The Great Wall of China

So. Many. People!

Part of the crowd up close.

A trip to China is not complete without visiting one of the sections of the Great Wall of China.  So, when I went to China, my classmates and I took a day trip to the most popular wall in the world!  Aside from the obscene heat and hoards of people there, it was definitely a positive experience.

The Badaling section of the Great Wall is one of the more popular portions.  It's a little over an hour away from Beijing.  Our school arranged for a bus to take us, but there are many public and tour buses shuttling people to the Great Wall.

Black in Taiwan, Part II: Shit Taiwanese People Say

Perhaps many of you are familiar with the "Shit [insert specific group here] say (about [insert second specific group here])" videos floating around on YouTube recently, A while ago, one that caught my eye for obvious reasons was "Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls" by chescaleigh:

I showed someone this video, and she suggested I make a "Shit Taiwanese People Say". But, as I focus on writing, I decided to do a little written version. I realize not all Taiwanese people make these ignorant comments, and I have met many open-minded locals here, but the following comments are things I seriously hear *a lot*.

So, without further ado, my top 5 pieces of "shit" I hear Taiwanese people say about black people.

Tamkang University (淡江大學)

I'm an English (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, TESOL) graduate student at Tamkang University (淡江大學).  The school is private and located in Danshui, one of the districts of New Taipei City (basically, the suburbs/countryside around Taipei).  It began as an English school, which is what attracted me to it. 

The building for the College of Foreign Languages and Literature.
The English department is located on the second floor.

Chueh-sheng Memorial Hall, where I attend the majority
of my classes my classes.

2013 Lantern Festival

Aren't these lanterns cute?!

This year's Lantern Festival (上元節; shangyuanjie) was held back from the end of February to the beginning of March. The Lantern Festival signifies the official ending of Chinese New Year.  There seems to be several different stories regarding how the festival began, but I think the most important aspect of the festival is spending time with family and friends (people who bring the "light" to the new year).

In the beginning, the lanterns were simpler. Now, many of them stand several feet tall and come in all shapes and sizes from Disney characters to Angry Birds!  My friend and I took an evening to admire all the lovely lanterns around Yuanshan in Taipei.

The Peak

The tracks of the peak tram at the beginning.

The view from the tram
Look at all those high-rise apartments!

One of the most popular attraction is Hong Kong is The Peak (aka Victoria Peak or 太平山). There are several ways to get to the top of The Peak, yet the most popular method is by Peak Tram. You can walk from various parts of the city or take several buses to the Peak Tram which is located not far from Central Station, but my dad and I rode the Mid-Levels Escalator to the end, then followed the clear signs which point all the way to the Peak Tram area.