A visitor from home!
For those who didn't see us blowing up Instagram or Facebook, MY DAD CAME TO VISIT TAITUNG LAST WEEK! I am the first Fulbrighter in Taitung to have a family member visit, so I feel really lucky. It worked out perfectly because my dad has a flexible job and flights are cheaper around this time of year. I was able to book his domestic flights, and my wonderful coordinator Vivi booked a hotel and got a bike rental.
The first day he arrived in Taitung we actually had a Fulbright Taitung group dinner scheduled. This was perfect because he was able to meet all my fellow ETAs at once. Funnily enough we had this dinner at a burger place. A very authentic Taiwanese experience for dad's first night. ;)
The rest of the weekend was spent with mild adventures and fighting off jet lag. Saturday we went to the Beinan Culture Park behind one of my schools. The school was open for a Reader's Theatre workshop, so dad got to meet my co-teacher Rita/Fei Fei and some of my students early! The culture park is on top of a hill with a coffee shop and a fantastic view of the city. All in all a great day. On Sunday we took the train up to Guanshan, a beautiful area in North Taitung, and met up with Becca (a Fulbrighter) for lunch. The rest of our evenings were spent eating delicious food at some of my favorite restaurants and the night market. We had dinner with my friends a couple of nights, one with my lovely co-teacher, and one with some staff from Guang Ming!
The best part of the visit was having my dad visit school! He went to Nang Wang twice and Guang Ming once. I knew the schools would be welcoming, but I had no idea that they would go so above and beyond! My students were thrilled to meet him. At Nang Wang they have had much less exposure to foreigners than at Guang Ming, so they were a healthy mix of nervous and excited. The staff made an announcement at the Monday assembly that my dad would be visiting, which was so cute. Some of my students were practicing their English introductions before his arrival. I was very proud! He went back to Nang Wang on Thursday too and the students were especially thrilled for his return. Dad even got to help teach a little bit! He earned his nick name of "Teacher Baba" (Baba means dad in Chinese).
When he visited Guang Ming there was an equally warm reception! The staff was especially excited to see him: they took lots of pictures, had him play basketball with the students, and even turned on the air conditioning in our classroom. The air conditioning one is really impressive because we have NEVER turned it on this year. The students and I were thrilled. My dad says he can never go back to that school though because he made 4 basketball shots in a row and established a legacy that would be hard to repeat. ;) One night that week we went to dinner with the principal, school directors, Fei Fei, and some of their friends. This was unexpected and so nice! I feel fortunate that my dad was able to be so involved in the school visits and meet the people I spend most of my time with.
Dad, if you're reading this, thanks again for visiting! It's a long journey, but I had so much fun while you were here! Thanks to all of my friends, students, and co-workers for making this trip one I will never forget. I really do believe that Taitung is home to some of the kindest people in the world.