Therefour, it is believed that souls are beginning to roam, and people who've lost loved ones are pleading with them to go home.

Here is a CNN video that explains:

This is only more troublesome because Ghost Month is upon us.  Ghost month is the seventh lunar calender month when it is believed that the gates of hell open and all the lost souls have one month to roam the earth and be fed (since they did not die at home and were not able to be given a proper burial, there is no one to worship them, so it is believed that they go hungry in the afterlife).

All I can say is please pray. 

Pray for the Lord's mercy on the Taiwanese.  Oh, how they need to be set free by Truth Himself.  Pray that as believers we never forget the reality of lostness and never lose a sense of urgency to proclaim truth every chance we have.  Oh, Father, let us not become lazy and complacent.

If time allows me, I plan to discuss further Taiwanese funeral traditions and Ghost Month in the coming week or two. Anything specific you want to know? 

PS: I feel for the child in the video who is being lied to by the others about the whereabouts of his parents.  I know they believe they are doing what is best for him, but in my mind it can only be making matters worse for him. 

Happy Father's Day!! and a Typhoon

Today is Father's Day in Taiwan. Here's why:

Daddy in Chinese is "BaBa."
Eight in Chinese is also "Ba." So, August 8th is "BaBa."
So, Father's Day in Taiwan is August 8th. 

Actually, many people here are surprised to hear that Father's Day in America is not August 8th but rather in June. 

Today is also the 2nd typhoon day in a row.  Typhoon 莫拉克 has been perhaps the biggest typhoon I've ever experienced.  Officially 6 have died and over 20,000 have been evacuated.

We've had heavy rain and wind for two days in a row now.  It was dumping 3-6 feet of rain per hour.  And, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau, "the storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 144kph."

Signs, plants, and mopeds have been down all over our city, streetlights aren't working, tree limbs are in the streets, and intersections are flooded. 

We took Lawrance's parents out to lunch despite the typhoon, but other than that, we've been locked inside.

So, I'd like to let Lawrance introduce his parents to you.  So, please meet my in-laws:

chopstick world

Funny video made by Taiwanese college students about using chopsticks.

It shows how you can eat with them (which are all very true things I've seen people do), shows how to separate them in different humorous ways, and then shows some alternative uses for chopsticks.

Here are a few more alternative uses for chopsticks:

--after collecting several (like 20 or so) you can play "pick up sticks"

--testing if a cake is done (similar to the "toothpick test")

--stir drinks (Law often does this instead of using a spoon)

--test to see if oil is hot enough to be used for stir fry

--beat eggs (actually VERY common use here)

--all kinds of craft projects (like making stick or shadow puppets)

--make a rubber band gun (I've had students use this as their topic for their "how to" speeches)

--or collect 7,382 used disposable ones and make your own canoe

There are many more, but I currently have a brain freeze.  So, do you have any other ideas??

praying in the third person

I learned something very important about the Chinese language within the last two weeks.

It actually shocked me to learn something so important this late in the game.  How I missed it all these years, I do not know.

Here is what I learned: In Chinese, when you want to show respect, you use the third person and avoid personal pronouns such as "you" and "me."

Now, I already knew that in Chinese cultures you don't call people by their given name.  For example, I would address my sister as "younger sister" not Sarah.  And, my husband as "hubby" (literally "old man") not Lawrance.  And, teacher's get called "teacher" not Mrs. Wu; bosses get called "boss" and so on. 

This concept is covered in Intro to Chinese 101.  Nothing surprising there.

But, it wasn't until I've overheard my husband on the phone many times recently talking to his boss--a manager.  Unlike other conversations, I heard no "you."  I only heard her title "manager."  So, for example instead of "I got your message," he'd say "I got the manager's message" and instead of "thank you, manager" it is "thanks, manager." 

Bells were ringing all over in my head . . . connections being made left and right.  I was totally "getting" many aspects of culture (that I thought I knew) at a whole new deeper level.  It was a great feeling.

Addressing someone by their title ALL the time and avoiding using even the polite "ning" form of you, is how you show respect.  GOT IT!!

