Funerals, Big Buddha Celebrations, and oh wait BLISS!!

So, this past week? Words can’t even quite describe, I fall more and more in love with Taiwan everywhere I go.

Let’s discuss the lovely art of funerals here. There are much less than quite the spectacle! They set up these big honkin tents pretty much anywhere they please, middle of the street, in front of a business, in a garage, wherever. So there was this one set up on the side of the road, and I noticed it had been there a couple of days right? One night we were walking home and BAM coolest thing ever. There were all of these people dressed up white robes, they kind of looked like they were in the KKK or something and they had all these fires in cans and they were like skipping around the fire. I wish I could’ve taken a picture but I didn’t want to be rude. It was so incredibly cool. But wait it gets even better. The next day we woke up early and went to the morning market, well on our way back we passed the same funeral. We were yet again treated with a pleasant surprise. They have all these tiers set up and a big Chinese dragon was there, and apparently (I didn’t actually get to see it myself) but the dragon with people in it started jumping from tier to tier! Sweet right? But OOOHhhh wait there’s even more!! You’d think this guy was some kind of god here or something, but no it’s just what they do in Taiwan. So that same day we were in our apartment and we heard all of this racket. We look outside don’t worry there’s just a parade going on, for that guy. Let me tell ya, when I die don’t even have a funeral just have a parade and party it up, I’m sure I’ll pretty darn happy in heaven!

Next and best event that has happened it Taiwan to date, and right up there with one of the best events of my whole entire life! So today in the US they are celebrating the 4^th of July and honestly I was a little sad, the 4^th is my favorite holiday! But man oh man was I pleasantly surprised with what Taiwan had to offer. We woke up today and were just going on about our business. While we were taking out the trash we heard a crap load of noise coming from the street, so we went to check it out. I bet you can’t guess what it was this time? Yep, a parade again except this one wasn’t for a dead person, apparently it is some Buddhist holiday so they had quite the parade to show us. We watched it until what we thought was the end of the parade. No, a little while later we hear it again the freaking parade is still going on! At this point I didn’t know about the holiday and really had no idea what in the devil was going on. But anyways we decided to ride our bikes to the store, well on our way there what do we hit again? Oh wait another parade?!?! What the what?! I’m telling you these Taiwanese people know how to PARTAY!! So we keep going and hear all this loud banging, we come to the street and there literally is thousands of fire crackers that people have lit off as the parade went by! It was NUTS!!!

Now after all the parades and fireworks you would think that this day couldn’t have gotten much better but Taiwan never ceases to amaze me and it did. So Karyn had seen at the big Buddha there were fireworks tonight, so we decided to go. We get up there and there are TONS I mean TONS of people. We walk into the park area and there are people dancing all around in traditional dances it was so amazing, I was in awe. I seriously kept thinking to myself is this real? Am I really standing by a 70 foot Buddha watching people dance the night away? Then the fireworks begin, they started on this little overlook at the opposite side of the Buddha and they were great. They finished and we thought the night was over. We were sitting trying to get a hold of what just happened when…. The countdown began! Fireworks start buzzing out from behind the Buddha! At this point I just want to collapse, it was truly amazing! Words really can’t even describe it. I think the happiness and joy I felt in my heart compares to that I will feel on my wedding day, truly one of the greatest moments of my life.

Oh and yes we did start teaching this week, which was great! I think I am really going to enjoy it the kids are adorable! I really need to start writing more often….. those two stories are only the icing on the cake, but oh well I’ve got six months can’t write them all down!