Changhua Travel: Husheng Temple ~ A Dazzling Shrine of Glass

Travel Date: 2023/07/16

We were staying in Yunlin for the weekend, but early Sunday morning, my parents-in-law had to go somewhere, so we decided to head back home as well. However, I had the idea to make a stop in Changhua to revisit two temples we had explored a few years ago: the Shell Temple and the Glass Temple. Fortunately, they were located close to each other, just a few minutes' drive away.

It's not our first time in this place. We visited the temple 5 years ago.

~ ~ ~

My husband mentioned that he wasn't feeling too well, probably just overheated, and wanted to stay indoors. He waited for me at the Glass Gallery while Adrian and I took a walk around the glass temple. There is a quite large car parking area behind the glass gallery, so driving there was not a problem. In the surrounding area, you can also visit other places such as the Ribbon Museum or Brand's Health Museum. Additionally, Lukang Ton is not far away, where you can explore the old street and try the delicious foods of Changhua.

Unfortunately, my husband's health worsened, and we had to end our trip there. Later, after returning home, we found out that he had contracted COVID-19 and was unwell for the next 2 days...

See also: Lukang Old Street

See also: Shell Temple in Changhua

Glass Temple - Husheng Temple (玻璃媽祖廟 - 台灣護聖宮)

The Glass Mazu Temple is located in Changhua Coastal Industrial Park in Lukang and it belongs to the Taiwan Glass, a prominent glass manufacturing company. The Temple showcases the beauty of Taiwan's glass art. In front of the temple, you can see numerous colorful glass balls covering the ground. We also visited the glass gallery, which was filled with beautifully crafted sculptures. It's definitely worth a visit.

The construction of the temple began in 2007 and was completed on March 31, 2012. The Temple was inspired by appearance of Lukang Tianhou Temple during the Qing Dynasty. 

The chairman of Taiwan Glass, Lin Zhao-sui, who has a background in both glass expertise and religious beliefs, was the driving force behind the construction. The project involved a team of architects, designers, artists, scholars, and over 130 glass industry companies who collaborated to create this unique and stunning glass temple.

It combines the glass industry with folk religion. During the day, sunlight shines through the glass, creating a bright and transparent space with infinite beauty. At night, the temple is adorned with over 100,000 LED lights, creating a dazzling and magnificent sight. It's not just a decorative temple, you can still use incense to pray, and there is a table for offerings. 

The temple's main structure is made of steel, and the outer walls are made of curtain glass, which can withstand strong winds of up to level 17 and earthquakes up to level 8. The "swallowtail" part of the roof is also made of glass, demonstrating smooth curves and an impressive posture that seems to reach into the sky. The main structure of the temple is composed of at least 70,000 pieces of glass. 

The temple's entrance gate is made of two layers of reinforced glass, making it comparable to bulletproof glass. The door gods are intricately carved glass sculptures, and other glass carvings include patterns of fiddler crabs, sea cows, and other elements of Taiwan's local culture.

Inside the temple, there are glass carvings of "Dragon Soaring over Sun Moon Lake" on the right side and "Tiger Leaping over Alishan" on the left side, corresponding to the "Dragon Gate" and "Tiger Gate" respectively. The dragons on the two pillars in front of the temple are made of over a thousand bright mirrors, breaking away from the traditional practice of stone carving or painted wood pillars in temples.

There are 160 dragon heads on the ceiling, along with phoenixes on both sides. All of these decorations were handcrafted by artists from Lukang.

The glass behind the altar was handmade by local artists and took two years to complete.

During the daytime, the temple looks beautiful, but its real beauty shines at night when it is illuminated with colorful lights. Although we didn't stay for long, a friendly temple guard shared some pictures with me. 

Inside of temple you can see a water pool where people would through coins for a good luck. The sunlight coming through walls and roof makes it look majestic.

Entrance: Free

Opening Hours:

April to September: 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM

October to March: 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM

Parking Lot: Taiwan Glass Gallery Parking Lot

The "Taiwan Glass Pavilion," established by Taiwan Glass Corporation, provides a venue for Taiwanese local artists to exhibit their artworks free of charge. Besides showcasing glass art, it presents a creative and dazzling experience to the general public with the concept of "Brilliance from All Sides, Surprises in Every Direction." The pavilion adopts an entertaining and educational approach, allowing visitors to have a "zero-distance alternative encounter" with glass. It breaks the traditional stereotypes of the glass industry, offering a refreshing perspective and deepening the public's understanding of the transparent and exquisite world of glass. 

