Month: November 2013

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Every Dog Has Its Day

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP40g_OjxRY]

Have I mentioned that I love dogs? Well, I do, and this week I am going to fill you in on two awesome places that you can bring your dogs for the day in Taoyuan County.

 
The first is called 綠風草原, and it's located in Zhongli. You'll need to take a car there, because its pretty far from any form of public transportation, though you could take a taxi. This place used to be a golf course, but has since been re-purposed into a dog park, though its pretty obvious what it was originally intended to be. The scenery is so beautiful, with trees dotting the walkways and grassy hills surrounding the pond(which must have originally been the water hazard!) your pooch is going to think he's died and gone to doggy heaven. It's a popular place on the weekend, so get there early to ensure that you get a good spot, and watch your worries melt away. Make sure you bring a sheet or towel to sit on, as the grass can be quite damp, and why not enjoy a picnic while you're at it? The entry fee is 150 NT and this can be used towards purchasing food or drinks, though I recommend you bring your own snacks as the food is pricey and not very good.
 
\"IMG_2464\" \"IMG_2463\" \"IMG_2509\" \"IMG_2512\"
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(In these pictures you can clearly see the park's golf course roots!)
 
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(When I went there were ducks in the pond, and then there were these great big inflatable ducks. Looks like the management decided to cash in on the recent duck-craze that has gotten ahold of Taiwan.)
 
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(The dogs absolutely love this place!)
 
The other place is called 老爸的後花園 Located in Longtan, you are going to need your own wheels to make it there, but it's worth it! The feel is a lot different from 綠風草原. As you enter the garden and follow the vine-covered walkway to the brick-house restaurant, it feels like you are going to pay a visit to a rich family at their country-side estate. The whole place is surrounded by trees and gardens, and it feels like you're in a small forest, especially for Taiwan (having a large yard is very rare here). The restaurant is beautiful and has a relaxing atmosphere, and oddly you will see dogs freely roaming around indoors. The food is not great here either(though the dessert was quite delicious), but that wasn't really why we went there. The garden outside is awesome, and your dogs will love it. We went on a Tuesday, so there weren't a lot of other people there, but I've been told it is another story altogether on the weekend. It's fun to chat with the other guests and see their dogs too anyway!
 
\"IMG_3239\" \"IMG_3255\" \"IMG_3253\" \"IMG_3293\"
(The restaurant it beautiful, but the food wasn't great…good thing I brought a snack!)
 
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(We had a lot of fun with the dogs in the garden. The poster is about supporting animal adoption, something that I hope you will consider after reading this!)
 
I highly recommend making it over to either of these spots at least once (even of you don't have a dog, you can play with the ones you see there!). Let me know what you think if you make it over to one of them, and share your experiences here!
 
 
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How To Get There:
 
 
綠風草原– Here is a link to their website, it's in Chinese, but there is a map.
 
 
老爸的後花園- Here is their Facebook page with contact information.
 

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Chinese phrases of the day:

綠風草原= Green Breeze Prairie

老爸的後花園= Dad's Backyard Garden

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Lesson 9: Let\’s Talk Movies

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Before reading on, make sure to check out last week's lesson first!
 
Movies…who doesn't love 'em? What's better than curling up on the couch with a big bowl of freshly popped, glistening-with-butter, corn, and your favorite DVD ready to go.The Lord of The Rings, Pirates of The Carribean, and Star Wars, are just a few of my favorites, but feel free to choose your own titles. Or you could always head down to the theater and watch a new release on the big-screen! Personally, I love to go to the second-run movie theaters here in Taiwan, or 二輪片電影院 ér lùn piàn diàn yĭng yuàn. You can watch two movies for just 150NT, and for that price, who cares if it stinks? So in this lesson we will be learning vocabulary for discussing movies with your friends in Chinese, and I will provide you with a list of a few famous titles with their Chinese translations(Warning: Titles are translated differently in Taiwan and the Mainland). So, lights, camera, ACTION!
 
