From September 17th to the 28th, I had a break from my School of Biblical Studies here in Taiwan. When my family first heard of this break, without a missing a beat my dad suggested that he come visit me while I was out of school! Having him here was great! We were able to see some of Taiwan’s greatest sights like the tallest building in the world (Taipei 101), several historic museums, and of course a chance for him to see what I do on a daily basis. I was able to show him the classroom where I worked at, and the restaurants I eat at on a regular basis.
The food was definitely a highlight of my dad's trip. In fact to this day it is still something we talk about. Ice Moshi is similar to a Hawaiian shave ice, except for it is shaved from a frozen block of milk. With homemade jams and syrups on top then completed with little drizzle of condensed milk, this dish quickly became my dad's favorite. It became a priority almost every night to make it to the Ice Moshi stand. In our opinion, this treat was the perfect way to both begin and end the day.
For it being my dad’s first time out of the States, we also had our fair share of cultural experiences and clashes as well. For example, my dad and I were able to spend 3 nights in a beautiful hotel right off of the shore of Taiwan’s largest lake, Sun Moon Lake. A couple from my school, Justin and Li Chan Chiang, acted as our tour guides and showed us around the area. One day of our stay, we went for a 4 hour bike ride around the lake, taking in the stunning sights as we went. After a long, hot day, the four of us ended the day and attempted to regain our energy from a hearty gourmet Taiwanese meal by the lake. The menus were in Chinese, so we had the Justin and Li Chan order for us and my dad requested the main entrée of beef. Unfortunately a quick glance at the menu mistook the Chinese character for pork intestine—which is similar to the character for beef—and ordered that instead. The look on my dad’s face when we received his meal and took in its pungent aroma was anything but a satisfying one. To say the least, I had to help my dad finish his plate for the evening. ;) Thank you again, Justin and Li Chan Chiang, for your hospitality and sharing a laugh or two.
Interestingly enough, it has been one full year since I first left to for Montana. Having my dad out here in Taiwan was a strong reminder of the growth I have gone through during that time. While my dad and I were able to see several sights while he was here in Taiwan, I think my favorite part of his visit was simply being able share life with him again. The highlight of having my dad around was by far our time up to the tea gardens on Mao Kong Mountain, about a 3 hour transit ride from my house. We had woken up early to make the most of the day. Our plan was to simply spend only a few hours sipping on Taiwan’s famous Oolong tea and then make our way to a night market. Long story short, we never made it to the night market. The tea was good but the conversation was even better, and over several hours my dad and I were able to bring each other up to date on what had been going on in our lives. We talked about our views on God, the high points and the low points of the last year, and simply shared life together. As we watched the sun set over the rolling, green mountains of Taiwan, I knew that this was a day I would not soon forget.
Having my dad out here was a great experience. I am so glad that he was able to not only see what life looks like for me in Asia on a day to day basis, but that we were able to spend real quality time together as father and son. However, all it makes me think of is when I will be able to come home and see the rest of my family. Hopefully in the future the rest of my family will be able to come visit.
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