Address:

彰化縣鹿港鎮鹿工南四路28號

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Changhua Travel: Exploring Sanqing Sanyuan Palace ~ Shell Temple in Taiwan

Travel Date: 2023/07/16

We were staying in Yunlin for the weekend, but early Sunday morning, my parents-in-law had to go somewhere, so we decided to head back home as well. However, I had the idea to make a stop in Changhua to revisit two temples we had explored a few years ago: the Shell Temple and the Glass Temple. Fortunately, they were located close to each other, just a few minutes' drive away.

It's not our first time in this place. We visited the temple 4 years ago.

~ ~ ~

We reached the Shell Temple first. Initially, the small road leading to the temple was easy to overlook. Once we arrived, we noticed a cemetery nearby, and the parking area was right there. From the outside, the temple might not seem very attractive, but its interior was quite impressive. It felt like nothing had changed since the last time we were here, except that on that previous visit, we were accompanied by friends who no longer live in Taiwan. Over the past two years, some of our friends had moved away, and later, I myself moved 200km away, leaving me with only one friend. So, once again, I find myself as the lonely girl, haha.

The weather this time was really good, allowing me to take better pictures of the surroundings. Inside the temple, everything remained the same - there was a peaceful pond with fish and a shop selling shells and decorations made from them. Except for us, there were no other visitors (just like last time), making it seem like a rather unpopular place.

Sanqing Sanyuan Palace Shell Temple (三清三元宫贝壳庙) 

Sanqing Sanyuan Palace Shell Temple was built by Huang Qichun, who was born into a poor family. He attended school in the countryside for one year but dropped out at the age of 12 to work as a laborer. At 16, he became an apprentice in an ironworks and learned the skill of making kitchen knives. After his unsuccessful entrepreneurial ventures, he started selling vegetables in Taipei. 

In the 1970s, Huang bought land near the Xiucuo Public Cemetery in Fuxing Township, Taiwan, to raise tropical fish. Despite warnings from friends about the unfavorable feng shui of the land, he persisted and reclaimed the land with his wife, Huang Lixiao. 

Huang Qichun often dreamed of spiritual phenomena after moving to this place. He dreamt of a stone-covered temple adorned with shells and similar decorations. Inspired by the dreams, he decided to build a temple on the remaining land after the fishponds were constructed.

Huang collected various seashells like conch, snail, and abalone, as well as stones from Sihou Li in Hengchun Town. He skillfully arranged the shells and stones using iron wires, pouring cement over them to create the unique temple design. Huang personally worked on the temple's walls, gates, and fences, embedding them with seashells. The walls, except for the pillars, roofs, and entrance gates, were all handmade and decorated with shells. 

Local villagers were initially surprised by Huang's temple construction, but they eventually got used to it. They called him "Guai Chun" (strange Chun) and referred to the temple as the "Beikemo Temple." Despite facing challenges due to the agricultural and fish farming nature of the land, Huang continued his temple construction, and by 1996, the temple was mostly completed.

As Huang Qichun's son grew older, he also helped with farming, allowing his father more time to focus on building the temple, which was eventually completed in late January 1997.

The temple features a square-shaped structure with a decorative roof depicting dragons and phoenixes. Inside, there are various sections, including the main hall, dragon palace tunnel, tropical fish farming area, and an art section. Inside the temple, various seashell artworks, including miniature models of Lukang Mazu Temple and Kirin, are displayed. One notable piece is a 2-meter tall, 3-meter long "Millennium Seashell Dragon," created to celebrate the Millennium Dragon Year.

Due to the land being a farmland, it was impossible to obtain temple registration.

By 2001, the temple has gained fame, attracting many visitors, and Huang often volunteered to guide large tour buses that arrived at the limited parking space near the temple.

See also: Fufudingshan Shell Temple

See also: Glass Mazu Temple

 

Address:

506彰化縣福興鄉振興巷10-1號三清三元宮貝殼廟

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Father's Day Cake Decorating

Recently, we participated in a Father's Day event in Zhunan (Miaoli). It was a cake decorating primarily attended by moms and daughters, with a few sons joining as well. There were not many fathers, unless as photographers. 

The government often organizes such events, providing parents and kids with activities like pizza making or kimchi preparation.

