Last day

Hey everyone! It was so scary to believe that today was my last day in Taiwan! It's been a great experience for sure!
While today was a lazy day in the sense I only left the hotel for dinner, it was still a busy one trying to get everything ready for leaving tomorrow. In an attempt to make sure going through security and customs goes as easily as possible, I spent lots of time online looking up anything and everything that might help me, and slightly freaking myself out in the process. Oh well. Everything got packed, and hopefully my suitcase isn't overweight. Please keep your fingers crossed for me that everything goes well tomorrow.
We did have our end of trip dinner tonight that we all got dress up for. It was at a nice buffet style restaurant called In Base. They had a nice mix of both American and Chinese cuisine, and the food was delicious. It's hard to believe that dinner was probably one of the last times all 9 of us will be together. After seeing everyone daily, it's going to be a change going back and not seeing everyone constantly. I will definitely miss everyone. This trip was so great because of the wonderful people I got to experience everything with.
We are leaving the hotel tomorrow morning between 6-6:30 to get to the airport with plenty of time to check in to not worry about missing our flight. As a result I am going to bed now. I will post tomorrow after I get back to let you all know I made it back safe.
Talk to you all soon!

Picture- Dr Huang and I at the dinner tonight

Second to last day

Tuesday was our second to last day in Taipei. Again, we had a free day to do whatever we wanted.
After breakfast, we did have to head to the lab to look at the results of our last embryo experiment. While the results might not have been what we wanted, the tests were preliminary and once we get back to the states we will continue working with the compounds to run more tests.
When we finished with the lab we headed back to the large tourist souvenir shop we had been to previously to finish up any last shopping we had. I definitely spent more than I intended too, but I think in the end it all ended up working out, and I hope everyone is happy. We also ended up spending a lot longer there than originally intended, but it's so easy to get distracted in that store.
When we finally made it out, we went to catch a very late lunch before heading back to Academia. Dr Huang finally took me for pot stickers, which Catelyn insisted I try before leaving. After lunch we also had to stop and find a shipping tube for Courtney to take some of her souvenirs home. Everyone got everything they wanted/needed and went back happy.
The rest of the night was spent relaxing and starting to get ready for leaving. You could definitely tell it was sinking in we had little time left.

Third to last day

Yikes! Monday was our third to last day in Taiwan (none of us really count Thursday as our last day since we leave so frickin early), which was very scary to think about. Dr Huang gave us our last few days as free days so we could enjoy everything we wanted to.
Beth, Kayla, Erich, and myself all got up in time for breakfast, but after discussion at breakfast, we all decided to go back to bed for a bit before meeting up later to head out. We were supposed to leave around 3, but didn't get started until more about 3:45, which ended up being plenty fine.
We decided to head back to Taipei 101. I am so glad I did since that was probably the last time I will ever see that building in person. We went shopping in the attached mall, but didn't really buy anything because we couldn't really afford anything. Most stores in there were all the designer stores like Tiffany and Co, Prada, Gucci, Coach, Hermes, etc. The first time we were at Taipei 101 we found this place that served french fries with different topping so we went there to get a snack.
After we finished at Taipei 101 we headed to the Shilin night market one last time for some final shopping. I didn't get too much, but Beth and Kayla both did. We tried to explore as much of the night market as we could, but we know there was still a lot we missed.
By this point of the evening it was getting late and we were all super hungry for dinner. Beth had found a little American pub for us to go to since they had a great dinner special. We got a little lost trying to find it, however we found a nice lady on the street who spoke English and she helped us find the pub. The special was for 199 NTD you could get the classic burger and a drink. The burger was delicious, and the service was some of the fastest we found in Taiwan. This was great because it meant we were able to still take public transportation home before it all shut down for the night. We got back late but luckily the next day was also pretty much a free day.

Pictures- last shot of Taipei 101; dinner; sign outside of the pub.