 
 
Movie Genres:
 
1. Action 動作片 dòng zuò piàn
 
2. Romance 愛情片 ài qíng piàn
 
3. Science fiction 科幻片 kē huàn piàn
 
4. Comedy 搞笑片 găo xiào piàn
 
5. Horror 恐怖片 kŏng bù piàn
 
6. Animation 動畫片 dòng huà piàn
 
 
 
A Few Phrases For Discussing a Movie:
 

1. It was awesome!

超好看啊！

chāo hăo kàn a ！
 
2. That scene was ridiculous!
那一幕很誇張！
nà yī mù hĕn kuā zhāng !
 
3. The director did a fantastic job.
導演拍的好好啊！
dăo yăn pāi de hăo hăo a ！
 
4. He/She's a great actor/actress.
他她是很棒的演員。
tā tā shì hĕn bàng de yăn yuán。
 
5. It's a new release.
它是新出來的。
tā shì xīn chū lái de。
 
6. Have you seen…..?
你有看過…..沒有？
nĭ yŏu kàn guò….méi yŏu ？
 
7. That's the best movie I've seen all year!
那是我今年看得最好看的電影！
nà shì wŏ jīn nián kàn de zuì hăo kàn de diàn yĭng ！
 
8. What did you think?
你覺得這樣？
nĭ jué de zhè yàng ？
 
9. The plot was very creative.
這一部電影故的事情節很創意。
zhè yī bù diàn yĭng de gù shì qíng jié hĕn yŏu chuàng yì。
 
10. I can't wait for the sequel!
我等不了下一集！
wŏ dĕng bù liǎo xià yī jí ！
 
 
Famous Movies and Actors Names Translate Into Chinese:
 
Movies

1. Titanic 鐵達尼號 tiĕ dá ní hào
 
2. Shreck 史瑞克 shĭ ruì kè
 
3. Star Wars 星際大戰 xīng jì dà zhàn
 
4. Escape Plan 鋼鐵墳墓 gāng tiĕ fén mù
 
5. Batman 蝙蝠俠 biān fú xiá
 
 
 
Actors

1. Arnold Scwanrzeneiger 阿諾·施瓦辛格 ā nuò shī wă xīn gé
 
2. Tom Cruise 阿湯哥 ā tāng gē
 
3. Angelina Jolie 安潔莉娜裘莉 ān jié lì nà qióng lì
 
4. Mat Damon 邁特戴蒙 mài tè dài méng
 
5. Julia Roberts 茱莉婭羅伯茨 zhū lì yà luó bó cí
[youtube=http://youtu.be/tt1CSEEhs0c]

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Lesson 9: Let\’s Talk Movies

\"IMG_3421\"
Before reading on, make sure to check out last week's lesson first!
 
Movies…who doesn't love 'em? What's better than curling up on the couch with a big bowl of freshly popped, glistening-with-butter, corn, and your favorite DVD ready to go.The Lord of The Rings, Pirates of The Carribean, and Star Wars, are just a few of my favorites, but feel free to choose your own titles. Or you could always head down to the theater and watch a new release on the big-screen! Personally, I love to go to the second-run movie theaters here in Taiwan, or 二輪片電影院 ér lùn piàn diàn yĭng yuàn. You can watch two movies for just 150NT, and for that price, who cares if it stinks? So in this lesson we will be learning vocabulary for discussing movies with your friends in Chinese, and I will provide you with a list of a few famous titles with their Chinese translations(Warning: Titles are translated differently in Taiwan and the Mainland). So, lights, camera, ACTION!
 