After making this connection last week, I asked my husband about it . . .and then I asked him about his prayers. 

When he prays in Chinese he NEVER uses the first person.  So, instead of "I want to thank you for my wife" the prayer is "Child thanks God for the wife given to Child."  And instead of "Please help me to . . . ," it is "please help Child to . . . "

When I asked him about this he said something along the lines of "it just seems so haughty and selfish to go in front of God and say 'I,' 'I,' 'I,' 'I,' 'I.'  Using the third person is not just showing respect, but is also is a reminder of my place before him.  That I come to him not because of who I am but because of who he is.  It is a reminder of my position as fully dependent upon him for everything."

So, my exciting linguistic cultural breakthrough led to something even more exciting and meaningful . . . a special reminder about prayer.  I couldn't stop thinking about the implications of calling myself "child" in prayer.

Amazing how something that native English speakers use to be proud and arrogant--speaking of themselves in the third person--is used to show humility and respect by native Chinese speakers.

So, I now know that avoiding "you" in Chinese and replacing it with the person's title is a great sign of respect, but avoiding "me" and replacing it with a word that describes my relationship with the person is an even greater sign of respect.

And, as I often say in class, "interesting, huh?"

unfortunately and fortunately

I now like chocolate for more than one reason.  Lawrance came home with a new chocolate-colored camera last week.  

After we got the new camera, we, unfortunately and fortunately, learned that our older camera wasn't as broken as we thought.  (Unfortunately since we didn't "need" to buy a new camera, and fortunately because now we each have our own camera.)

At first we thought it was just the perpetually shaking shutter, which rendered the camera useless even with power.  And, then since "fully charged" batteries were not able to power up the camera for more than five seconds, we assumed that it was dead for sure.  

When we got the battery charger for the new camera, we noticed our older camera batteries fit inside, so we charged our old batteries in the new charger.  We discovered that the perpetual shaking of the shutter stopped once the batteries were charged with our new charger. 

So, it wasn't our camera that was broken.  And it wasn't our batteries that were bad.  So, it must have been our older battery charger, right?  But, the sad thing is . . . the charger wasn't broken either.  The charger was just dusty, so the connection was bad. 

So, I got a new camera all because we have lots of dust in Taiwan.

So . . . the moral of the story is if you think you have a bad camera or bad batteries, make sure the charger is clean before you reach your final verdict on the state of your camera. :)

Anywho, here are some of the photos we've taken with our new camera:

{our Sunday ritual of "ice"}

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{cutest bug zapper ever}

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{one of Law's fav snacks--dried tofu--kinda like "tofu jerky"}
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{where I teach English on Fridays--at a livestock research institute}
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{buying a train ticket}

guess what he's waiting for

Sunday evening at about 9 pm, after visiting with Law's parents, we stopped by the grocery store for some milk and chocolate ice cream (basic necessities, you know).  After walking into the grocery store, Law saw this and just had to stop and get in line. 

He put 100 NT (about 3 US dollars) into the machine and it gave him a ticket with a number.  So, can you guess what he prepaid for?  Why is he waiting in line? 

 

By the way, the red light means wait time will be 15 min, yellow means wait time will be between 5-10 minutes, and green light means no wait necessay.  I think we waited about 3-5 minutes . . . not too bad for a Sunday night! :)

guojong & meishiang's banquet

The wedding banquet started around 12:30 following the wedding ceremony at the church.

First, we signed the guest book and gave the people at the table our wedding gift (a red envelope with cash inside).  They immediately record the names on the red envelope and the amount of the gift.  In modern Taiwanese culture, the majority of the money given at the wedding goes towards paying for the banquet.

And the banquet room was really festive with balloons everywhere!

After the guests had found their tables and sat down, the bridal party and bride and groom entered the banquet hall.  The flower children came in after the groomsman and maid of honor, the only thing that indicates that they are there is that someone had tied helium balloons to their wrists.  (The man speaking the Chinese . . . that's my hubby, he was the MC of the banquet.)

