Bye Bye Bethesda

Introduction:

Woah, 3 months in Taiwan have come and gone. I am no longer 18 years old; my 20th year has come. I look back at my last year and see all the amazing things God has done in my life. I would say that 18 was my best year yet. Never would I have dreamed of doing something like this Taiwan trip, but that just shows God’s ways are not my ways, nor are His thoughts my thoughts.

Final Recap Week:

Monday: The whole 3rd floor, including both teachers, took my mom and me out for a very special dinner at this nice restaurant. It was a going-away “thank you” gift since I’ve helped on that floor for most of the duration of my stay. Wang Laoshi ordered a bunch of different classic Taiwanese dishes we all shared. I was very happy.

Whole 3rd floor group :)

There was some fun traditional clothing that we could wear.

Tuesday: I took my mom on a long bike ride by the ocean, and then we went out to get papaya milk drinks afterwards. In the evening, Mirjam took my mom, me, and two 3rd-floor residents (as per my request) to the Night Market!

My last time at the Night Market and was fun taking residents.

Wednesday: My first full working day since my mom arrived. I worked in the bakery, and my mom came to surprise me by showing up there (although one of the teachers had to help her because she got lost haha). In the evening I was up on the 3rd floor, and my mom joined us for dinner. After dinner Wang Laoshi brought us all out for “dou hua,” a famous Taiwanese dessert. It’s basically tofu pudding in a brown sugar syrup with boba and peanuts in it. Let’s just say it wasn’t my favourite. What was special, though, is that at this place they sang happy birthday to me and presented me with a card with pictures of the residents and me, and everyone signed their name.

The after dinner washing dishes routine.

A famous Taiwanese dessert: Dou Hua.

A beautiful card, carefully and thoughtfully made by Wang Laoshi and signed by all the residents.

Thursday, May 1st:My 19th birthday. One activity we talked about doing when my mom was here was going on the ocean on a boat and seeing dolphins. Since my birthday was a holiday in Taiwan, all of us were free, and Mirjam took us. We went to “Blue Plate” for breakfast and headed out to go dolphin watching. There is no guarantee you get to see dolphins, but we hoped and prayed. God answered our prayers, and we saw SO many! It was such a nice trip. Getting to chill on a boat while the wind whips your face and you take in the fresh ocean breeze is such a nice, relaxing feeling. We made sure to take medicine, though, because we didn’t want to feel seasick. The afternoon was chill, and we were all pretty exhausted from the morning’s adventure. In the evening the bakery team, the residents, and the two teachers took us out for hot pot as a birthday celebration and as a “thank you” for my help. It was such a sweet time, and I felt so loved and blessed. Tian and Esther surprised me with a homemade chocolate cake, which was delicious.

Going to hopefully see dolphins!

So happy we saw dolphins, and many of them!

Some of the bakery team!

In lieu of my birthday I got a special bowl of seafood. I had already finished eating so I didn’t eat it but had to take a picture with it lol

Such a yummy chocolate cake!

Friday: My very last working day in the bakery. It was nice because we had a lot to do, so time really did go fast. I’m also more confident in speaking, so I’m able to talk with them a lot more in our time while we wait for the baking to rise.

In the evening, I spent my last late night with Wang Laoshi and came down when she was done working at 9. After dinner, my mom and I went up to each floor in Hope House and distributed the Canadian gifts that I got my mom to bring from Canada. They were so excited to see me and appreciated their gifts even though they were really small. I also got some nice pictures with the groups.

Hope House 6th floor.

Hope House 5th floor.

Hope House 4th floor.

Saturday: Every year the residents go to Ocean Park, an ocean-themed amusement park. It is one of the biggest activities of the year. This year my mom and I were able to join them. We went as volunteers, and it was our job to watch three residents, take them around, and make sure they didn’t go off on their own. It was nice, especially since we didn’t go on any rides except a really, really slow version of a Ferris wheel. We watched a sea lion show and an acrobatic play and walked around. It was a long 8:30-3:30 day, but I relished any time I got to spend with the Bethesda group.

Wang Laoshi and I said many “last” goodbyes because we were unsure if we would be able to see each other the day I left. On Saturday we said what we thought would be our final goodbye. A lot was said since we, because we like to talk with each other, and she came up to me and we hugged. She is not an overly emotional person (like me), but when she went to hug me, I was surprised how long it was, and I could tell afterwards she was teary. Mirjam has called me Wang Laoshi’s other daughter because we have become so close. She has looked after me here like a mother. Since I stayed up on the 3rd floor late on Saturday I did most of my goodbyes then. There wasn’t much emotion involved, with one exception, but that was expected and I get that because as I am like that. I know they will miss me, they gave me cards and told me to come back next year haha, and even though I didn’t cry I will miss them too.

The whole Bethesda group (and volunteers) that went to Ocean Park.

Riding a gondola up to the very top of the amusement park.

Sea lion show.

Our last photo together.

Sunday: At 7, I did go up to the 3rd floor one more time to say goodbye. They were slightly surprised to see me because it was so early. However, I told them I wanted to see them one last time, so I set an alarm. They were all getting ready for church, and it was the first time I’ve seen some of them in dresses; they looked so pretty! Wang Laoshi let me take their morning temperatures because she said it would be my last time. I also got to have one last picture with each resident. :)

As we were sitting eating breakfast, before heading to the train station, all of a sudden Mirjam recognized the group of residents who were walking home from church. It was nice because it was both boys and girls, so I was able to say a final goodbye to the boys’ group and the other girls’ group. It was very special, and I was grateful to have that sense of closure.

Our train ride was something else. We have 3 large suitcases, a duffel bag, and many smaller bags. The train was not made to carry so much luggage for people on their way out of the country. Since we had so many bags, we used empty seats and hoped nobody would sit there. It was fine until it wasn’t. The train, after many stops, became full, and so we had to put 2 of the suitcases in front of our legs and stack the other one on top. The duffel bag we had to squish behind us. It wasn’t the most comfortable ride ever, but it seems like whenever I am on a train, something dramatic happens, so I should be used to it, haha.

One of the residents I got really close to during the duration of my stay. She was very helpful and someone I always took if I needed to run errands for the teacher.

The 67 ish year-old grandma of the floor. I was very happy because for my last week she was very happy (normally she’s quite grumpy) and through some signing and a resident translating we were able to communicate with each other.

Bye Bye Hualien, bye bye Mirjam.

Our very squishy set up on the train.

Monday: We met some old friends of my mom’s and explored a bit of a different part of Taiwan, a place my parents were for 6 months 20 years ago. My mom and I were taken out to a really nice place near the ocean and enjoyed a delicious meal. I got to try a famous Taiwanese dessert: shaved ice. It was shaved ice with sliced bananas, chocolate syrup, and sprinkles on top! Yummy.

The hotel in the background is where we had our lunch.

My first time having shaved ice! It was nice and refreshing on a hot, humid day.

Conclusion: 

We leave Taiwan tomorrow (6th) and will arrive in Canada at 11:52 pm, May 6th. I do look forward to getting home, seeing my friends, family, dogs, and coworkers, and heading back to my regular routine. I will miss everyone here a lot, but I plan to redecorate my room with my time at Bethesda. :)

One More Thing:

I will do two posts this week because if I address both topics in one, it’ll be too long. There are some final questions that I have answered and would like you to read before I get home and you all see me in person. I look forward to seeing everyone soon! Please pray for a safe journey back. :)

Soli Deo Gloria!

Hosanna