 
 
Movie Genres:
 
1. Action 動作片 dòng zuò piàn
 
2. Romance 愛情片 ài qíng piàn
 
3. Science fiction 科幻片 kē huàn piàn
 
4. Comedy 搞笑片 găo xiào piàn
 
5. Horror 恐怖片 kŏng bù piàn
 
6. Animation 動畫片 dòng huà piàn
 
 
 
A Few Phrases For Discussing a Movie:
 

1. It was awesome!

超好看啊！

chāo hăo kàn a ！
 
2. That scene was ridiculous!
那一幕很誇張！
nà yī mù hĕn kuā zhāng !
 
3. The director did a fantastic job.
導演拍的好好啊！
dăo yăn pāi de hăo hăo a ！
 
4. He/She's a great actor/actress.
他她是很棒的演員。
tā tā shì hĕn bàng de yăn yuán。
 
5. It's a new release.
它是新出來的。
tā shì xīn chū lái de。
 
6. Have you seen…..?
你有看過…..沒有？
nĭ yŏu kàn guò….méi yŏu ？
 
7. That's the best movie I've seen all year!
那是我今年看得最好看的電影！
nà shì wŏ jīn nián kàn de zuì hăo kàn de diàn yĭng ！
 
8. What did you think?
你覺得這樣？
nĭ jué de zhè yàng ？
 
9. The plot was very creative.
這一部電影故的事情節很創意。
zhè yī bù diàn yĭng de gù shì qíng jié hĕn yŏu chuàng yì。
 
10. I can't wait for the sequel!
我等不了下一集！
wŏ dĕng bù liǎo xià yī jí ！
 
 
Famous Movies and Actors Names Translate Into Chinese:
 
Movies

1. Titanic 鐵達尼號 tiĕ dá ní hào
 
2. Shreck 史瑞克 shĭ ruì kè
 
3. Star Wars 星際大戰 xīng jì dà zhàn
 
4. Escape Plan 鋼鐵墳墓 gāng tiĕ fén mù
 
5. Batman 蝙蝠俠 biān fú xiá
 
 
 
Actors

1. Arnold Scwanrzeneiger 阿諾·施瓦辛格 ā nuò shī wă xīn gé
 
2. Tom Cruise 阿湯哥 ā tāng gē
 
3. Angelina Jolie 安潔莉娜裘莉 ān jié lì nà qióng lì
 
4. Mat Damon 邁特戴蒙 mài tè dài méng
 
5. Julia Roberts 茱莉婭羅伯茨 zhū lì yà luó bó cí
[youtube=http://youtu.be/tt1CSEEhs0c]

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Lesson 8: Foods and How to Order Them

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My future father-in-law loves to tell me ＂坦克，飛機之外，中國人都有吃＂that translates to "aside from tanks and airplanes, Chinese people eat everything" and that's not far from the truth! One of my favorite aspects of Chinese culture is the diversity in foods, and I have discovered so many great dishes in Taiwan, that I could never go back to eating Americanized Chinese food! To hear more about some of my favorite Taiwanese foods, click here! But how do you order for, or even know what to order for that matter? It can be difficult, and I myself had to resort to pointing, following along with other customers, and generally being at the mercy of the 老闆 I tried to order from when I first got here. But you don't have to be as clueless as I was (unless you would like to, of course! That can be fun too!). In tis lesson, I will be teaching you how to say common Chinese foods in Mandarin, as well as order them! So let's get started!
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Common Chinese Dishes:

1. 炒麵 chǎo miàn= fried noodles
2. 炒飯 chǎo fàn= fried rice
3. 牛肉麵 niú ròu miàn= beef noodle soup
4. 泡菜 pào cài= kimchi
5. 臭豆腐 chòu dòu fu= stinky tofu
6. 米粉 mǐ fěn= rice noodles
7. 火鍋 huǒ guō= hotpot
8. 粥 zhōu= congee
9. 水餃 shuǐ jiǎo= dumplings
10. 滷味 lǔ wèi= marinated dishes
 
Ordering Food: In this section, I am going to teach you how to order food in Chinese. It's easy and straightforward, and I have confidence that you will get it down with ease. Here's how we're going to learn. 1. I am providing you with a basic formula you can use to order/buy pretty much anything (not only food!), 2. You are going follow me as I take a trip to the market here in Taiwan(I'm getting hungry just typing this!). So, first up on our agenda…
 
The Formula: There is no set way on how to order something, but for our "standard" we are going to go with the following:
 我(想)要 +  ?
 