Thanking all the guests for coming by toasting from the font stage.

Since I didn't get many photos of the food from our banquet, I made sure to get a photo of EVERY SINGLE dish taken at their wedding as well as some of the drinks.

There were around 25 tables.

Here's the view of our table.

After a few dishes . . .bride and groom enter again, this time with the bride in a new dress.

Games and tricks on brides and grooms is a HUGE part of most wedding banquets.  This very private couple didn't want to be embarrassed.  So, Lawrance and I came up with a game for the new couple to play.  He asked them questions such as "who fell in love first" and "who will hold the remote control to the TV."  Then they decided who and held up a photo of the one they thought was the answer.

Their "punishment" for not agreeing with each other was for MeiShiang to find (with her hands only, eyes closed) some black file clips that Lawrance had hid on GouJong--one for every question "wrong."

They also had the really sweet idea to "reward" their guests with a "lucky draw."  They asked their guests to leave words of blessings on little cards and then drew out 30 of the blessings to read aloud during the banquet.  Those whose blessings were read aloud were given homemade mango pudding as a reward.

They then went table to table toasting their guests ten at a time.

After the toasting, they disappeared for awhile and came back with the bride in dress number three and ready to give away the bride's bouquet.

They had a really unique way of giving away the bouquet.  They called all their single friends--male and female--up to the front by name. Then handed each one a red string.  One of the red strings was attached to the bouquet. The one with the lucky attached string got to keep the bouquet.  The rest went home with consolatory chopsticks.

 
After the banquet, they stood at the door and "song ke."  They passed out roses (the first time I'd seen that) and candy as they said goodbye and thanks for coming to their guests.  And of course took time to take photos with their guests too. :)

The happy bride waves "bye!!" :D

guojong and meishiang's wedding

This past weekend, Lawrance and I had the privilege to attend our first Taiwanese couple wedding as a married couple. (We attended a wedding in Taiwan earlier this year . . . but both the bride and groom were American.) 

It was a sheer joy to watch these two friends--both believers--commit to living life together forever.

The elder who helped them with their vows so totally STRESSED that this was a forever thing. He even made them take 10 seconds to reconsider their desire to marry and gave them a chance to back out guilt free if they wanted to.

Because the churches here are small and because the wedding party is usually just one best man and one bridesmaid (in white too), usually the groom comes down the center aisle before the bride.  So . . . here comes the groom . . .

and the bride too . . .

Lawrance was able to get the cute flower girl to smile for the camera.

They repeated their vows together at the same time both facing forward. I'm glad they got to say vows at all though . . . because many times Taiwanese weddings have no spoken vows.


He rolled her veil (a Taiwanese tradition) SO SLOWLY . . . it was obvious he was cherishing each moment.
SO SWEET!!!


The elder who led them in their vows, also had the privilege of stamping their (unofficial) marriage certificate.

They honored their parents by giving them bouquets of flowers near the end of the ceremony.

Then both sets of parents stood up, faced the wedding guests, and bowed in order to show their appreciation for the guests' attendance.

What followed next were several group photos with the bride and groom front and center. :)

And, finally, after much coaxing (from me and my hubby), we finally were allowed to get a photo of just the bride and groom.

And, then, after some major begging, we were able to get a photo of the newlyweds kissing--well . . . at least of him kissing her on the cheek.

Before we all headed off for the banquet, Lawrance and I were able to get a photo alone with our friends on their wedding day.

sticky idols

Idols are literally EVERYWHERE in Taiwan.

When I was at our local walmart/target-like store, I found these: 3M sticky idols. 

I was truly taken aback at first, but then I remembered that this is Taiwan, the island of a thousand gods.

Father, please continue to have mercy on the Taiwanese people giving them more time to respond to your grace.  Soften their hearts and open their eyes.  Set them free from the idol worship that binds them.

bicultural people seem happiest when . . .

Some one gets me!! Someone totally gets me!!

I found this quote while visiting the World Missions 101 Site last night. It SO resonates with how I feel . . . I've explained it before as being a milkshake.

