Building Dedication and 90th Anniversary Celebration at Local Elementary School

This morning I went with my coworker to a new building wing dedication and the 90th anniversary celebration of the local elementary school.We were served popcorn and water immediately upon sitting down by the attentive and courteous students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The local notary and his wife, whom we often visit in their home, and who have a burden to preserve traditional Taiwanese high cultural heritage, easily spent a month of their personal time making masks one by one by hand for the children to wear and dance in. They did a great job!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prior to the kids dancing,  the notary public and his fellow adult dancers donned their costumes and danced in front of and through the new building. Is this just cultural appreciation, or is there perhaps something more? Below, the principal thanks the notary for all of his diligent work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schools are officially neutral “secular” institutions here in Taiwan. However, temples are central to the society in the countryside. Therefore, early into the building dedication, all the dignitaries were invited to step out from the tent and get in a long line in order to lift up incense sticks to the gods. You can see them behind the tent below:

Offerings were also put on the table for the gods/ancestors to enjoy:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later the next hour, during the 90th birthday celebration, the school principal introduced all the other invited guests who were asked to sit on the platform, including us. Others were introduced according to their organizations and positions as stated on the invitations and sign-up lists. When we were introduced it was simply as  “our American friends. ”

I am looking forward to meeting the new principal when he arrives to begin his or her job at the school this summer, and to the summer camp we will do for the students there. A friendly acquaintance of ours who is a dean at the school is helping us to arrange it.

Outing to NanTou Aviary

Five years ago the first or second time I went to HsiTou in Nantou County, Taiwan, I noticed that there was an aviary nearby. Yesterday, however, was the first time I invested to visit. For 40 NT per ticket plus 20 NT for parking it was a bargain!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another of Taiwan’s Protected (Endangered) Species:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poor Duck… What a Dorky Face!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IIn Area B stands a Crane Museum next to a large hilly area ruined during the 921 Earthquake and deemed unsafe thereafter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It didn’t feel all that safe inside the museum either.

 

 

 

From the bottom near the Crane Museum was a steep staircase (only 200 steps, but it felt like many more).  If you climb it, you get a 好漢 “Hao Han” (Heroic Person) certificate!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the view looking up from the bottom:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the view from the top:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, we got our free certificates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll have to make sure my easily-jealous Ducorps Cockatoo back at home doesn’t see the pics of the new cockatoo friend I made below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She really liked Annie’s colorful watchband!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, I’d really like to get a 金剛鸚鵡 macaw, but (1) one costs over 100,000 NT, and (2) one or more of the birds I have now will probably outlive me. Enough is enough!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since we each have birds of our own, we were much more at ease handling the exotic birds here than most of the other tourists, but Annie still doesn’t look 100% confident below, does she?

 

And the Ugliest Bird of the Day Award goes to….

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, some pretty peacocks to wind up the day.