I want + the item that you want to order. For example, if I was at a restaurant and I wanted some fried rice, I  would say "我(想)要炒飯". You can use this formula in pretty much any situation in which you are ordering/buying something.
 
Real-Life Application: So now let's put it all together and go to the market to order some food! This stand is called 黃媽媽傳統豆花 and it's located by the traditional market just down the street from the Puxin train station 埔心火車站。
 

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Hitchhiking to Dog Temple

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(Bark at the moon!)

I have had so many amazing experiences living and traveling in Taiwan, and I'd love to tell them all! So today I'm going to share a hitchhiking dā biàn chē 搭便車 experience I had in my early years here in Taiwan.

 
It was mid-October, 2009 and the weather in Keelung was cold and wet…it's always wet there though. The port town of Keelung jī lóng 基隆 in the North of the island has an infamous reputation for raining on people's parades(literally). It rains practically all 365 days of the year, and locals nick name it the "Rainy Port". The humidity there is ridiculous, and if you forget to turn on your dehumidifier, mildew will cover your walls in a heart beat(I myself had a horrible experience with this). Despite the weather, Keelung is a great place to get a feel for Taiwan. The local people are extremely friendly, and the beautiful coast and mountains surrounding the area are filled with beautiful locales waiting to be explored.
 
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\"OLYMPUS \"OLYMPUS \"OLYMPUS \"OLYMPUS
 
(Some pics of the beautiful harbor-town Keelung)
 
 
My Taiwanese fiancé Ruby and I had been dating for around a month, and we weren't going to let the weather win, so we decided to do what many Taiwanese locals love to do in the cold seasons and take a trip to the nearest hot-springs to soak. Hot-springs, or wēn quán 溫泉 as they are called in Chinese, are prized for their restorative properties, and they have been since the Japanese occupation of Taiwan and before. In fact, many of the islands' hot-springs are historically tied to the Japanese colonization of Taiwan.
 
 
The closest place to Keelung is Jinshan, a town that exists only around the hotspring industry. Jinshan jīn shān 金山 in Chinese means "gold mountain" and the amount of capital that the place generates with its hot-springs ensures that it is aptly named, though, unfortunately there is no mountain made of gold. Like many hot spring-towns in Taiwan, there are resorts of varying prices and quality lining the streets of Jin Shan.
 
 
Ready to pamper ourselves, Ruby and I got an early start. We headed downstairs and took a bus from my apartment complex to the train station.    There are buses to practically anywhere you could want to go (within reason, none to Kending, or Penghu, sorry!) around the train station. We stocked up on some snacks, ordered a couple of teas, then found a bus headed for the resort town. It's fairly easy to get there from Keelung by bus, though you lose a lot of time waiting, and the ride itself is probably going to be around half-an-hour or longer, so it's best to drive if that's an option.
 
\"OLYMPUS \"OLYMPUS
 
 
(A few photos of the community I lived in at the time)
 
When we got there, it was a simple matter of checking in at the various hot-springs and asking around about the best prices in town, as some of the fancier places can be quite pricey. If you have the money, it's worth it for the experience, but we were on a budget so we went the cheap-route. After looking around we found a decent place for around 250NT for fifty minutes. That was incredibly cheap, and I doubt it's possible to find a deal like that now. Though it wasn't the most beautiful place in town, it worked for us!
 
\"800px-Jinshan,_Taipei\" \"11058_1\"
 
(Left: a picture of Jinshan. Just walk around until you find a place that suits your fancy. Right: a beautiful hot-spring resort in Jinshan…not where we went though!)
 
Quick Tip: For anyone planning to go to a hot-spring in Taiwan, remember to bring your own towel as you will have to buy one from the resort if you need one, and they generally overcharge much more than is reasonable. Also bring water or sports drinks, you'll need them!
 