Travel day

We finished our chemistry experiments on Saturday, so Sunday we packed everything up to leave Taichung for our last few days in Taipei!
Because we couldn't check back in to Academia Sinica until 3, we were a little more relaxed in the morning getting ready and heading to the train station. However, as our luck would have it various circumstances made us still run later than we wanted, but we still caught our train with plenty of time. This trip has convinced me that bullet train is the way to travel! All of our trips were comfortable, convenient, and quick!
When we got back and checked in, we all dropped our stuff off in our rooms and headed out to lab. We had to set up one last treatment of zebrafish embryos, this time using some of the compounds we got during our chemistry experiments in Taichung. it took us much longer than expected to set everything up, which was very frustrating. None of us had eaten since much earlier since we didn't have the chance to stop for lunch, so we were all starving and cranky!
After we got out of lab we quick ran to McDonalds for dinner since none of us had the motivation to go anywhere else or try anything new. After dinner, Courtney and I also picked up some cake for dessert. Mine was delicious! Courtney had two pieces, one which was not bad, and the other which was horrible.
It was nice to go back to Academia Sinica and just relax. Since the following day was a free day, we didn't have to worry about going to bed early so we could be off and running bright and early.

Chemistry days 2 and 3

Hey everyone! I know this post is a little late....
We continued our work on our chemistry experiments for two days following the first day. There was a lot of wait time with the experiments we were observing, so the groups split up so only two from each group were in the lab at any given time. We took 1.5 hr shifts so that it would be manageable.
Our first day when we left for our first break, our lunch break, we walked through the building dedicated to anatomy, and observed that the med students were holding a memorial service for those who had assisted in the learning of the students participating in the gross anatomy lab. Our second break was when the hearses were there to pick up the caskets.
Our second day was a little less eventful,  however during our second break we ran across the street to McDonalds for some ice cream, and there was a SUPER freaky Ronald McDonald impersonator there. Really kinda scared me. Because of space restrictions most places are multiple floors so we went up a level to avoid him.
Overall the chemistry experiments seemed to be successful, but only time will tell if we got the results we really wanted. I wish though that I would have had more of a chance to work on some of the experiments, however I understand that the masters students we were working with didn't want us to screw anything up, especially since they invest so much time before and after we are there to make sure everything goes right. I definitely admire my cousin Ryan for what he must be working on with his graduate degree! Chemistry sure is not for me!
Thanks for reading along everyone!

Picture- our column for the experiment.

Chemistry day 1

Hey everyone! Hope you are all doing great! Today marked 1 week left in Taiwan. I can't believe how the time has flown!
Today we met at the lab to score the level of cardiac failure of the zebrafish embryos experiment we set up Tuesday. Our embryos that were supposed to exhibit heart failure actually survived very well. Our embryos that were supposed to show recovery did well as well, which was a good thing because the compound we were testing to see if it helped recover heart failure was more diluted than what is normally tested.
After we finished with our embryos, we had a break for lunch and some time to relax before our afternoon activities. Beth and I ate at the little coffee shop on campus, and then walked to the market to get some delicious fruit tea. We were able to relax for about an hour and a half back at the hotel before we left for the afternoon.
We spent the afternoon and evening over at the Chinese Medicine University. We will be working there the next few days on various chemistry experiments to extract compounds for research from two different Chinese herbs. We were not able to start right away when we arrived, so we wandered around the teeny tiny museum they had in the department for a little while. Unfortunately it was all in Chinese so we had no idea what anyone was saying. After, we went back up to the lab to find out what experiments we would be doing, and to start working on them. Our experiment we started tonight was liquid column chromatography. For those who don't know what that is, you create a silica gel in a long column, pour in solvent that can help take the compound you want to separate down the silica gel, and let it sit for a while. Because there was a lot if wait time, we were able to run and get dinner during our break. We were only supposed to take a half hour break, but Dr Huang was with my group that went to dinner, so we ended up taking almost an hour, especially because he wanted to go get doughnuts for everyone. We couldn't find the doughnut shop he wanted, so we ended up stopping at a bakery to get treats anyways.
We paused our experiment for the night and took a long bus ride back to the hotel. Tomorrow we will pick up where we left off, and work on some other experiments.
Thanks for reading along! Can't wait to see everyone soon.