“We can get out and learn to live in the new culture, and, in time, we will feel as at home in it as our own, possibly even more so. Something happens to us when we adapt to a new culture, we become bicultural people. . . .

In one sense, bicultural people never fully adjust to one culture, their own or their adopted one. Within themselves they are part of both. When Americans are abroad, they dream of America, and need little rituals that reaffirm this part of themselves—a food package from home, a letter, an American visitor from whom they can learn the latest news from `home’. When in America, they dream of their adopted country, and need little rituals that reaffirm this part of themselves—a visitor from that country, a meal with its food. Bicultural people seem happiest when they are flying from one of these countries to the other.

(“Crucial Dimensions in World Evangelization”, Paul Hiebert, 1976, 4th printing, William Carey Library, Pasadenia California pg 51,52)

SO true!!!  So . . . very, very TRUE!!! :)

Any of you other "bicultural" or milkshake people out there totally identify with this passage??

ten years ago, I wrote my first "blog"

Ok, so actually it was written on what is called a website . . . but still I was trying to make it like a blog before blogging platforms were abundantly everywhere. 

Ten years ago, in a school's computer room somewhere in northern Taiwan, I became a blogger, and I didn't even know it!

To get my printed photos online, I began using using a scanner in Chinese and yahoo's geocities to record my daily life here in Taiwan.  The photo quality is terrible . . . and the layout was tedious, but, if I do say so myself, the design was better than many "homemade" websites from the late '90s. 

But OH!  if I had had flickr and blogger back then, not to mention a digital camera  . . . how sweet that would have been!!!! 

In fact, I carried my mom's 35mm film camera in my purse daily for a year.  Soon after that I got my first digital camera, and so for nearly 10 years now my purse has always housed a point and shoot camera.  It is essential--more important than lipgloss and a driver's licence!

Anyway, Geocities is closing later this year, which made me want to take a walk down memory lane.  Feel free to click through and see what life was like for me as an exchange student in Taiwan in 1999. 

Here was my very first "blog." (nothing is there now besides the "first blog," which I didn't even know was a blog at the time.)

I had an index/home page (which originally was set up kinda of like flickr's sets page), that I changed when I started using another site and then changed again when I moved to blogging.

Here are the "1st pages of each group of photos":

flying cows in taiwan
summer in taiwan
studying in taiwan
residing in taiwan
friends in taiwan
sightseeing in taiwan
holidays in taiwan
classmates in taiwan
religion in taiwan
vacation in japan

Based on these "album" names, can you guess what I called that very first site? 

That's right "amanda in taiwan."  And, yes, my love for not using capital letters in my online world titles started with this very site . . . ten years ago!! (Can you tell I'm having a hard time accepting it was a decade ago that all this happened!?!?!)

Bye-bye, my dear first online home.  Rest in peace.

ancient chinese wedding photos (well, kinda)

The headdresses and clothing is all handmade and real (and real old too).  Also, the headdress I wore was incredibly heavy--I would guess several pounds.

We didn't do the entire "2 day professional photo taking extravaganza" that most nearly-weds here in Taiwan do.  We just did a quick afternoon session to get some photos of us in traditional wedding attire and a few studio shots in our own wedding attire too.

(Note the red scarfs--long one for him, small one for me.  I've yet to know why they were used.)

Like most things we do together, it was fun. :)

our taiwanese wedding banquet

So, right after the ceremony, we headed over to a large Chinese restaurant for the wedding banquet. 

Law's parents picked out the restaurant, but we were pleasantly surprised that they had chosen a restaurant that was own by a Christan.  Very cool!!

Here are some of the banquet highlights:

• Before the whole thing started we (the bridal party) were ushered into a little room for a small rest.  This was very nice.

• We were then introduced and entered the banquet hall.
  

• There were 27 tables at our wedding, which means 270 people.   (Ten people per table is the traditional standard. You tell others how many were at your wedding by telling them how many tables there were.)

• 270 people at a wedding banquet is not considered a large wedding.  Small to medium at best.  I've been to one with 100 tables--that's 1000 people!!

