The first week

The first week has passed in a blur. I have already done and seen so much! My first day here I was able to go up to the top of Taipei 101! The view from up top was spectacular, and it made me feel as if I were on top of the world!

The excitement only continued afterwards. The next few days I spent meeting with and talking to my wonderful Rotary club, exploring Taipei's wonders such as the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial and the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial, and wandering around the countless shops Taipei has to offer. I have tried so many delicious new foods, including, but not limited to, scallion pancakes, boba tea, and stinky tofu.

My wonderful host family also took me to a Buddhist temple. I find, that no matter what religion, temples are always such beautiful pieces of art, and this held very true for the Buddhist temple we visited. It was so colourful and picturesque, especially surrounded by lush green mountains and foliage. My host family showed me how to pray with them. We held incense and bowed to several times as someone chanted a prayer. It was a very unique experience and one that I will not forget!

On Sunday I attended the orientation for Rotary exchange students in Taipei. It was very enjoyable meeting fellow ambassadors from all around the world! 
However, while everything I have done so far has been memorable and unique, so far the most memorable experience I have had would be hiking up Elephant Mountain. The first thing to note is that it was mostly stairs. My legs burned for hours afterwards. Secondly, I sweat through my entire shirt. Taiwan is a stunningly beautiful country, but man is it hot and humid. Good thing I had brought two water bottles with me! But, as long and arduous as the hike up was, the views were well worth it. Being able to look out across Taipei and see Taipei 101 rising up into the sky is something I won't soon forget. It amazed me to see this very large city sitting in the middle of so much green. The mountains of Taiwan are lush and full of life, and it was like walking through a butterfly garden!

But what made this hike truly special was the company I had. There is a connection that exchange students have with one another, and I find that at times other exchange students are the only people I can relate to about certain things. I was able to explore Elephant Mountain with two exchange students from Brazil and France, and I enjoyed talking to them about their own countries. I think this is what makes exchange so important. Being able to make connections with people from all around the world and learning from them helps you gain an understanding of where they come from, and in today's world I find that very important.

I am only one week into this amazing year, and I know that there are many more adventures to come. I still have more places to explore, more friends to make, and more memories to collect. This only the beginning.