This time, they collaborated with a local bakery and invited a baker to lead the cake decorating event. For a small fee of just 200NT, we could decorate our own cakes and take it home along with a bonus gift of freshly baked bread from the bakery.

In the package we received were three layers of sponge cake, about 6 inches in size, with two fillings - taro and peanut. To cover the cake, we had a white icing / cream, and for decorating, we were given three vibrant colors and some marshmallows.

However, I noticed that many people seemed unfamiliar with cake decorating techniques. A mother-daughter duo sitting next to us weren't aware that they should separate the sponge cake layers before starting the decorating process. As a result, they attempted to decorate the top layer directly. Seeing this I asked my husband to tell them to separate the layers first. 

Since it was primarily meant for children to enjoy and have fun, I can't complain about it. Personally I felt boring as it was too basic. It would be fun to join a more advanced baking class, but it's difficult to find something in English. 

I have my cake decorating kit at home, but apart from my son's birthday cakes, I haven't made anything else. I usually make pretty small 6'' cakes, so after purchasing ingredients, which are usually around 1 kg or 1 liter, I end up with plenty of leftovers. Since I don't use the extra ingredients to make cakes for sale, I would have to finish them all on my own (with the help of my husband and son), but it still seems like a lot. Or maybe I'm just lazy and searching for excuses, haha!

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Life Update: Covid-19, Moving Homes, and a Kindergarten Review

Unfortunately, it happened – all three of us got sick with Covid-19 in the middle of July. 

It started with my husband experiencing pain and having a high fever. Since it was a Sunday, all clinics were closed. He refused to go to the hospital's emergency room, thinking he could wait until Monday. We had some painkillers and fever syrup at home, so he took those and went to sleep. The next morning, I brought him to see a doctor. 

We had to wait in line for two hours as there were so many patients, although most of them didn't seem really sick. The visit was not even five minutes long, and he received some pills to take for the next three days.

Unlike in Poland, in Taiwan, you have to pay for a doctor's visit, which currently costs 200NT, but it includes the medicine, making it really cheap. The medicine is packed in separate packages, just enough for the days you have to take it, so you won't have a whole package of each medicine like we do in Poland. I think this approach prevents a lot of medicine from going to waste if we get better before finishing the package, so it sounds really good. Also, normally three days of medicine are enough to get well.

My husband slept the whole day, only getting up for meals and medicine. At that time, my son and I were fine. Since there were no restrictions anymore, our son still went to kindergarten.

Due to our return to Poland earlier this year, my husband doesn't have many days off (2 or 3 only...). Additionally, there is only 1 other person working in his position, but he took time off due to his mother's death, so on Tuesday, my husband was already working. The good thing is he mostly works from home, so he just sat there and did his tasks. When there was nothing to do, he took naps as he was still feeling tired from COVID-19.

On Wednesday morning, I started feeling muscle pain, but other than that, I was okay. I thought maybe it was because I had slept on the sofa for the past three nights and didn't feel comfortable sleeping. I still took our son to kindergarten, cleaned, and cooked as usual. While I was on my way to the shop, we received a phone call from the kindergarten. Adrian seemed fine in the morning, but two hours later, the teacher called us, saying he had a high fever. We picked him up and went to the doctor together.

Once again, we had to wait in line for over an hour. It was pretty hot, and I started to feel unwell, lacking air. I went outside to sit, but instead of helping, it made me feel nauseous. Going back inside, with the sudden change from hot to cold, I felt dizzy and nearly passed out. After sitting for five minutes, I felt totally fine, as if nothing had happened. Nevertheless, we got medicine for me and our son.

Adrian slept for nearly two days straight as well, but after that, he was totally fine. He didn't have any other symptoms except for fever and muscle pain on the first day. It was the last week of his kindergarten before the (very short) summer holidays, and he was upset because they had planned to play in the water, but he had to stay at home. However, by the weekend, he was totally fine, and on Monday, he still went to kindergarten to say goodbye to the older kids who were going to attend elementary school.

Speaking of the kindergarten, every place is different, but our son's kindergarten only has one week of summer holidays and one week of winter holidays, as well as national holidays, etc. For Europeans, it may seem very short, but for kids his age, it's totally fine as they have plenty of toys and friends to play with. Our son loves his kindergarten, and even when he's off, he asks when he's going to go there again. 