Pictures - zebrafish embryos; bus driver this afternoon made a pit stop at the gas station; our liquid column chromatography

Earthquake museum

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in a while.... I've been exhausted at night when I get home so I haven't been keeping up. I will be putting up a post soon updating everyone on what happened while I wasn't posting. Currently we are in Taichung, Taiwan.
Today was a very relaxed day. We had some tours booked for the day, however due to some miscommunication between Dr Huang and the travel agent the toys were booked for Friday instead of today. However since we are doing chemistry experiments on Friday, we will instead be getting a refund.
We had a group meeting at 10 today to talk about what everyone wanted to do today. Some went shopping around downtown, but most of us and Dr Huang went to the 921 Earthquake Museum. Beth, Kayla, and I took a taxi, which took about a half an hour to arrive. Erich, Courtney, and Dr Huang took the bus, so it took them closer to two hours to arrive. We were done with the museum by time they arrived. I debated going because it was such a ways away, but I am really glad I went.
The 921 Earthquake Museum was constructed around the fault line of a devastating earthquake that hit Taichung in the early hours of September 21, 1999. A Jr High School was constructed on the fault line, and so it was destroyed during the earthquake. This was the building around which the museum was built. The first part of the museum was a background on what causes an earthquake, the different types of falts, etc., as well as showcasing the props of the track that shifted during the quake. As you walked to the second portion of the museum, you walked by a few of the buildings that had also been destroyed in the quake. They showcased some of the measures they had to use to prevent further destruction in case of another quake, and to make sure the building's didn't fall on tourists. The second part of the museum was on what makes buildings stand up against earthquakes, and the best ways to make sure that nothing falls in a house during an earthquake. We then moved to the third part, which had a earthquake simulation room. This was interesting because along with the simulated quake, they showed images of the before, during, and after. This really put it into perspective. As you walked out of this part of the museum you had the opportunity to walk around the destroyed Jr High School. I know we were all glad that the quake happened at night so that no students or teachers were killed at the school. It was very sobering to see the damage, and humbling to know that we are fortunate to not have to deal with earthquake possibilities 24/7 like many places in Taiwan. I would definitely recommend this museum to anyone traveling around Taichung.
After finishing the museum, Beth, Kayla, and I returned to the Tunghi University campus, where we are staying. We walked to the dairy store on campus to get frozen milk pops. It is just like having an ice cold glass of milk on a stick, and on a warm day nothing is better! We walked back to our hotel, and relaxed for a little bit before leaving to go to the night market to get food for dinner. Kayla and Beth got Subway (which is horrible compared to American Subway), and I want to a bakery shop to get this bad that is a green onion,  cheese, buttery bread, and a piece of chocolate cake, which was yummy. On our way back we stopped to get some iced fruit tea, which is so good. I think the tea is one thing I will definitely miss when I leave in a week!
Now Courtney and I are relaxing in our room. Tomorrow we have to go do some chemistry assignments, which should be interesting. Like I said, look for a long update soon on what you missed! Thanks for reading along!

