:)

I left my heart in Taiwan. Here's a picture of my second family there. I took the pictures in my last days in Taiwan :

Alvin the youngest brother

With David 

With Tony

Full family photo! (oh minus Kevin!)

Aunty <3

Sayonara :')

Goodbyes

There's always goodbye in every hello, so today I'm going back home to Indonesia. I'll keep posting some videos and post in this blog after all. Thank you for all the kindness, Taiwan. I hope I can be back to this lovable country as soon as possible. I fell in love too deep with this country, Sanxia city, fish farm, and definitely the very best Lin family. Thank you AIESEC Universitas Indonesia and Fu Jen University Taiwan for giving me the chance to take part in this GCDP. Thanks to my project leader, Peel Hsieh and my best EP buddy, Amber Lin (little naughty boyyyyyy).

Abundant thanks to Uncle & Aunty Lin for taking care of me and being the very nice parents in Taiwan. Thank you Kevin, Tony, David, Alvin Lin for all the inspirational talks. I've considered 4 of you guys as my own brothers. Thanks to Eva Liu for being my new sister (or brother?) here. You are so strong yet very lovable. Thanks Xiao Zhi for your cuteness and silliness memories, Tanya Yang for the hugs, Jason and Weykay for the funny talks. Thanks to Weychan, Tony, Wayne, Xiao Kyu, Ama 1, Ama 2, Ama 3, Uncle Chen, Sophia and Miss Song for being so nice. I love you all!

Short Trip to 台中

In my last week in Taiwan, I have a chance to go to 台中(Taichung). It's a county in the middle of Formosa Island and is the 3rd biggest (and crowded) city in Taiwan after Taipei and Kaohsiung. 

I have planned to go to Taichung in advance, because I was curious about how this city looks like. Many of Indonesian study in Taichung city, because there are many good universities and the city is well developed. Beside, it's not as hot and dry as in Kaohsiung and not as cold as in Taipei. So basically Taichung's weather is more comfortable for Indonesians. 

Fortunately, I have an old friend - Chris, my elementary school fellow - who studies in Tung Hai University, Taichung. I contacted him through Facebook and told him that if I had a chance, I'd like to visit Taichung and meet him and his girlfriend. But Taichung doesn't have MRT and it's pretty far from Sanxia to Taichung.

Luckily, Eva (Liu Yi Hsiao), Uncle and Aunty's niece, is very nice to me. She decided to skip her class in Tuesday (she had holiday on Monday and Wednesday) to accompany me to Taichung. Without her, I will be completely lost in Taichung. What a confusing city Taichung is!

We took uBus from Sanxia to Taichung

It costs only 140 NTD, 2 hours bus-trip with perfect facilities

Welcome to Taichung!

We started the trip with eating ice cream in the new department store in the city, named Top City. It is extremely enormous that Eva and I were a bit tired after getting around the whole department store. 

A 'night market' near Dong Hai University

Eva, me, Herlinda and Chris. Thanks a lot to Chris and Herlinda for taking care of me during my stay in Taichung! 

Campus tour with Eva ;)

That famous ramen near Dong Hai. We should wait for more than 30 minutes for this bowl of ramen

Museum of Fine Art

Eva

Inside the big museum

In front of the well-known old Taichung Railway Station. 

They have a fitness equipment in the park!

Eva really likes to collect stamp of any places she visits

The parkway in Taichung is pretty!

Hustle bustle in the city

The biggest night market in Taiwan (that I've visited) maybe?

Takoyaki + Wasabi! Iressistible

The crowd

In the third morning, suddenly there's a quite big earthquake stroke Taiwan. It was around 5 Richter Scale in Taichung, and I was a bit shocked. Then Eva's aunty treated us an All You Can Eat Sushi Lunch! So I've overcome my fear :p 

Thank you beautiful Ayi <3

Fortunately, I had another Monday to go with Weykay, Sophia and Miss Song for a lunch. So Sophia drove us to another area of Sanxia, and we have a 'fine' lunch that costs around 700 NTD per person. But it was totally worth it. The waiter showed us the seats in front of the chef, so we could clearly see the cooking process of our own food.

Miss Song, Weykay and Sophia

Chef in front of me :)

French Salad as appetizer

Chicken Soup with mushroom

Scallop

Shrimp, mushroom and broccoli with mustard

Egg cake. I forget the name, Beki likes this anyway

Zhu Rou (Pork)

Ice cream as dessert!

Sophia, me and Miss Song. No one of them can speak English but I'm close to them. Imagine how nice they are :')

After lunch, I headed to Taipei, Longshan Temple for specific, to meet Seria, a friend from Fu Ren University. She wanted to show me around the Longshan temple. 

Intersection in Longshan area

Seria wanted me to try the bihun with oyster and pork's intestine. Tasted so good!

Me and Seria the turkish-look-alike girl in front of Longshan Temple

Surprisingly, Amber (my best EP buddy that looks like little naughty boy) comes with Sabrina and 2 other interns who come from Thai. Sabrina is their EP Buddy. Later on that night, Vanness also came to join us. I like talking to this smart-ass guy that has a somekind of British accent. He and Seria make a good couple after all <3

We then got around the temple and get some explanation by Seria about the God and Goddess and how to pray to them.

Longshan Temple

Seria is praying for fortune and health :)

I'm praying for..... every good thing! Including wish to graduate as soon as possible...

In this temple, you can ask a question regarding anything you'd like to know. The first step is you have to take a stick, with a number on it. I got 14. Then I have to throw away to stone three times. If I succeed throwing them reversed (upside and bottomside of the stone appear together) three times in a row, it means God agrees with your question or wish. I asked something about my career and future, and fortunately I succeed throwing the stones reversed three times in a row. Friends say that I'm really lucky because it sometimes difficult to get the stones reversed. 

So I take a paper number 14 in that drawer.

It says that... I have a big luck! (Da zhi) I need assistance from Aunty to read this, after all.

Seria took this red thread, she said this can be beneficial for me regarding soulmate. It sounds like superstition, but nothing's wrong with keeping it, right? ;)

Beautiful candles in front of God of Examination. You can pray to him about your exam test.

Some people praying in front of God and Goddess, depends on what kind of prayers they'd like to pray

After getting around the temple, Vanness came to join us. Then we went to Hwahsi Night Market to try some food. 

Hwahsi Night Market

The famous meatball shop

This is the famous meatball soup with sweet sauce <3

And that was the last time I can meet AIESECers from Fu Ren University and also the Thai interns. Glad to know them even if we only had a very short time to meet and talk. Definitely gonna miss my time in Taiwan!