TAIPEI 101

They say it's the tallest building in the world... until like 2009?

First, we perused this MASSIVELY large bookstore called Eslite

our famous monument pose

ready to go in! wheeee








josh tests out the new exercise horse (the lazy man's way of exercising)... and sarah poses with maxine (and maxine's bunny ears)

Everything seems to be massively large around this area...


shabu shabu!

zhen zhu nai cha

NT 25 = 75 cents!!!

thirsty, anyone? i love the handles on these.

exploring on foot

we had an evening to just walk around taipei and explore whatever came our way...

here's some of what we saw:

Chiang Kaishek Memorial


Flanked by the National Concert Hall & Theatre

And here we are with the big man himself

hello!

then at night, we headed out to another Night Market - this time the one near Gu Ting.

Here is our ultimate favorite food yet - tsong you bing with pork - YUM... just thinking about it makes our mouths water. sooooo delicious!

EAT ME

Where shall we shop tonight?

starbucks, starbucks everywhere

it's taking over the world!

ginormous starbucks - three stories high. this one's for you, carol.

the infamous night market

Josh, me, and Kat Tang went to the Shihlin Night Market last night. Check it out:

Bright, loud, and really crowded. look for the good stuff.

josh ordered two watermelon juices for himself!

the local GAP?
reminded me of a carnival - except the food was much tastier. just point to what you want, and they'll grill/fry it right up for you.

guess what....??

kat treated us to a special dessert...

ni jiang ing wen ma?

Greetings from Taiwan!

the flight over wasn't so bad, and before we knew it, we were arriving in a new world. Taipei reminds me so much of NYC, with loud colors, funky smells (got a big whiff of stinky tofu yesterday) and hazardous traffic (whoa - watch out of those mopeds!) The foods are so uber delicious and tasty... and cheap!! We're staying at the NTU Alumni guest house (it's sort of like an old hotel, but it feels safe and has everything we need). We're in the heart of Taipei, and it's location is perfectly convenient.

here's a little picture of what our days look like so far: we wake up around 7am, go across the street to MOS Burger for breakfast - this funny, cute breakfast/burger place (we get NT100 to spend there every morning). Josh heads to the hospital just across the street for the day... and Sarah goes out on her own to explore the city. We get to meet up for lunch, and Josh gets out pretty early, so we have a whole night ahead. We're pretty much snacking throughout the day, and it's fun to go in and out of stores - there's an awesome fobby stationery store across the street, music shops, coffee shops, department stores with amazing food courts and grocery stores... it's easy to get lost since all the streets start to look the same.

Yesterday's lunch was from old man on the street - giant heaps of sticky rice and noodles, and then dim sum to-go at a local bakery. mmm....

Thanks to all our friends, here and back home, for their generosity - who have made it so easy for us to transition over here. Anyway, we hope to post here every few days, so check back to see what we're up to!

URBANA 2006

Hey all! Happy New Year!

This past december has been a whirlwind of activity. Moving here and there, up to Chicago and back, tying up loose ends, planning for Taiwan, and most recently... Urbana - St. Louis.

It's following us here!! there was no escaping it. I (sarah) had no intention of going to urbana again, since i had already attended twice before, but as I signed up as a full-time volunteer, the excitement grew. While the city was getting prepared for a swarm of 22,000 students, people were flying in from Africa, Toronto, Philippines, all over the world. Urbana 2006 was practically in our backyard, so I had no good excuse, but to GO.

Lucky me, I was asked by some Northwestern Staff to team up and lead morning bible studies, manuscript studies on Ephesians for some 250 students. So early in the mornings, I would meet with my team (Allen Wakabayashi, Andy Bilhorn, & Andy Kim) to prepare for a full room of tired college students. The constant physical fatigue in my body - as overwhelming as it was - could not be matched by the distinct energy and work of the Lord in scripture every morning. What an awesome experience. I got to listen into conversation, run around with a mic, pray for God's discerning wisdom each morning, probe into deeper questioning with students, pray for and with them, and watch as these students scribbled all over Ephesians and tried to make sense of Paul's letter. Ajith Fernando exposited key parts of the text in the mornings with such a great sense of joy and expectation - nearly every ear in the room seemed to wrap around his words. Through Ephesians, God taught us all about his purpose and calling, unity, powerful relationships, sin, the body, and the joy and wholeness that comes with loving others.

