April 24, 2016 with class 503

 I have been in Taiwan for almost a year.  I have eaten a lot of delicious food here.  Today, I tried to make Jiaozi (a kind of Chinese dumplings).  I bought the pre-made wrappers, then I prepared the fillings and finally I cooked on my own. 

        The following is the way we made Jiaozi.  First, add some seasonings like allspice powder, white sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine, salt, ground ginger, and finely-chopped green onion to the ground pork in a pot.  Then, mix the cabbages (the cabbages have already been squeezed out of extra water with salt.  Sometimes, corns and leeks can be used in the place of the cabbages) and minced meat together by hand until they are thoroughly mixed. 

        After the fillings are done, we start to wrap dumplings.  I pick up a ready-made wrapper.  Then, I use a spoon to scoop out a spoonful of the fillings and put it in the center of the wrapper.  I spread a little water on the edge of the wrapper.  I fold the wrapper in half and pinch the two edges together, forming a half-circle.   A Chinese crescent-shaped dumpling has been done.  

        I can choose either to  boil or to steam Jiaozi.  These delicious dumplings are fast eaten up by me.   Indeed, food made by myself is the most delicious. 

April 7, 2016 with class 503

        Today Angel’s class and I went to Hsinchuang Senior High School, representing our school to participate in a tug-of-war competition held by New Taipei City.  I remembered that every noon before lunch they practiced training their muscles in the playground or even in the gym.   Looking at them practicing hard, I hoped that they could win the championship.  They had put a lot of efforts to be better and better.   During the competition, it seemed that it was easy for them to defeat their competitors.  In the end, they got the championship.  I thought that they deserved it.  We all felt extremely happy because this was our first time.  What a wonderful memory!

Carp's March in 2016

March 6 ( By Zhi-ting Chen )

On a Sunday of March, we went bicycle riding along the Xindian River.  The scenery there was very beautiful and really suitable to release pressure in free time because many people went there to walk and exercise.

Later, we went to the Raohe night market.  Walking in the night market, we could hear languages of different countries, such as Japanese and Korean.  We also went to eat the famous pepper cakes.  Although we had to queue up for a long time, the pepper cakes were once reported on CNN.  The pepper cake was one of the must-eat snack in the Raohe night market.  I was happy to sample the delicious pepper cakes.

  

March 11 ( By Kano Lai )

     Today, Kano and I went to the barber shop to cut hair because Kano’s hair was too long.  The customers were few in the barber shop, so it was Kano’s turn to have his hair cut soon.  It took Kano forty minutes to have his hair cut and washed.  After the haircut, Kano felt refreshed and cool.  However, Kano was too shy, so he didn’t take a photo with me at that time.  Finally, we went home and kept finishing our work.

March 12 ( By Shu-yue Huang )

     I went out with Shu-yue and Shu-yue's friends in Jinshan today.  Why did we need to go out today?  That was because we had to do a piece of homework, have lunch, and explore how beautiful Jinshan was.  During our visit, all of us learned more about Jinshan.  But we didn’t take a lot of photos.  Through this trip, I had a great time with Shu-yue and Shu-yue's friends.

  

March 20^th ( By Yu-zhen Xu )

     Today, Yu-zhen took me to the annual Wan Jinshi Marathon.  I was so excited because the marathon was special to me.  There were many limitations, so Yu-zhen only ran the 7 km happy marathon.  I felt so happy for her because Yu-zhen and I could see many people running happily on the road.  If I could take part in the marathon, I would try the 14 km one because that was good and for me and that was a big challenge!

For attending this marathon, people had to be drawn to take part in the marathon.  I was not drawn.  But luckily, Yu-zhen was drawn and got the place of running this marathon!  I was so happy for her!  I was so excited about this marathon.  Yu-zhen and I were too excited to sleep the day before the marathon.  When I was at the event area, I was happy to see Yu-zhen running happily along the road!

