10/29/10 – 10/30/10 (luzhou)
Annie Lin
Luzhou
With just a few days left in Taiwan it was time to buy souvenirs and Christmas presents for our family. Due to limited luggage space we hadn’t purchased much along our travels for ourselves or anyone else. Grace took us to a few main shopping areas where we bought Taiwanese snacks and small gifts for people. We quickly realized that we weren’t going to fit everything in our two carry-on suitcases and needed to purchase an additional luggage. Luckily the airlines don’t charge for luggage on international flights. Grace knew a lady who owned a jewelry shop near the train depot where we were shopping. That lady knew another lady who owned a suitcase shop where we could get a deal. It is amazing the connections my sister has and it is no wonder she relies on her friends rather than the internet for discounts.
On Saturday we were triple booked. We made lunch plans with my aunt and uncle who are in their eighties and live in Taipei. Then for dinner we met with Monsignor Paul who also grew up in Alpena. After dinner we hung out with my cousins at a live music bar called EZ 5. It was an ambitious schedule.
For lunch my aunt and uncle decided to take us to a vegetarian buffet restaurant, one of the best in Taipei. My uncle has been a vegetarian for a number of years and even to this day swims and does sit-ups every morning. The restaurant is popular among the monks and Jon commented he had never seen so many in one place. The food was absolutely delicious. We were amazed at the selection of dishes and never realized how many different things you can make just cooking vegetarian. Over lunch we caught up with my relatives on what we had been up to since it had been over ten years since I had seen them. They still refer to me by my childhood name, Little Chuan, with Chuan being the last character in my name. I am the youngest of all my cousins and there is a huge age gap, so much so that my cousin’s daughter is the same age as me. It was wonderful seeing them and reminds me that I need to make it a point to come back more often.
We had a few hours before our dinner meeting so Jon and I decided to scout out a present for his dad. We took a taxi to an area that is supposed to sell Chinese calligraphy scrolls. We visited several stores and found out that very few people now sell ready made calligraphy scrolls but produce them when they are commissioned. Luckily we stumbled upon a shop that was willing to write one for us on the spot. Because we were novices at such things we called my sister for advice and after much deliberation the shopkeeper and my sister decided on a proverb that suited Jon’s dad based on his Chinese astrological sign. The shopkeeper wrote the proverb in different styles and after spending more than an hour with him we finally decided on a scroll that we liked. The scroll was carefully stored in a tube so it wouldn’t be crushed during the flight.
We were then off to Monsignor Paul’s house for dinner. Long story short…Jon’s mom, Mary, was chatting with her friends, The Fitzpatricks, and she comes to find out that they have a cousin, Monsignor Paul, who is in charge of what is equivalent to an embassy for the Vatican in Taipei. Mary suggested that Monsignor Paul would be an interesting person for us to meet since he has traveled extensively around the world. We were fortunate that Monsignor Paul had a free evening and he invited us over for dinner. We met him at his home that also serves as the official office for the Vatican. He is an incredibly warm person who welcomed all sorts of questions we had about Catholicism and things we were just curious about such as how he prepares for a sermon. He visits Alpena frequently since his mom still lives there and we hope to see him over the holidays.
We had such a great time with Monsignor Paul that we were an hour late to meet my cousins, which we felt terrible about. Jon makes fun of me that I call everyone cousins even though he questions whether or not they are really my cousins. I think you would call Louisa and Shen-Anh my second cousins since they are my cousin’s daughters. Louisa is the same age as me and based on Taiwanese customs she would have to call me aunt but I just refer to her as my cousin to simply things. We went to a bar called EZ 5 that featured up and coming artists. They sang English and Taiwanese songs. In between acts we reminisced about our childhood days and how much fun we had.
By the time we left it was just after midnight and we were exhausted. It was a day of reacquainting with family members and meeting a new friend.
Reader Comments (2)
Hilary