Two things happen every time I visit a hot-spring. 1. I pay for around an hour of soaking time, but usually only use 20-30 minutes of that time. 2. I am completely dead-tired despite doing nothing but sit in water, and I usually sleep like a baby on the bus ride home. This time was no exception, but it took a considerable amount of effort to get there, so we decided to check out a famous temple in the area
 
The Eighteen Kings Temple shí bā wáng gōng 十八王公 is not far from Jinshan, so we decided to take a bus over and check it out. The temple is situated along the coast, and the waves can be big and scary on a windy day. The temple is famous due to the story of a fisherman and his dog. The fisherman drowned at sea, but his dog survived. Being the loyal animal it is, the dog jumped down into the grave the local people dug for the fisherman, not wanting to be separated from its master. Now people come there and make offerings to the dog and pray. It's a really cool place to visit, and just goes to show how awesome dogs are!
 
 
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(People come here from all over to pray and make offerings)
 
 
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(The dog that made this place famous!)
 
After leaving the temple, we once again got on a bus and headed back to Keelung…only after a while we realized that I had left my camera and we got off and tried to walk back to get it. We were a long way off at this point, but no buses were coming, so we just started walking, and the creepiest ting happened. After a while we looked back and we noticed that as we walked under the street lamps they were turning off, one-by-one, but all of the ones ahead of us were still lit. It was super creepy, just like something out of a scary movie!
 
About half-way back to the temple we came across a middle aged man parked on the side of the road. He had been fishing and was putting his catch in his trunk. We asked him how much further up the road the temple was, and he told us it was still pretty far, and offered to drop us off there. We took him up on his offer and got in the car. While driving, I remember him constantly muttering to himself, and given the setting and the lights from before, it was quite a strange encounter.
 
He dropped us off at the temple and we asked around if anyone had found a camera..,but no one had. After taking one last look around we headed back to the bus stop to wait for the next bus back to Keelung. I  might have lost my camera, but I gained an interesting story to tell along the way. Too bad about all of the pictures I took though!
 
So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this story, and I'd love to hear you share your own interesting stories or experiences in the comments below. See you next time!
 

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Chinese phrases of the day:

搭便車= hitch-hiking

基隆= Keelung

溫泉= hot-spring

金山= Jinshan

十八王公= The Eighteen Kings Temple

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Lesson 7: Hobbies

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Before continuing with this week's lesson, check out Lesson 6: Discussing Likes and Dislikes.
 
Everyone has something special that they love to do, even if it is something that they are embarrassed to share with the world. It could be anything from dressing-up as Yoda and heading to a Star Wars convention, sitting on the couch with a game on, painting toy models or fishing. The possibilities are endless. Personally, I love martial arts, pretty much anything outdoors and of course, video games! What's your secret passion that eats-up all of your free time? But first, a quick question. How do you say "I like reading novels" in Chinese? What's 我不喜歡塞車 mean?
 
 
Common Hobbies:

 
1. hiking 爬山 pá shān
2. rafting 泛舟 fàn zhōu
3. blogging 寫部落格 xiĕ bù luò gé
4. making DIY crafts 做DIY/做手工東西 zuò DIY/zuò shŏu gōng dōng xī
5. learning martial arts 學無術 xué wú shù
6. doing yoga 做瑜伽 zuò yú jiā
7. playing music 玩音樂 wán yīny uè
8. collecting comic books 收集漫畫書 shōu jí màn huà shū
9. cooking 做飯 zuò fàn
10. drawing 畫畫 huà huà
 
 
Listen to the attached video file and practice repeating each phrase until you feel confident enough to move on to the next part.
 