March 31^st: the Final Day of Our First Monthly Exam ( By Ru-hui Kuo )

     Due to the exam, I stayed up late for studying.  Today, I took Carp and my friends to celebrate the final day of the exam.  We went to a new restaurant to have dinner together.  The restaurant was filled with guests after school.  So, we made a reservation for the seats so that we could avoid waiting for long.  Upon entering the restaurant, we needed to wait for a while.  The boss was polite and gentle.  He introduced lots of their cuisines to us because this was our first time here.  The boss also told us that they would have different dishes in different seasons so that they could appeal to many people.  I thought that was a good idea.  As for the meals, we liked them very much.  I thought Carp had the same opinion as I.  If we have more chances, we will come here again and enjoy different dishes.

Carp's February in 2016

February 27^th (By Mei-yi Ju)

Today was a rainy day.  It’s raining very heavily.  During this three-day 228 break, Mei Yi, Shu-yue I expected to dine out.  Unfortunately, it was a rainy day.  However, the rain wouldn’t affect our mood to go out.

We met in a district office at twelve o’clock.  Then we decided to go to the gratin restaurant on an old street eating lunch.  The meals there were delicious.  Its casserole spaghetti was mouthwatering and the dessert, the blueberry cheese cake, was heavenly.  In addition, the prices were fair.  We should come around a lot in the future.

Finally, we explored the surrounding areas, and then we had a rest at McDonald's.  I bought some foods again.  I was very full today.

             

February 26 ( By Sean Lin )

On February 26, Sean took me to the Taipei Arena.  We watched a basketball game in it. HBL is the most famous game to many young people in Taiwan.  We only watched it for ten minutes because we had other plan.  Then, we went to Ximending and watched a movie.  The movie title was “The Denmark girl.”  The story was about a man turning to a woman.  The plot was a little sorrowful.  After the movie, we both got hungry.  So, we started to find something to eat.  Finally, we decided to eat steak.  The steak tasted yummy.  We also strolled in the night market.  February twenty-sixth was a wonderful day.  I hope we will hang out next time.

February 25 ( By Zheng-zhan Wei )

     On Friday, I went to an arena to watch HBL with Zheng-zhan Wei.  We only enjoyed a section of the game.  Although we didn’t spend much time there, it was wonderful.  Then, we went to a restaurant eating lunch.  The lunch was delicious and I was full.  Watching a movie was our next plan.  We watched the movie “The Danish Girl,” and it was about a man who changed his gender in the 1900s.  After the movie, we walked round Xinmanding and fell tired.  We also rode a bike in Xindend.  Along the river, we enjoyed wind when riding with speed.  In the end, we also went to a night market eating pepper cakes.  Today was a fun day to me.

February 24 ( By Joe Xu )

     In the afternoon, my friend Joe and I went to play basketball till six o'clock.  It's so tiring but we were very happy.  We met many experts on the basketball court.  We learned a lot of basketball skills from them although we lost the game many times.  It's a good experience and memory to me.

February 20 ( By I-zhon Lee )

     Hello, everyone.  I am Carp.  I am very pleased to have this opportunity to attend the annual Leaders’ Camp.   What is Leaders’ Camp?  Simply put, through this camp, people are inspired to show their leadership potential.  In the process, we learn how to express our thoughts, bring the most benefits to our teams, and be a successful leader.

As time passes, some conflicts happen from time to time because everyone wants to express their own opinions and be leaders.  This may lead to consensus in a team.  When things were out of control, the instructor used a “Spade J” poker card to settle the issue.  Probably only those who attended the Leaders’ Camp would understand this.

Carp's January in 2016

January 3 ( By Jia-yi Chen )

      Today, Jia-yi and I went to a hot pot restaurant.  The restaurant was near Jia-yi’s school, and the restaurant was called “Fu-Yuan.”  The hot pots there were delicious.  There were many people in the restaurant on the holiday, and we had to wait for a long time.  However, the meals were not expensive, and the amount was huge.  Besides, we could order extra rice and take a lot of sauce for free!