Pictures- fault line of quake; destroyed classrooms; chocolate cake

Sun-Day

Hey everyone! Hope you are doing well and not freezing too bad!
Today was a fun filled, outdoorsy, kind of day. We got up this morning and headed to the Kenting National Park for a tour of some of the beaches and wooded areas. We picked up our tour guide at the headquarters of the park and we went in the building to get some background on what we might see in the park and their conservation efforts for the beaches and wooded areas. After that we left to visit a beach that they had closed to visitors in an effort to try to conserve the area. It was a beautiful beach! We then headed to one of the wooded areas in the park to see some of the foliage. Because Kenting National Park is on the coast we stopped at a cliff top pavilion during our walk, and also went to see a beautiful, operational, lighthouse. We unfortunately were not able to tour the lighthouse, which I would have loved to do. Following stopping at a gift shop, we then went to another cliff. This one looked out over the Pacific Ocean. It was beautiful, but also super busy. Crazy to think that that will be the closest I am to home until I actually am home! That was our final stop on our tour.
We then had free time to wander downtown for shopping and to find lunch. I almost felt like I was back in the dells because all of the tourist shops had the same merchandise. Still, it was pretty fun. Beth, Kayla, Erich, and myself ended up shopping together as the others stopped for lunch right away. We ended up spiff at this cute Italian inspired café. The food was very good, and a great value for what we got.
Then, after we finished, it was FINALLY time for the BEACH!!! You could definitely tell we were the crazy Americans that are used to cold weather. Everyone else we saw was in sweaters, pants, and even some in winter coats. We went swimming for a little while, buried some people in the sand, and just all around had a good time. I ended up with lots of same in my suit though. Hopefully it will eventually all leave my suit! I feel fortunate though that I didn't have any issues with the coral that was along stretches of the beach. Courtney ended up with her legs and arms scratched up from two separate incidences with the coral.
As reluctant as we were to leave the beach, we at least were able to go to some hot springs. On our way there we stopped so that some people could get fresh coconut water. I tried it but didn't like it. We got to the hot springs and all jumped right in to warm up. As beautiful as the days are, the evenings get rather chilly, especially with as windy as it was today. This hot spring was different from the last one. These didn't seem to be warmed by the natural vents, and they infused the water with various things, like rose oil and ginseng. As nice as it was, I think we all preferred the first trip to the hot springs. We ate dinner at the site of the hot springs, which actually was not that bad. After we finished we came back to the dorm and are all exhausted and ready for bed.
We are leaving here tomorrow morning and heading back to Taipei for a few days. I think we are all ready to be back at Academia Sinica. This time tomorrow I will be back to sleeping on a mattress, which sounds amazing right now.
Good luck with the cold back home. Stay safe, I don't want to hear about anything bad happening to anyone because you were careless around the cold weather.

Pictures- preserved beach; lighthouse; windy day by the Pacific; hot spring area; beach we swam at

Snorkeling!

Hey everyone! So I've been trying to not rub it in your face that you are all freezing back home and I'm not, but with this post I can't help it...
So the weather here has been amazing. Taipei for the last few days we were there was uncharacteristically warm (upper 60's to low 70's), to the point it may be responsible for the deflation of the giant rubber duck we saw earlier in Keelung. Pingtung is even warmer. The first full day we were here the temps were in the upper 80's. Today was "chillier" in the upper 70's. It is also high humidity. The crazy part is everyone from here thinks the weather is still worth sweaters and coats.
Anyways, so after we finished the aquarium sleepover, we headed back to the dorms to change into our swimsuits and pack for a trip to go snorkeling! We got there and we were all very excited! We put on wetsuits and bootie things and were then given a life vest and a mask. They had special prescription ones that I got to use so I could see on the trip. We took a short ride to the portion of beach we would be snorkeling off of, and all got in the water to start as quickly as possible. There was just so much to see, I can't even begin to describe everything or how I was feeling. I would go again in a heartbeat, I loved it so much! There was just so much unique life to see, like coral or starfish, or the super cool fish like the iridescent, glowing fish we saw.
I know we all wished we could have stayed longer, but we had to head to dinner after we finished. We went to this cute little café that had really good food and drinks. It was just across the road from the ocean so it was nice to sit outside and relax. The second half of the day I would not exchange for anything, and so far is one of my favorite things we have done on the trip.
Tomorrow sounds like it is going to be another fun filled day! I am exhausted, so i think i am going to head to bed!  Thanks for reading along!