He stays for eight hours, but the kindergarten opens for 12 hours a day! The normal payment actually covers 10 hours, and the additional 2 hours from 5-7 PM have an extra fee (very cheap tho!). 

We sent him to a public kindergarten, which is very cheap, about 2500NT per month, which includes all meals, snacks, and any materials they use for crafts, etc. The teachers are super nice. 

We also have a Line group, so if there's anything important, they will send messages there with updates, or I can contact them if I need to.

Every kindergarten is different, so, for example, my friend's kids finished at the end of June and have a two-month holiday. Also, if you don't attend for five or more days, you can get part of the money back.

For those who may have kids in Taiwan but don't know the rules for attending kindergarten – most places have a lottery system, and often there are more kids than available places. Sometimes you have to register even two years earlier. 

We moved during the school year and were lucky that they had space. Public and semi-public kindergartens are cheaper compared to private places. Kindergartens and schools in Taiwan require household registration, which can be troublesome as many landlords refuse to register (to avoiding higher taxes, etc.).

The difference between Taiwan and Poland is that if your child goes to school in Poland, you will still receive a government subsidy. In Taiwan, you can only get subsidies for up to six years, but if your child attends kindergarten, you won't get child allowance. I'm not sure what the price is now, but before he joined kindergarten, it was 2000 or 2500NT (280 - 350 PLN) per month. 

In Poland, you can get 500+ PLN (3500NT), school fee 300PLN each school year, and some extra money for low-income families. Some of the money you can get until you are 26 years old if you study at a university, or at least until you are 18 years old! It's a huge difference, but also the tax in Poland is a lot higher than in Taiwan, so it's reasonable.

We finished moving to a new house recently and son went back to kindergarten, so finally, I'll have more free time. I recorded some videos, but they have been waiting to be edited for a couple of weeks. If you have children, you'll understand that usually, it's hard to get anything done around them...

It's so tiring to always change places, but there was no choice. The landlady is so greedy lol. We paid 27000NT a month, but when checking prices in the area, most of them were 21000-23000NT. Yet, the landlady wanted to raise the fee! 

There are many unrented empty apartments in the area, and more are still being built. Therefore, it's not a situation of super high demand for rental places where you can increase prices all the time

There was no negotiation, she just straightforwardly told us that if we don't accept it, we should move out. So we did.

At least the new landlady is super nice and friendly!

Later, the building manager tried to push us to rent other expensive apartments in the building. It's a sales tactic; that's what they do. They attempt to find gullible people who would rent or buy something above the market price. They also often hide important information. So, if you want to buy a house in Taiwan, be careful.

We almost bought a house with a road in front of it that belonged to someone else, and they could potentially block it at any time. However, that probably wasn't an important detail they mentioned to potential buyers.

I would like to mention something that I've noticed during my life in Taiwan. It's my personal experience, and while some of you might be unhappy to hear it, I think most Taiwanese people don't clean their houses regularly. When we rented this place, it was dirty. The toilet was yellow, the kitchen stove was dirty, and I spent the whole day cleaning it thoroughly. The apartment looks way cleaner than it did a year ago.

This issue isn't limited to just this place. We have moved several times and visited many rental places as well as houses for sale. In my experience, almost all of them were really untidy. I understand that sometimes people don't live inside, and dust will accumulate, but we have also visited homes where families were living, and even there, we were asked to take off our shoes, but the floors were full of dust, hair, and other things. Wearing white socks, they turned grey afterward!

I also don't understand why many people don't paint their walls or change furniture after like 30-40 years. Nobody seems to take care of their houses properly but still asks for a lot of money in return. In contrast, going back to Poland, in just 3 years, I noticed huge changes in some of my family's houses - refreshed colors, renovations, and new furniture. Poland isn't as wealthy as Taiwan, but people take care of their property a lot more than they do here.

A video from previous rental apartment: 

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The Ups and Downs of My Life ~ 2023 is Not My Year!

This year has been really unlucky for me, and it has made me feel a bit depressed at times. Probably a year ago, I wouldn't have cared as much about certain things, but this year I feel like a different person. I missed out on two TV opportunities and one from YouTube, but I'll provide more details about them later.

On top of everything, today my husband tested positive for COVID-19. I hope he recovers soon. I had thought that COVID-19 was behind us, as life seemed to be returning to normal. Well, maybe not exactly normal. For instance, my son's kindergarten still requires wearing masks, even though it's 35 degrees Celsius every day. It's difficult for the kids to cover their faces in such heat.

