Author: Catherine Lee

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Tamsui Sports Centre ~ Very Near, Very New and Very Very Nice!

Catherine Lee

Yes, about a year ago, the brand new Tamsui Sports Centre, TSSC 新北市淡水國民運動中心 (Chinese website here), opened up in the northern area of Tamsui 淡水, just 10 minutes down the road from St. John’s University.  It’s a booming part of town – the new town area, surrounded by dozens and dozens of brand new high-rise apartment buildings, new elementary school and government offices, and even a Carrefour Supermarket with restaurants attached; and all on the main bus route from SJU to Tamsui…. And most importantly it has a 50m swimming pool at B1 Level, which is open for public swimming from 6:00am to … Continue reading Tamsui Sports Centre ~ Very Near, Very New and Very Very Nice!

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St. John’s University Coming of Age Ceremony (成年禮) 2015

Catherine Lee

Every year in mid-November, all the first-year students in St. John’s University take part in a Coming of Age Ceremony ~ which has been highly praised by the Ministry of Education.  It’s run by the SJU Chaplaincy and the Student Affairs section ~ and yesterday was the day! Almost 1,000 students took part, plus their form tutors and heads of the different departments, all dressed in SJU ties and white shirts!  Parents and relatives were invited and they were presented with a small poinsettia plant to take home.  Everyone had a small taste of wine too, toasted to mark the … Continue reading St. John’s University Coming of Age Ceremony (成年禮) 2015

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Farewelling our lovely Bangalore friends!

Catherine Lee

A wonderful visit from my good Bangalore friends  ~ Harrison, Nancy and Allen ~ on Saturday.  They came specially from Taichung to say goodbye! Earlier this year on Pentecost Sunday, June 24, we celebrated their older son, Kelvin being confirmed at St. James’ Church, Taichung, and also said goodbye to him as he left to start his university studies in their home country of India (see that blog post here).  And it sounds like he’s having a great time! Now the whole family is leaving Taiwan, Harrison being sent to work at the HQ of their company in the USA, … Continue reading Farewelling our lovely Bangalore friends!

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馬祖 Matsu Islands: Boats, Beauty and, yes, Blue Tears!

Catherine Lee

Yes, we even saw the famous Blue Tears (藍眼淚) of Matsu, honest!  And they were AMAZING! And the only reason we saw them was because of that terrible Typhoon Dujuan that hit us on the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival weekend at the end of September.  Sometimes, y’know, even typhoons have a silver lining! Every year, the Diocese of Taiwan organizes a trip for a few days to visit somewhere interesting ~ mostly for the older people, but anyone is welcome, and several invite their friends and family, who may or may not be church members, so we have a lovely variety! And … Continue reading 馬祖 Matsu Islands: Boats, Beauty and, yes, Blue Tears!

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2015年台灣普世豐盛生命協會感恩餐會 GLEC Thanksgiving Dinner ~ and we were there!

Catherine Lee

Not only were we there, but so was Dr. Doris Brougham 彭蒙惠, possibly Taiwan’s best-known missionary and English teacher – famous for her Studio Classroom English classes through ORTV, and for her trumpet playing and very lively personality.  She’s now 89, and has been in Taiwan since 1951, and is still dancing, singing, playing her trumpet and sharing her faith.   Amazing!  Her music group, Heavenly Melody 天韻 led the worship and she joined in with her trumpet, ah it was wonderful! And so it was that we had a very entertaining, challenging and of course, a very moving evening! During this past … Continue reading 2015年台灣普世豐盛生命協會感恩餐會 GLEC Thanksgiving Dinner ~ and we were there!

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Mt. Keelung基隆山, Jinguashi金瓜石 POW Camp and Jiufen九份

Catherine Lee

An Indian Summer (or in Chinese, known as an Autumn Tiger!) ~ Yippee! Yes, a whole 3 days so far of temps up to 32°C, with blue skies, blue seas and butterflies ~ time to get the sunglasses, sun cream and sun hats back out, YES! And if there’s one place in Taiwan where a fine day is rare, it’s the N.E coast and the mountains above Keelung.  I was up there 2 months ago to climb Teapot Mountain 茶壺山 and Banpingshan 半平山(check out that blog post here) and at the time, thought that if there’s ever a fine day again, that’s … Continue reading Mt. Keelung基隆山, Jinguashi金瓜石 POW Camp and Jiufen九份

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Taiwan Elections ~ coming soon!

Catherine Lee

Taiwan is gearing up for presidential and legislative elections on January 16, 2016, so the next few months promises to be a very lively time indeed.  Campaigning is in full swing. Loud speaker vans roam the streets, campaign billboards are up all over.  One thing’s for sure, Taiwan elections are never boring and never quiet! Freedom of Speech is of course a greatly valued right in any democratic society, and Taiwan people make the most of it.  This was the scene on the footbridge in central Taipei yesterday, looking towards the Control Yuan ~ one man with a loudhailer letting … Continue reading Taiwan Elections ~ coming soon!

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Renovations under way!

Catherine Lee

Just in case you’re wondering how come I no longer live on the St. John’s University campus ~ well, this is the current state of my former house …. As you can see, major renovations are well underway – the aim being to convert the row of 5 houses into guest house style accommodation to be run by the SJU Tourism Department – to give their students some practical experience.  Not just all the interior walls are gone, but also the stairs…. Yep, just watch this space lol! Continue reading Renovations under way!