Grammar Note: In Mandarin, verbs are often paired with nouns like seen above. In English we say "eat", in Chinese we say 吃飯 chī fàn or "eat rice" unless a specific food is being talked about (which, shows how important rice was and is to the Chinese). You don't always have to use a noun alongside a verb when speaking, as it can often be an understood, but when we are learning our vocabulary, verbs will generally be paired with nouns. As we progress, I will explain in more detail if necessary, but for now, let's keep it simple, okay?
 
 
Useful Adjectives: The following list of words are useful when talking about the hobbies listed above.
 
1. fun 好玩(的) hăo wán de
2. useful 有用(的) yŏu yòng de
3. interesting 有興趣(的) yŏu xìng qù de
4. relaxing 輕鬆(的) qīng sōng de
5. healthy 健康(的) jiàn kāng de
 
[youtube=http://youtu.be/6vJrTA1GmVM]
 
Listen to the attached video file and practice repeating each phrase until you feel confident enough to move on to the next part.
 
Grammar Note: The character 的 is often used after an adjective to indicate a particular characteristic of something, for example, in the sentence: 蔬菜是健康的 shū cài shì jiàn kāng de "vegetables are healthy", we are saying that a trait of vegetables is that they are healthy. This is indicated by the 的. We could also express this by saying 蔬菜很健康 shū cài hĕn jiàn kāng. More on that in the future as well as other uses of 的.
 
 
Story: Read and listen to the following story, then answer the questions below.
 
I have a lot of hobbies. Every morning I do yoga and I take my dog for a walk every night. I like to go hiking and rafting on the weekend. I love to see beautiful scenery and be alone in nature. But if we have rainy weather, that's okay. I can stay indoors and read my comic book collection, play video games or watch a movie with my family. Wherever I am, I dont have to worry about getting bored!
 
我的興趣很多。每天早上我做瑜伽，和每晚上我帶我的狗狗去散步。周末我喜歡去爬山和泛舟。我愛看大自然亮的風景。要是有下雨天，沒關係。我可以留在家裡看我漫畫書的收藏品，玩電動遊戲或是跟我的家人看電影。不管我在哪裡，我不會擔心我會無聊！
 
wŏ de xìng qù hĕn duō. mĕi tiān zăo shàng wŏ zuò yú jiā hé mĕi wăn shàng wŏ dài wŏ de gŏu gŏu qù săn bù. zhōu mò wŏ xĭ huān qù pá shān hé fàn zhōu. wŏ ài kàn dà zì rán de piāo liàng fēng jĭng. yào shì yŏu xià yŭ tiān, méi guān xì wŏ kĕ yĭ liú zài jiā lĭ kàn wŏ màn huà shū de shōu cáng pĭn, wán diàn dòng yóu xì huò shì gēn wŏ de jiā rén kàn diàn yĭng. bù guăn wŏ zài nă lĭ, wŏ bù huì dān xīn wŏ huì wú liáo！
 
Comprehension Questions: I'm not going to give you an English translation for the following questions, I want to see how much you can intuitively figure out from what we have already learned. Take a minute to email me you answers and I will let you know how you did! Consider it "homework".
 

1. 我的興趣很多嗎？
wŏ de xìng qù hĕn duō ma？
 
2. 我每天晚上做瑜伽嗎？
wŏ mĕi tiān wăn shàng zuò yú jiā ma？
 
3. 我什麼時候喜歡去爬山？
wŏ shén me shí hòu xĭ huān qù pá shān ？
 
4. 我下雨天喜歡做什麼？
wŏ xià yŭ tiān xĭ huān zuò shén me ？
 
5. 我怕無聊嗎？
wŏ pà wú liáo ma？
 
Essential Vocabulary: Here's a list of some of the most useful phrases that we learned in this lesson. Practice them and record yourself and compare your pronunciation to mine.
 
1. 興趣= interests/hobbies
2. 很多= very many
3. 每天早上= every morning
4. 晚上= night
5. 或是= or
6. 帶狗狗去散步= take the dog for a walk
7. 漂亮的風景= beautiful scenery
8. 大自然= nature
9. 留在家裡= stay at home
10. 漫畫書的收藏品= comic book collection
11. 玩電動遊戲= play video games
12. 看電影= watch movies
13. 不管= it doesn't matter
14. 擔心= worry
15. 無聊= bored

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Wedding Crashers!