Despite the challenges faced in 2023, I had 2 happy things that came my way. However, even though these positive moments bring joy, they can't fully overshadow the opportunities I missed along the way. 

Let me start from the beginning. I sell cakes, but for almost half a year, there have been very few eggs available in Taiwan. Initially, we could occasionally buy them at a much higher price, but at least I could still make cakes when someone wanted to order. From March to almost June, the store shelves were empty, and even when eggs did appear, there were limits per customer! 

When the problem finally subsided, selling cakes didn't get any easier. The prices of ingredients have increased significantly, and everyone is raising their prices, including me. As a result, I barely have any customers. I also partially blame the place we live in for this situation. 

We moved to Miaoli, and people here have a slightly negative opinion when it comes to spending money. In the past 5 years, I delivered cakes to various counties, and I have served many customers, some of whom I have delivered to multiple times. However, I cannot recall receiving orders from Miaoli specifically. Maybe I'm too influenced by Taiwanese people. They often refer to Miaoli as an independent country, with different rules that nobody in other places follows, and they are quite close-minded (if I can say that).

As an example, I have to say that I have resided in Yunlin, Hsinchu, and Tainan. In those counties, if someone's address on their ARC card indicates that they live there, they may be entitled to promotional or even free entry to certain places. Please don't misunderstand me, I have no issue with paying for tickets. However, what bothers me is that in Miaoli, people scrutinize and insist that I pay because I am not from Miaoli. Interestingly, my ARC card states otherwise. 

I used to feel a sense of belonging and inclusion in the community wherever I lived. Whether it was in Tainan or any other place, they would acknowledge that I was living in that specific location. I didn't feel like just another foreigner, traveler, stranger. I felt like an integral part of Taiwan. However, living in Miaoli now, the experience is vastly different. I no longer have that same feeling of being part of the community. It's a significant shift that I've noticed since moving to here.

Story 1 - Taiwanese TV

This year, I had two TV opportunities, one from Taiwanese TV and the other from Polish TV. Unfortunately, it seems that both didn't work out. We were contacted by Hakka TV because we live in Miaoli, the most densely populated Hakka county in Taiwan. Everything seemed fine. We had a few conversations, and they seemed interested in inviting us on the show. The woman who contacted us asked about what we do and if we were interested in being on the show, etc. 

The show is about immigrant people living in Hakka communities, and they were specifically looking for someone who does YouTube, which fit their expectations since I live in a Hakka community, have my own business, and also have a small YouTube channel. Based on our conversations, it seemed like they were totally okay with recording with us. They discussed dates, mentioning that it would be recorded in July and would take four days to shoot (it's a one-hour-long TV show). They never indicated that we weren't suitable or that they changed their minds. 

However, July arrived, and we didn't receive any messages for about three to four weeks, so we decided to contact them. That's when we found out that they decided not to record with us. It's okay if they didn't want to, but shouldn't they have informed us? We are about to move houses, and we had informed them that we would be busy this end of month, so we needed to schedule in advance. Maybe this is normal for TV, I don't know, but I feel a bit disrespected by their lack of communication. 

If anyone is curious - TV doesn't pay anything for recording.

Story 2 - Polish TV

The other offer from Polish TV also seems to have fallen through. The headhunter who contacted me said they would let me know within two weeks, and that time has passed, but my phone remains silent. The TV show is called "Polacy za granicą" which records the lives, work, etc., of Polish people living abroad. 

I was contacted by the headhunter at the end of June. After my response, she quickly scheduled a meeting for the next evening. She asked me a few questions to get to know me better, although she isn't the one choosing the participants. She recorded the meeting for the producer. 

I think I did quite well (my story of how I got to Taiwan is quite special). She seemed highly interested in my story, but I suppose others weren't as intrigued. It could be because I don't live in Taipei (She told me, that everyone she interviews resides in the capital). A few days ago, she sent me information that the recording would take place at the end of July, although she didn't have confirmed information about who they had chosen. 

Now, it's the middle of July, and I haven't received any further information, so I'm guessing it's not me (once again...). I wonder who the lucky five people will be. I don't really know many Polish people in Taiwan (most of them live in Taipei). Apart from Taiwan, they will be recording in Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea. Each country will have five people, and they only have three days of recording.