• Also, just FYI, only about 80 people attended both the church ceremony and the wedding banquet.  Many just showed up for the banquet, some were only able to attend the ceremony only, and students were invited to ceremony only.  So, less than a third of the people at the banquet had been at the ceremony.

• After the formal introduction, we sat at the head table at the front with parents, and uncles (and their wives).
  

• After the first dish or so was served, we went "on stage" with his parents and my best friend's father, Lin BaBa, who stood in as my "Taiwan father." (I love how the two dads seems as if they are standing at attention.)
  

• We toasted everyone (using cranberry juice, interesting to me since in the States we probably would have used grape juice).
  

• Law and I then did the "couple entwined armed" toast together. :)
  

• After a few more dishes, we sang a Karaoke song together.  The only love song I know in Chinese is "The Moon Represents My Heart," so that is what we sang! :)
  

• Then he had to "wei wa" wine.  "wei" means to feed someone something--kinda like a mother bird feeds her baby chicks (and "wa" means "me").  SO . . . he first had to put the wine into his mouth and then "pour" it into mine. All I could think about was "don't you dare get any on my dress!" :)
  


• Soon after that the two of us toasted the main family table--parents and uncles.
  

• Next, his parents, Lin Baba (my adopted Taiwanese dad), and Big Uncle joined us as we toasted each table.  Waitresses guided us through the entire room, and followed us making sure we all had full glasses.
  

• There were several other Karaoke songs sung.
  

• Law's parents decided on all the dishes that were served.  There was a lot of seafood.  I ate little, and appreciate the photos people took of the meal since I didn't get to see it all.
  

• When Law's brother and his girlfriend wanted to sing a song, Law "punked" them by making them kiss for a long time.  They "punked" him back by making us show him how . . . so we kissed for 9 seconds--the whole room helped keep count. "9" in Chinese is pronounced "joe" which is the same pronuncation of "long."
  

• After a bit more eating and Karaoke, we stood at the door kinda like a receiving line, passing out candy and photos to our guests.
  

• Some of our good friends stayed a bit longer, and so we took a few more photos together.
  

• Then finally we left . . . .
  

• YAY!!  Weddings OVER!!!! :)

after the ceremony

Traditionally family photos are taken after weddings in Taiwan.  Traditionally the bride and groom sit down front and center, and the most important people in the family then sit beside them.  With others filling in behind. 

They usually look something like this:

or like this:

At the church weddings I've been to here in Taiwan.  After the family photos there is then time for photos with different groups of classmates and friends.  Bride and groom stay put, guests fill in the spaces and photos are taken.

For a plethora of reasons (namely we are fun-loving Lawrance and Amanda, our photograph liked to have fun, and we were a bit rushed for time) our group photo shots are a bit more . . . um  . . .  well . . .  "lively" than your typical Taiwanese wedding. :) 

See for yourself in another slideshow from Abu's photos below:

precermony at church

We didn't want to "hide" before the ceremony.  We were already ready; we were already married; we wanted people to know we were glad they were there, so . . . . there was no reason to hide.

The hardest part of standing out and greeting people was helping my groom let go of his wedding planning role and just relax and be in the moment.

And . . . . to answer yesterdays question . . .
Great guesses with an Asian focus!! :)  But, all wrong . . . I was told that in Taiwan rain on a wedding day indicates that when the groom was a child he used the bathroom outdoors.  I thought that was funny since I thought most little boys have done so. :)

And now for a few photos that Abu took before the ceremony started.  Mostly they are just us with friends and family.

our taiwanese wedding . . . a quick synopsis

Our Taiwanese Wedding ceremony and banquet was on Saturday! Today is Monday . . . I am still tired beyond all get out.

Our rehearsal ran late, and the bridesmaids all stayed in my home for the night . . . so we didn't get to bed till 1 or 2. Then we were back up at 5 for make up and getting dressed.

Groom and groomsman arrived to pick us up at 8:20 (Taiwanese tradition), and it was RAINING!! :)

Before the ceremony started we stood at the door and greeted our guests for about 30 minutes or so. We had lots of people call or text to say they weren't coming because of the rain. However, still so many of our friends and loved ones braved the rain to come celebrate with us.  We were and are SO grateful!!