Picture - view at dinner
I will try posting snorkeling pictures later.

Night at the Aquarium

Hey everyone! Hope you are all doing well!
Our first day and night in Pingtung were busy ones. We started off the day by going to a small cafeteria that is in the back of one of the research buildings on the campus we are staying on. The ladies working were very nice and made some of us omelets, even though they weren't on the menu. I had onion, mushrooms, cheese, bacon, and tomato on mine. It was a good omelet, but it definitely wasn't one of Grams omelets.
After breakfast we went to see Dr Huang give a presentation on some of the research he is working on. This was interesting because most of the students that know about his research are familiar with his projects on heart failure recovery. However, this presentation was on his research on caffeine toxicity in zebrafish embryos, and on his research into compounds to assist with skin whitening, a growing industry in parts of Asia and Africa.
Following Dr Huang's presentation, we went to tour the research and husbandry centers on campus. They had some sea turtles which they are helping to rehab. Those are some magnificent creatures that astonish me with how easily they move through the water when they are so large and not very flexible. They also had coal farms k and off chose many different sized fish, since we are on a marine research campus. We then had lunch in the same cafeteria we had breakfast in. The chicken I was given was very spicy so I hardly ate any of my lunch. Good thing I had snacks to eat to help hold me over until dinner.
We then headed to the aquarium on campus for a sleepover program they run. While the program gave the opportunity to experience something I normally would never have the opportunity to experience, I don't think it's something I will be running out and doing again anytime soon. We arrived and saw an introduction video that was in Chinese, so none of us knew what was going on. Following the video, we went to tour the coral reef section of the aquarium. There were some typical species of fish that were in the tanks, but the setup of some of the tanks were cool. They had tunnels through the tanks, and some were set up as if it were a ship wreck. When we finished the tour we were able to eat dinner, which had a lot of traditional Asian foods. After we finished dinner we were released to get into pajamas, and had the opportunity to make little clay photo holders. When our group reconvened, we took a tour of behind the scenes, and had the chance to feed some fish, see the baby fish, and pet cute, seemingly non threatening baby sharks. When we finished this part of the tour we then retoured the coral reef exhibit to see the difference between the day activity and lack of life and activity at night. By this time we were all exhausted and so we went to set up our beds. Our group was assigned to sleep in the tunnels, and a different group was assigned to sleep in the tunnels by the beluga whales. Thank goodness there was lots of tunnel space because there were some incredibly young kids in the group we were in, so we ended up in a different tunnel than them. We discovered just how loud Dr Huang's snoring was that we had all been told about. Even with music or earplugs in, with your head under your pillow, everyone remarked on being woken up at least once by his snoring, even with him far away.
We got up early this morning for breakfast, which for me was a disaster. Someone took my breakfast card, stop then when we went they weren't sure if I would be able to eat. Them when they said I could get breakfast they discovered they gave someone what I had ordered, so I had to take something else. Then they said I couldn't have the juice I had ordered, even though the other person took the milk tea they were supposed to have. And then when they accidentally spilled my milk tea I had no desire to drink, they filled another milk tea rather than filling a cup of juice from the machine like I requested. By this point I was so frustrated and done I walked out of breakfast. Kayla was nice enough to share her cereal she brought with with me so I could have something for breakfast. As she and I were sitting, waiting for everyone else, Dr Huang, Beth, Courtney, and Erich went outside by the big fountain/wading pool. We all rolled up our pants, took off our shoes, and waded on in. The water felt amazing, and it was so much fun!
We had to go back inside for a fish feeding show in the Waters of Taiwan exhibit. This was kinda cool, but the guide kept talking but none of us knew what she was saying. Following the feeding show, we went outside to walk around the intertidal zone to see what we could all find. The ocean air was very refreshing after having been inside for such a long time. We had to go inside a little while later for the beluga whale show. This was lots of fun, and the beluga were very well behaved. There are two at the aquarium. This was the last thing that was a part of the program.
Kayla REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to go see the penguins, since she is absolutely obsessed with them. They were very active and playful, coming right up to the tank Wall, which was all plexiglass. We arrived in time to also see some of the feeding slow. The penguins are such funny little creatures, especially the way they enter and exit the water.
The aquarium program ended, and as much as we would all have loved to get some sleep, we still had a full day ahead of us.

