Camping with the Sheu Family

Yes, that's right. I went camping with YT's family in the middle of November. I had heard that camping in Taiwan generally meant cramped spaces, noisy neighbors, and loud karaoke; namely, the kind of camping I would want to avoid like the plague. So, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I must say, though, it was rather nice. No karaoke (thankfully), only one set of neighbors we hardly noticed, and a beautiful location on the side of a mountain overlooking a long narrow valley. Ok, actually it would have been very beautiful had there not been a cloud filling the valley and obstructing our view. That only became clear early in the morning the next day when I got up to go to the bathroom. There were no clouds in the sky, and I could tell that the valley was very expansive. The sun wasn't up yet, though, and all I could really see was just the back-lit silhouette of the mountain on the other side of the valley. To be honest, I couldn't really see anything; but I could feel, I could sense, that in optimum conditions it would be quite beautiful. At least, I'm pretty sure. I went back to bed, then when I got up the cloud was back again.

All in all, I'd have to say that camping in Taiwan is quite similar to camping in the states. I'm talking the typical 'refugee' camping, as a good friend puts it. That is, take your family and pack up your provisions and shelter, set up your new living quarters on a small spat of land, then live without all the usual amenities or comforts of home and try to make the best of it. We even had nearly the whole family there, at least it felt like it to me. There were more than 20 of us, including kids. That's right, more than 20. I guess, come to think of it, there were 'noisy neighbors', but they were us. So, ok, I guess a big difference is that I wouldn't normally go camping with that many people.

The only other main difference I noticed in camping practices was the campfire. First, there almost wasn't one. That, to me, is almost unfathomable. The fire wasn't started until many hours after we got there, whereas were it up to me it would be ablaze the second after the tents are posted. My favorite part of camping is the campfire. The ability to harness such a dazzling and fierce power of nature within a ring of stones is amazing, and I'll watch it like TV until late at night. That it provides a method of cooking is just secondary, the hotdogs and S'mores are simply a nice bonus. Second, there were no S'mores or roasted hotdogs. But, I'm not really considering 'food' within the camping practices, otherwise the list would go on and on, so I'm not sure whether it should count. Third, or second, is that we burnt grass, not tree. That is, dried bamboo, not wood. It was cut in half lengthwise, because if left whole it can be sort of dangerous. The sections encase large pockets of air, and if put directly into the fire they will build up enough pressure to pop. I've seen it done. Anyway, as you might expect, it burnt quickly, and it sometimes lost it's 'flame'. But, since I love managing the campfire as much (or more?) as I love watching it, I didn't mind so much.

Oh yeah, there was also actual dancing around the fire. That's right. Some of the kids led some people in an aboriginal folk dance they had learned in school, which is definitely not something I would experience on a typical camping excursion in the US. Oh, also, there was also a 'game' played with the bamboo sheaths before they were burnt. It took 4 sticks, two set lengthwise a distance apart like wide train tracks, then the other two were set perpendicular on top, so it made sort of a figure just like this: # (or see photo). Two people held the top set of sticks and beat them in a certain rhythm, moving them outwards on a certain beat. Then others stood in the middle and did a dance and sang a song stepping in and out of the moving sticks, trying not to get their ankles clipped. Okay, one more thing: some among the 20 of us slept in their SUVs. I'm sure it's done in the US, but I've never witnessed it myself. As for the rest of the time, the pictures, posted here, tell the whole story pretty well.

The most memorable event of the weekend was hiking up the mountain with mom & dad. Some of the kids started to go, too, but it was too long and steep for them, so they didn't really even make it far out of the camp. I've always had immense respect for YT's parents, but I must say I was really impressed with how they tackled this mountain. It was pretty steep at times, enough that 'steps' were cut into the earth and ropes were strung up to provide something to hang on to, but they handled it as if they were 30 years younger. They do go hiking nearly every weekend, but not quite like this. I really like this picture of YT's mom:
I think it says a lot, but I'm not going to attempt a wordy and pretentious deconstruction of it for you. However, I do want to point out that mom & dad witnessed immense economic and political change during their lives. They saw farmland turn to shopping mall and parking garage, and martial law turn to vibrant but contentious democracy, and they rose along with it. It's not called the "Taiwan miracle" for nothing. Mom & Dad's parents were either farmers or manual laborers. Mom went to a technical college (專科) and became an elementary teacher. Dad also had post-secondary schooling, and went from a local government job to a city government job, to his current position second from the top in a private company (well, it's a very small company, but still). Their current house was built just a few years ago on the 'ancestral' farmland where Dad grew up, which he still tills now during his free time. They both continue to work extremely hard, and this picture, to me, somewhat reflects the spirit and drive of their generation that made the 'miracle' possible. Either that, or a cigar's a cigar and it's just a photo of someone climbing a mountain trail. Up to you, I guess.

So, I'll leave you with that. Oh yeah, I did have 'turkey-wings' when we were camping, which was the closest I came to having turkey around Thanksgiving. They were imported from the US, and sold here really cheap because we don't eat turkey wings in the US, unless they're bought as part of the whole bird and roasted in the oven with everything else. Even then, we probably don't eat them, I'd wager. It wasn't quite the same as 'real' Thanksgiving turkey, of course, and to be honest, I wouldn't even say it was 'better than nothing'. I actually almost forgot about the holiday until I realized YT wasn't available to chat because she was travelling at that time to spend the holiday with my family. Then, I was almost late to class because I was chatting with the cousins after their big meal at my parents', or rather 'viewing' them and texting since the audio didn't work on their end. But, it was good to see them all, and lots of fun as usual. I guess the internet is a big something to be thankful for.

Ok, I do need to go. I'm also thankful for your time. Take care and God bless, BB

小小感觸

在婚姻裡
有些事或感覺真的不需要和對方說
尤其當局外人的話 會傷到對方的感受

人生就是會這樣

我想每個人都遇過這樣的情形

明明自己不知道該怎麼做