      After that, we also went to another restaurant—“Tai Jon Hot Pot.”  The soup in the second restaurant was so clear that we drank a lot of soup.  The dishes there were great, but they were more expensive.  However, we could order extra drink and ice cream for free!  Today, Jia-yi and I ate a lot and felt very full.  What a happy and satisfactory holiday!

January 8 ( By Ariel Lee )

        Today is January 8.  I celebrated Christmas with Ariel and her friends.  This was a belated Christmas dinner celebration.  Originally, we wanted to celebrate Christmas Day on December 25, but there were too many things that caused this delay.

This was the second Christmas that Ariel and her friends celebrated together.  But this year, the celebration was special because of me, Carp, a friend from Japan joining them!  We ate spicy hot pot in the Xin Temple restaurant.  It was located near the Songjiang Nanjing MRT station, Taipei.  It was a famous restaurant.  I thought this restaurant was very good.  For us, Christmas was a day full of gratitude.  We usually helped each other and encouraged each other.  Christmas was the best time to express gratitude.  I hope that after Christmas, we can celebrate together every year!

January 12 ( By Jane Xu )

      Today, I studied with Jane after school because she had a big exam this Friday.  After the study, I went home with Jane.  I met her mother, and she is beautiful and kind.  We ate dinner together.  The dinner was delicious, and I was very grateful for their hospitality.  After dinner, I sat on the couch, and Jane started to do a report at the computer desk.  Jane paid attention to her report, and I didn’t want to interfere with her report.  I noticed that she was very serious.  After she finished her report, she got so tired that we took a break.  I hoped that Jane would get great good grades on the final exams!

January 16 ( By Mei-yi Ju )

      Today is a rainy day.  It’s raining very heavily.  Mei-yi went to work in the morning, so I stayed at home and watched TV.  I spent a boring morning on my own.  In the afternoon, Mei-yi came home from work.  She looked tired.  After her shower, she felt that I should took a bath because I looked as if I hadn't taken a bath for a month.  I agreed with her, so I decided to clean myself in a hot bath.  No doubt, I looked better and cleaner than before.

  

January 17, 2016 ( By Denny Chen )

      On Saturday, Denny, his friend and I went to Keelung and saw a temple where there were many stairs nearby.  We counted the stairs, and I took a photo with Denny on the thirty-second stairs.  Counting the stairs made me very tired, but I felt very happy because I could stay with my friend and played with him.  Denny also took a cool pose with me in the photo.  I thanked Denny for inviting me to the temple, and this made me a happy day.  I thought I would never forget today, and wished I will have another chance to hang out with Denny again.

January 2, 2016 with class 503

I’ve been her in Taiwan for a few months. At the end of December, I gained some experiences from several festivals in Taiwan. For instance, December twenty-second is Winter solstice, the longest night of the year. I ate a bowl of sticky rice ball soup.  Some of the rice balls had black sesame filling.  I love the food because it is very chewy and yummy. December twenty-fifth is Christmas day.  On that day, we exchanged gifts.  Everyplace is full of Christmas atmosphere. There are many Christmas trees and poinsettia. School also held a series of activityies; for example, singing, dancing and wind band performances. It’s a joyful festival! New Year's Eve is coming, which is the final day of the year. I found many people watch or let off fireworks with their friends. As time passed by, I followed everyone to  count down……five, four, three, two, and one. I have a New Year resolution: I hope I can make many friends in Taiwan.

        

January 5, 2016 with class 503

        The temperature in Taiwan is higher than that in Japan.  However, I feel it’s colder.  Maybe it’s because it rains a lot here, which makes me feel it’s colder than in Hiroshima, my hometown. 

        Today, I know a new cuisine---hot grass jelly, which is also one of the famous snacks in Taiwan.  People here make jelly out of a kind of Mesona grass.   They boil it for hours and then add a little cornstarch into the soup, which then becomes black grass jelly after cooling down.   It’s good for health.  If it’s eaten in summer, it can prevent heat stroke. 

        In the winter, people here like to eat “hot grass jelly.”   They like to add red beans, green beans, peanuts, tapiocas, etc.  It’s delicious and it makes me feel warm.