Pictures- sea turtle in rehab; baby sharks; the extent of my craft ability photo holder; intertidal zone; Beluga show; Kayla and her penguin

Travel to Pingtung

Hey everyone! Hope you aren't freezing too bad!
So on January 2nd we started the second half of our adventure in Taiwan by traveling south to Pingtung. This was a beautiful journey, but it was also a very long journey. We took the bullet train south for the first half of our journey, time wise. The train ride took about an hour and a half, as we were on the express train that didn't make as many stops. The train topped out at about 288 km/hr. Because of the speed, it was difficult to get good pictures. However, this was a great way to see much of the Taiwanese countryside.
After we got off of the train, we had to take a bus for another hour and a half until we arrived at thus spot where our shuttle was supposed to meet us to take us to our final destination. Much of this bus trip was spent driving next to the ocean, which was pretty awesome. I think though everyone was happy when we finally arrived because we had been in moving vehicles for so long.
The happiness for most did not last once people saw what our sleeping arrangements were. We have lofted wooden beds with thin pads to sleep on. It is decidedly not the most comfortable thing I have ever slept on, however it beats sleeping on the floor with nothing. It's a shared bathroom with the other female rooms in the door, but it's not too bad because we don't think there are any more females in the dorm.
Our stay in Pingtung is only four nights, so we will be returning to Taipei before we know it!

Picture- view from bus window

New Year's day

Hey everyone! I hope you had a fun, safe new years eve!
We got back to our hotel around 1-1:30am after the fireworks. We were fortunate that we were able to make it to the subway station quickly after the fireworks ended, and that not many people were taking the train the same direction we were. Dr. Huang was very nice and let us sleep in.
Our first activity of the day was a tour of the Presidential Palace. This was a beautiful building and we were lucky we visited the day we did because about once a month they open the building's front entrance for visitors to tour. It was interesting going around and learning not only about the building, but also about how Taiwan came to be the democracy it is today.
After the tour we went to TGI Fridays for lunch. It was nice to get a good American cheeseburger, but it was a little more expensive than it is back home. This is because it is more "exotic" food to them, as sushi would be to us.
Following lunch, we went to this huge tourist store. It was four floors full of souvenirs, many of of them handmade. I can't wait to head back before I leave Taiwan to pick some stuff up.
We had free time in the evening. I was planning on packing for the trip to Pingtung, but that didn't happen. It was nice to just spend some time relaxing before the next leg of our journey.

Pictures- Presidential Palace; Fridays receipt

NYE Part 2

Hey! Hope everyone had a fun, safe, new years eve!
I had the amazing opportunity to attend the fireworks at Taipei 101 World Trade Center. This celebration is the equivalent of the New York NYE celebration. We were not right at the building, but rather a few blocks away. Because the building is soooo tall, the fireworks were still visible. We arrived around 10pm, and the fireworks started promptly at the turn to the new year, and lasted about three minutes. This probably was one of the best, and most unique fireworks show I have ever seen. It was awesome to see the fireworks go off of the side of the building rather than always straight up in the air. I posted a short clip of the fireworks on my Facebook page, along with a few of the pictures I took if you are interested in seeing more than just what I post on the blog.
I'm so glad I had the opportunity to attend a large celebration, especially in a foreign country. That being said, I don't think I ever will again. There were way to many people for my taste. I definitely prefer to ring in the New year celebrating with the ones I love, who I definitely missed!