As I mentioned, a year ago, I wouldn't have even wanted to be included in any TV show (I'm camera shy). However, this year, I'm feeling more brave and open, so I wanted to try something new (maybe not entirely new, as I've been on TV before), but this time it would be a completely different experience. Who knows, maybe I'll have another chance in the future. What upsets me the most is the Polish TV opportunity because I thought it would be an easier way for my family to see my life instead of just me sharing pictures.

Little update (August):

I haven't received any messages from them since our last communication. However, on July 28th, I came across a post on the Facebook group titled 'We are looking for people in Taipei who are available today and can join us for a recording.' It appears that their organization isn't very efficient and they don't provide clear informations. Prior to that, they had mentioned 'people living in Taiwan,' which encompasses the entire country, right? Why invest time in interviewing people who clearly don't fit the criteria of 'living in Taipei'? 

It would have been considerate to send a message saying, 'Sorry, you didn't make it onto the show,' rather than simply ignoring people after the interview and leaving them to wonder whether they would be chosen or not. This leaves them uncertain about whether they should keep that time slot open or continue with their own plans. Unfortunately, this habit of ignoring people seems to be quite common among TV stations in Poland and Taiwan (I'm not sure about other countries). 

Interestingly, it appears that they were unable to find enough people to participate in the recording. I also noticed several comments criticizing them, so it's not just my feeling that they are not really good.

In the middle of August, I've got a message, saying, 'I apologize for not reaching out earlier; it was a chaotic time. Unfortunately, our plans didn't work out.'" - Well... I did notice that, it was recorded two weeks ago! 

As someone who is involved in business, I make it a point to always respond to messages. If I can't fulfill something, I express my apologies. I don't just ignore customers. While selling food and participating in TV recordings might be different things, it gives me the impression that those TV stations are not worthy of my time. 

Story 3 - YouTube

Lastly, there's story number 3. 

I don't really use Instagram, especially in the last 1.5 years. I rarely check Instagram since my family and friends mostly use Facebook, and I have become more accustomed to using it. Recently, however, I thought maybe I could use it a bit more to get more people to know about my blog, YouTube channel, and cakes. So, I started posting more often and following more people. 

One of the accounts I followed was Stop Kidding Studio, a famous YouTube channel owned by a Taiwanese guy who interviews foreigners living in Taiwan. As soon as I followed the account, a message popped up. When I opened it, I noticed the date - it was from February 2022, over a year ago and it had never appeared before. Normally, I don't check my spam or message requests because there are usually plenty of weird messages from men with offers related to sex, pics of their..., etc. Nevertheless, I still responded to his message, even after such a long time. I didn't say that I wanted to take part in his video. I just wanted to apologize for unintentionally ignoring it.

The only good things this year

2023 really hasn't been my year so far! I hope that things will improve in the future. Perhaps I will have better luck.

One positive development amidst the challenges of 2023 was that I successfully reinstated my cake shop on Google Maps. Initially, after updating my address a few months ago, my account got suspended. Despite reaching out to Google for assistance, their response was automated and unhelpful, leaving me feeling frustrated and uncertain. I discovered that many others had encountered similar issues without finding a resolution. As months passed, my hope dwindled, but I still occasionally checked for any changes. I had to go through the process of re-verification, but the instructions on how to do so were unclear. In response, I was informed that I would need to provide pictures as evidence that the business is mine, such as a picture of the front store and bills with my name on it.

However, since we only rent the place and don't have our name on any official documents, it became impossible for me to fulfill this requirement. 

After multiple attempts, I finally discovered how to complete the reinstatement process, and surprisingly, it turned out to be quite easy. I'm unsure why the instructions provided by the support team were unclear, as they failed to provide guidance on what steps to take. Even reading various articles on the subject didn't offer a solution. Nonetheless, through perseverance and trial and error, I managed to navigate the process successfully. Finally, just a couple of days ago, I received the news that my cake shop was back on Google Maps. I updated the new address for our upcoming move, ensuring that I won't encounter any troubles with it for at least a year.

Another positive thing that has happened to me this year is that I was mentioned in Twinkl, a British international online educational publishing website. They featured articles in Chinese about Taiwan and English as a second language, and myself along with a few other Taiwanese bloggers were mentioned in one of their articles. This experience made me feel that my writing is truly worthwhile for the first time in the past six years.

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