Visiting Taiwan with my friend Sabrina was fantastic. I took a lot of pictures and like an unusually high percentage of them. So, instead of trying to come up with stories and procrastinating on posts (a la my New York trip, which I still have two or three posts left to write…), I’m going to post 10 photos at a time and explain them.

One:

Here we are at our gate at IAH just past midnight. We took two Frozen dolls and a giant Lego set to friends there. Both Frozen dolls cost me roughly $2200 NT ($70). In Taiwan, the cheaper doll was $2400.
Here we are at our gate at IAH just past midnight with all our carry-ons. We took two Frozen dolls and a giant Lego set to friends there. Both Frozen dolls cost roughly $2200 NT ($70) in the US. In Taiwan, the cheaper doll alone was $2400.

Two:

As we flew over the Pacific, we tried Sudoku for the first time. At first, we were terrible at it, but the more we played (and the more our addictions grew), the better we got.
As we flew over the Pacific, we tried Sudoku for the first time. This puzzle, our first, took 40 minutes to complete… but the more we played (and the more our addictions grew), the better we got. Thankfully.

Three:

Sabrina, huddled in the corner, trying to sleep.
She looks like a prisoner bound and thrown in a corner.

Four:

And here's Sabrina in the corner of our room in Hsinchu. This was the only spot in the room where she could get the wifi to work on her phone.
And here’s Sabrina in the corner again, this time in our room in Hsinchu. This was the only spot in the room where she could get the wifi to work on her phone.

Five:

Linda, the mom of two of my former students, picked Sabrina and me up from the airport. Taiwanese are great about making things useful, like sticking a box of tissues to the ceiling of the car.
Linda, the mom of two of my former students, picked Sabrina and me up from the airport. We both liked the box of tissues stuck to the ceiling of the car.

Six:

The kids gave Sabrina her Chinese name (Luo Shao Li), then taught her how to write it.
The kids gave Sabrina her Chinese name (Luo Shao Li), then taught her how to write it. That’s the youngest, Jessica, on the right, instructing Sabrina on how to properly form her characters.

Seven:

Our tradition is to take a photo of all the kids in a circle on the floor. Shayna (the tiniest student) was sick, so I (big teacher) subbed for her.
Our tradition is to take a photo of all the kids in a circle on the floor. Shayna (the tiniest student) was sick, so I (the big teacher) subbed for her. This was one of the few pictures where Ryan, in green, was face-up.

Eight:

I made this a couple of years ago for Teacher Lee, the Chinese teacher where the kids study. She's kept it on the wall all this time.
I made this January 17, 2011, for Teacher Lee, the Chinese teacher. She’s kept it on the wall all this time.

Nine:

We stayed at Josie's when we went down to Taichung, and I thought this heart chip in the paint was absolutely perfect.
We stayed at Josie’s when we went down to Taichung, and I thought this heart chip in the paint was absolutely perfect.

Ten:

While we were in Taichung, we went to the no-kill dog shelter I used to volunteer at. I didn't like this picture at first because it's slightly out of focus, but I fell in love with it when I saw he was looking at the volunteers, who were reflected in his eyes.
While we were in Taichung, we volunteered at the no-kill dog shelter I used to go to. I didn’t like this picture at first because I thought it was slightly out of focus, but then I realized the focus was on the reflection in his eyes: the volunteers. I LOVE that.

There are more pictures coming from the shelter. If you want to read about my time volunteering there, here are those posts.