Day 3 – Fazhi-mazing!!

大家好！It's Mia and Alex. :)

At 10 am, we were teachers; at 8 pm, we were Bunun princesses. 

After getting to bed early the night before and still fighting off some jetlag, we met in the lobby at 8:50 am to depart from the beautiful Sun Moon Lake. Although we were disappointed to let go of such amazing views, those feelings quickly dissipated as we entered a new part of our trip. We drove about 30 minutes to a location where we got into three smaller vans as our large tour bus would not be able to navigate the small, winding roads that we embarked upon to enter the remote Pingshan Village. 

We ooh’ed and ah’ed at the beautiful, lush scenery of the Pingshan Village and then we finally arrived at Fazhi Elementary School. We walked past classrooms full of kids gaping at us because, as Ms. Chung told us, we likely were the first Americans they had ever met. A big thanks to Kevin, the Fazhi Elementary School English teacher, who kindly set us up in a rest room full of Taiwanese snacks and air conditioning to escape the intense heat. Then came, for many of us, the most moving aspect of the day. We were welcomed with beautiful traditional song from the students at Fazhi and let’s just say, eyes were watered. 

After a rather impromptu yet beautiful piano performance from Cavon and Jack, we finally got to meet our individual sixth grade Fazhi partners. We took selfies, practiced our Chinese through conversations, and learned more about Taiwanese culture. Afterwards, it was time to teach the kindergarteners American nursery songs. Mia and I (Alex) taught the students a classic: “Old MacDonald Had A Farm.” Whether it was hitting the infamous Nay Nay or teaching the students how to say the animal names in English, we had a blast teaching them. When we headed back to the rest room, there was an array of delicious foods for our lunch. We scarfed down the food while talking to the Fazhi sixth grade students who kindly joined us. 

 

Next, we prepared our picture book and game to teach the Fazhi students English; for us, we had the great honor of teaching Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham, an American classic. As we kicked off a game of Duck Duck Goose, I (Alex) tried to help explain the game by being an example. As a seemingly harmless fifth grader chased me in a circle, I slipped and fell as I reached the spot, sending the students into laughter. 

    

                                                            

After a few more cycles of reading picture books, we finally got to the part I (Alex) was most excited about: T-Ball with the students. We split into three teams, a mix of high-school and elementary students. Given Taiwan’s reputation with baseball, there was a sense of uneasiness among our high school group (0 baseball players) that was soon replaced with excitement and competition. Despite the heat and my own team going 0-2, I think we all had a great time. 

After an intense t-ball tournament, we drove back to our lodgings to end our day. The cabins we are staying in are decorated with hand-drawn flowers and filled with beautifully patterned blankets. Besides the cabin’s adornments, the biggest luxury was the air conditioning. We quickly freshened up and headed right outside of our rooms to dinner. We ate again in a family-style arrangement, where eating with our classmates turned into eating with close family. After filling up on assorted vegetables and different meats, we also shared hot-pot together. However, while we thought we would wind down with a traditional meal, we instead dressed up in intricate costumes and busted a move on the dance floor. 

The fun had just begun. Dancers dressed in their tribal attire called us to the floor. Before we got to dancing, we all picked different traditional outfits. From colored vests to bejeweled headpieces, the dancers welcomed us into a piece of their culture. I (Mia) wore a black jacket and a black skirt lined with colorful snake patterned trims, and Alex wore a red vest. After suiting up, we joined them in a series of different dances. We clapped, held hands, conga-lined, spun around, jumped, and did any kind of dance we could think of. One of the dancers spun me around while the other was leading another group through a different sequence. Dancing along to the upbeat traditional music, we let ourselves go and enjoyed the new space we entered. 

We definitely worked off the meal. 

After what felt like hours of dancing, we all sat back down at our tables, all a little dewy post the strenuous dancing. And while we were seated, one of the dancers asked which one of us in the group was wearing the Bunun princess outfit. Immediately, everyone turned to Keira and I (Mia). We were the only ones wearing a full bedazzled outfit with headpieces and skirts. Turns out, I was the Bunun princess for the night. The dancers welcomed me to the stage and walked us through the traditional outfit I was wearing. According to the dancers, I was wearing the married woman costume, indicated by my headpiece. (Sorry mom!) Anyways, after hearing about the Bunun outfit culture, we all watched the dancers perform an exhilarating dance. 

We finished off the night with our daily debrief. The common consensus among the group was that while sometimes our words and translations can fail us, there are always other ways to communicate. Whether it was through dancing or doing the Six-Seven, there are opportunities for connection everywhere. And we all now approach these new—and sometimes overwhelming—situations with an open mind and an open heart. Considering both of these things, it doesn’t matter if you are perfectly understanding someone's words; sometimes a smile and a joke can spark a relationship.

謝謝你們！明天見。

With love, 

Alex and Mia