My Senior Trip is not one that could ever be explained in word and not even in pictures, as much as I would like to defend my camera. Looking back is almost impossible. Everything I did, everything I saw, everyone I met, every smell I smelt, every feel I felt can not be explained. I could not think of a more perfect place to spend my Senior Trip and would encourage anyone to go there definitely with a fluent Mandarin Chinese speaker! Let me first explain the reasoning of Taiwan because if you didn't know me that well this would seem like a totally random place to go. My parents met in the MTC to serve a LDS mission in the Taipei, Taiwan mission. After they got back my mom attended my dad mission homecoming then started dating from that point and eventually tied the knot. A few year after they were married they had my eldest sister Jade they deiced to move back to Taiwan to be the adventurous parents I have always know. They moved back to the US again had my eldest brother Hayden and then back to Taiwan again and that's where I come into the picture. So yes, I was born in Taiwan(everyone always jokes with me about "Made in Taiwan"). Sadly I only lived there for a month before moving back to the US. Then Taiwan I think seemed so distant to our family until around 20 years later when my brother received his mission call there! We were all in shock! My brother fell in love with Taiwan just as my parents did and it only seemed logical to go to Taiwan with my parents and brother since he got back the February before I graduated. So that's what happened. It was one of the best decisions I've made. I definitely now understand the love they have for that place and those people!
My dad took a picture like this 25 years ago.
Confucious Temple
Mei Li Dao Station Kaohsiung
Biking around Kaohsiung. Never been the city girl type but I could do it in Kaohsiung!
Hayden is quite the photographer! He said he liked the spacing of my mother, father, and me.
Just walking around a park they used to let Jade and Hayden play at.
Dragon-Tiger Pagoda
Bei Men--Old Kaohsiung North gate.
Hiking up to Monkey Mountain
This is actually just rain!
We have been practicing our yoga together.
Instead of rain makes corn... Rain makes rain forests! Gotta love my camera for enduring this humid rainy trip!
Taking the ferry to across Kaohsiung harbor.
He is single, and he will be back to the US in October.
Lizard and Crab friends weren't scarce.
I just love this picture. It might be my favorite picture I took on the trip. Love these cute Taiwanese people!
Misty Moutains
This rock was just to perfect not to be Aerial.
So I totally would not have put this picture on if I didn't have a story to go with it. So this is me going all natural which on most days was the case in Taiwan (I actually wish my hair looked like this all the time just because I wish my hair was wavy but thanks to the Taiwan humidity I always got the wavy I was hoping for at least two weeks)! There is no makeup on my face which isn't an uncommon sight for me either. But I could not count how many times people said 可愛( You're cute) 美麗 (You are beautiful) there was also people who tried to say it in English that sounded something like bootiful! And really just random people on street or going on hikes! Of course I just thought in my head are you crazy? But this just proves to me either the blindness or the kindness of these people that they would go out of there way to tell me that. But I honestly felt like some kind of celebrity there it was crazy!
The Hospital were this cutie gave birth to me:)
Reflections in rain puddles.
Lifeguard.
So when I saw my dad and brother looking over the ocean, Yellowcard lyrics came to mind, and I had to capture this picture!
Father I will always be
That same boy that stood by the sea
And watched you tower over me
Now I'm older I wanna be the same as you
How many shades of blue in Taiwan are there? Seriously uncountable!
Getting ready to scuba dive!
And we are off.
Scooting around Green Island.
Anyone want some Neapolitan ice cream?
So when I first saw this from my car the first thought that came to my head was oh my goodness Rivendale is a real place! That has always been my favorite location in LOTR.