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(Ruby and I preparing for the wedding…not ours, at least not yet!)

Not too long ago, Ruby and I were invited to her friend's wedding hūn lĭ 婚禮. This was the third wedding I'd been invited to since I've been in Taiwan, so I knew more or less what to expect. There are lots of interesting traditions that accompany wedding ceremonies in Taiwan, though in recent years do to Western influences, many of these have changed. For example, long ago, one of the things that was expected of the bride was for her to hand-sew her own wedding gown, wear a traditional head-dress fèng guàn 鳳冠. Nowadays people just don't do that, who has the time? But some traditional observances have survived.

For example, rather than giving presents to the bride and groom as we do in the west, friends and family give the couple red envelopes hóng bāo 紅包 when they sign in the guest book, and don't be offended or shocked when the family records how much you gave, it's part of the traditional culture so the bride and groom will know how to appropriately show their gratitude. Of course, close friends and family are expected to give more, and the minimum acceptable amount is typically 1200NT or about 36USD.

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(This is a picture of one of the red envelopes you give/receive at a Chinese wedding. The picture was taken from here.)

Before we even get as far as the wedding, it is still commonly expected of the groom to ask the bride's family for permission to marry her, and often pay a dowry. The bride's parents use this money to buy furniture and other necessities for the newly-wed couple, so the dowry is mostly a symbol that the groom will be financially able to provide for their daughter.

Once the parents have agreed to the marriage, the family then consults the traditional lunar calendar to choose an auspicious date for the wedding. Then they have an engagement party , which is paid for by the bride's family, but when it comes time for the big day, the groom has to foot the whole bill! This is a little different from the way we do things back home!

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(A few shots of the venue, it was pretty darn fancy!)

At the wedding, which is usually held at a hotel or a restaurant rather than a church, there are lots of activities and games. One of the activities at this past wedding we attended was a guessing game. When we first entered we selected one of several colors of paper to write our name on then stuff them into their respective jar, and hopefully guess the bride's second gown color correctly(the bride typically changes twice during the ceremony). The bride and the groom pull out slips of paper and lucky winners get to go to the front of the banquet room and offer words of congratulations, pose for a picture and claim a prize! We didn't win, but I won't hold it against those who did.

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(Ruby, at the entrance to the hotel. She makes those flowers look bad!)

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(the table where we guessed the bride's dress color, and the guest book)

Another one of the activities was played later on. Everyone had a box of candy at their spot at their table, and those who had a sticker on the bottom we the lucky winners of a memorial pin of the couple's wedding…Ruby was a winner this time, and I'm still jealous! These are just a few examples, but there are tons of possible activities. There is also usually a slide-show showing the couple's story and their pictures over the years.

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(Ruby's prize-winning bear)

If you have been to a lot of Western weddings, one thing you may notice missing is a wedding cake, but don't worry, you will have your choice of traditional dishes, and at the end of the ceremony the newlywed couple will present you with a box of gourmet cookies xĭ bĭng 囍餅! The character 囍 is made by joining two of the character xĭ 喜, which means happiness, which makes sense, because your wedding should be the happiest day of your life, right? It's not uncommon for newlywed couples to be given lots of gifts with 囍 on them, like napkins or coffee mugs for example.

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(The happy newlywed couple)

If you ever have the opportunity to attend a Taiwanese wedding, take it, it will be an interesting memory that you will cherish for the rest of your life.

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(That was fun. Not long before It's our turn too!)

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Chinese phrases of the day:

婚禮= wedding

鳳冠= a traditional wedding headdress

紅包=red envelope(s)

訂婚=engagement

囍餅=the cookies that are given to friends and family of the bride at a wedding

囍=a combination of two of the character 喜, which means happiness (used for weddings)

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