The church ceremony was 2 hours long (I've been told that's about average for a Taiwanese church wedding).  In addition to the vows, and charge, and unity ceremonies, it included seven songs that were song and two that were played by instruments (trumpet and flute), in addition to the bridal procession and recession.  So, we had a mini-concert in the middle of our wedding.  I was worried about it being too much and too long, but having our close friends and church family bless us with song was GREAT and made me cry. 

Oh yeah . . . .and one of those songs was a solo from my hubby to me!!!  It was SUCH a BEAUTIFUL SONG . . . and he sang it SO beautifully (if I do say so myself).   Every time he practiced it, I cried, but at the actual wedding I made it through his song without crying.

After the ceremony, we took pictures with different guests for about 45 minutes (mostly students that wouldn't be attending the banquet). Then we took off to the banquet--got there at 12:15 and most all of the guests were already there. All the banquet activity started at about 12:30ish.

Then for the next three hours there was loud karaoke and a huge feast. We sang a song together in Mandarin (the only love song I know in Chinese). We toasted each table one by one.  That's 27 tables and about 27,000 thank yous.  

One traditional thing that I did not do was change dresses three (or more) times. They do this to "show off the beauty of the bride." They rent the dresses from a wedding photo store, but since I had purchased my dress from America, I didn't need to rent a wedding dress. So we choose to keep things a bit more simple, and I just wore my own wedding dress the entire banquet, which also means I actually got to eat and enjoy all the karaoke. :)

After all the feasting and toasting and singing, we stood by the door and said goodbye to our guests passing out candy from special baskets--one was the basket his mom used at her wedding and the other one was made by his grandfather many years ago.

We must have literally taken over a thousand photos. But, so far we only have a few that our friends have posted online. I'll share more as we have them.

 

                       

That's it for now . . . .

All in all it was a GREAT day. . . . a long, exhausting day . . . but VERY wonderful too. :) 

(I "stole" some of these photos from Sandy, who blogs here.  Sorry and thanks, Sandy!!)

wedding reception in usa (part 4)

alternate title: cutting the cakes

Our cakes were made by our wedding coordinator.  The "wedding cake" was strawberry, while the groom's cake was chocolate.  And, can I just say they were DELICIOUS!!  I don't care for most cakes . . . but this stuff was great! 

The groom's cake has a Chinese "chop" (or seal) that is supposed to be the wedding word for double joy or double happiness inside a door, which Lawrance choose because he and I (two joys) were starting a new home (door).  BUT . . . they left off the bottom part of the "double joy" . . . so EVERYONE--American and Taiwanese--ask us what it means. :)

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Cutting the cakes was a blast!!  Lawrance had no idea what we were going to be doing.  I didn't tell him anything.  I just told him "wait and see."  So, he really was clueless, which made it WAY more fun for us and our guests too.

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Posing with the Cake

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Feeding him a rather large piece, but doing it nicely.

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His reaction. (And, me not wanting to get cake on the dress.)

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Me preparing a SMALL piece for him to feed me.

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He wants a big piece and says, "Now I will show you how we do it in Taiwan."

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As he puts it in his own mouth, I am a bit confused thinking he is going to feed himself.

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Then I realize what he is going to do . . . and EVERYONE laughs loudly as they figure it out too!!

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If you haven't figured it out yet . . . He wants me to eat it FROM HIS MOUTH!!!!  OH MY!!

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After all that drama . . . we move on to the groom's cake.

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Obviously, cutting it together.

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And, to ensure he didn't make me eat from his mouth again, we fed each other at the same time. :)

Yay!!  It was so much FUN!! 

And what was wonderful too . . . is that a big plate of the leftover cake was snuck into the honeymoon suite for us.  We got to enjoy our wonderful cake throughout our honeymoon!  Thanks to whoever did that . . . Mom??  Sarah??

(Most photos taken by Jessica at JGM Photography.)