We are fortunate to have met some pretty amazing people here in Taipei. Among those are the Hodowany’s, Judy and John, and their two kids Audrey and Kyle, who were introduced to us by a mutual friend (THANKS Carl!).
Judy is the epitome of Taiwan hospitality. During my first month here Judy not only introduced me to her hair dresser, but made my first appointment, AND went with me to ensure that it went ok (check out the pics of me later…it looks fine to me!!). She also took quite a bit of time to show me around the university district and all of the universities which offer Chinese Language Classes. Judy was well aware that enrolling in Chinese class ASAP was paramount as it is all-too-easy to get caught up with distractions. Any time I needed help (calling a restaurant for a reservation, checking out information on a website), there was Judy playing translator and tour guide. I owe quite a bit of my early successes to her!
John to me sets the bar. John is a Caucasian man who has been living in Taipei for the past 4 years. In those four years, he has managed to not only conquer the Chinese language, but he reads, writes….hell, he even implemented SAP at his workplace in Chinese! John is now running a Taiwanese business...awe inspiring to say the least! I can honestly say that he is the smartest person I know…and is quite humble about it too, which makes it really hard to not like the guy!
Knowing that none of our schedules would allow for Thanksgiving off (as the British/European school would obviously not celebrate it, and neither did HP Taipei nor my Chinese class), we thought it would be nice to have a Thanksgiving meal the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. As Thanksgiving is about friends and fellowship, we invited the Hodowany’s to come to our small place for a ‘Taiwanese’ Thanksgiving.
Believe it o
r not, one may find turkeys here in Taipei; however, given the size of our kitchen and the lack of a real oven, we opted to purchase two small roasted chickens from our local Carrefour (think French Safeway). I made mashed potatoes and gravy (which definitely was NOT my best…just hard to do gravy w/o the turkey drippings!), candied carrots (no one in our family cares for candied yams for some odd reason!) and baked brie. The Hodowany’s brought stuffing (which was quite tasty despite being cooked on the stove…again, no ovens people!!!), salad, and a DELICIOUS home-made cranberry sauce (which my girls ate ravenously for breakfast each morning after!!!). I knew I invited the right people when Judy mention
ed to me that she found apple pie and pumpkin pie…just like home!!! I pulled out all the stops after dinner when I brought out the mulling spices and made spiced cider. Terry made the afternoon complete with a football game he had downloaded earlier…while it wasn’t the Cowboys, we all enjoyed watching a bit of the Patriots and the Colts (DAMN what a game!!!).
We ate with abandon and once we realized we simply could eat no more, we went outside and enjoyed the park…partially to work off our meal and partially to allow the kids to work off some energy…being cooped up in our small apartment can take a toll!
The afternoon and evening went very smoothly and we found ourselves enjoying our friends’ company more and more…I was quite sad when the evening came to an end.
I can say that Thanksgiving was a bit different…there was no turkey, the gravy and stuffing tasted ‘close’ but not the same…BUT…the feeling of Thanksgiving…the friends, family, sharing a great meal..ALL of the real essential elements were there. While we did miss our family a bit, we all were so very thankful to share a great day with friends. When the evening eventually came to a close, Terry and I both reflected on the many things we have to be thankful for.
We are thankful for the obvious…we are thankful for this amazing experience and opportunity we have, but there’s so much more. We are thankful that the girls are adapting and are accepting of this opportunity in which they were given no choice. I am thankful for new friends who are gracious enough to share their precious time with us. I am thankful that the apartment we chose to live in just happens to be in the ‘perfect’ spot…a great neighborhood with great people and convenient transportation! I am thankful that everyone around me is patient as I try to learn this language. I am thankful that Terry is supportive and is able to provide this opportunity for us. I am eternally grateful for the support and fellowship of my friends back in the USA who write to me frequently and share with me so that I don’t feel so homesick, particularly at this time of year.
I am thankful to you all who read this blog. I have been surprised at how much I enjoy writing, and I simply giggle with delight at each comment you provide.
Blessings to you all this holiday season. Truly there is much to be thankful for!
The feeling is absolutely mutual. It has been great to meet you, Terry and the kids. The above was best Thanksgiving that we've had since moving to Taiwan, by far. I predict that you and I will be having a (semi-drunk but fluent) Chinese conversation over a bottle of Champagne next Thanksgiving. Go kick some butt in class :)
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