It's so hard for me to blog about the Urbana experience. Those of you who have been there know what I mean. How do you describe worshipping with 22,000+ students in one voice? How do you describe taking communion on new years eve to commemorate our Lord's death and resurrection? And how do you describe a week, where every hour is literally packed with countless seminars, opportunities to talk 1-on-1 with missionaries from around the globe, books on everything imaginable, dynamic speakers that motivate, inspire, and speak truth to a new generation of students...? This is my 3rd Urbana experience, but it's like new every time. I still get that lump in my throat when I feel God's close presence, I feel more free to raise my hands and dance before the Lord, and I didn't hesitate to scream my lungs out (despite my already hoarse throat) as we counted down to the new year.

More highlights: I also went to a few seminars - Incarnational Ministry (living in and among the poor urban), Leading a missional church (with Rick Warren), and Around the globe in 90 minutes (purusing what God is doing around the world through his people). There seemed to be a hundred other seminars, prayer rooms, or exhibits I could see. And the worship? Oh man - I was totally blown away. From a musical standpoint, this band was so together, it was scary. Led by Daryl Black, the worship band was almost too good. And how about Hawaiian dance, Native American dance, Bono, Princess Zulu, a gigantic unity choir, and theatre coming together to worship our Lord? Jim Tebbe described Urbana as drinking out of a giant firehose. All this stuff is just flying by your face, and you're merely standing on the side, bewildered and overwhelmed, as you dare to stick your face in the water and get just a little taste.

Well, let me encourage you - if you're read this far - to get a little taste yourself. Although only in part, some of the main plenary sessions are now posted for your perusal, and I encourage you to turn up your speakers and see and hear a little of what we experienced this week. Of course, this 'aint like the real thing (but I'm still caught watching repeats of my favorite speakers and dancing in my seat!) Here are some highlights that you just have to check out for yourself:

Ajith Fernando - great speaker, and one of my favorites. exposited Ephesians on the mornings of 12/27, 12/28, 12/29, 12/31

Hawaiian Dance, simply intriguing... and beautiful.

Sharon Cohn, from IJM - International Justice Mission. Articulate and powerful speech. You'll like her.

Oscar Muriu shares with us about the growing church in Africa and the rest of the two thirds world. Eye opening and maybe even shocking.

Brenda Salter McNeil - "from Brokenness to Reconciliation" - Exhorts urbana to give a resounding YES to the Lord's call. Remember her from last time?

Lisa Espineli Chinn is always a favorite of many. (maybe 'cause she's like our mom.) but now, she shares with us what it means to "cross cultures".

video highlights of URBANA 2006

look at me! i'm a big boy now!

hooray! it's january 3rd!
and here he is, sliding down art hill in a bucket during last month's snowfall.

everyone give josh a call and wish him a happy b-day today!

Two Years, oh my!

How time flies.

On 11/20, we celebrated our 2-year anniversary together!

Check out our slideshow pics from the cruise here. password: cruise

Another happy couple ties the knot...

A belated congratulations, Tom & Charlotte!

boo

had to post something tonight...


this is one of those very few times i wish we didn't live in st. louis... now we can all get on with our lives - on with fantasy football!!

Weddings, weddings, weddings

Ok, time to backlog a bit. Wow-ee! October must be a popular time to get married. I've been scrambling around every weekend, trying to figure out travel plans and gifts and music, and everything else in between. In any case, it has been a joy to share such happy days with friends.

introducing Sonya & Nils. Sonya was one of my best friends from college and former bridesmaids. She has now entered the married world as Mrs. Christianson and disappeared somewhere to San Diego, but I will always know her as my Sonya Koo.

Ok, so I've never played Norah Jones or U2 for a wedding before, but it was pretty fun scrambing to put it together.

the new couple, me, Christina Paik, and Lydia Wu (both single and available, yes?)



all smiles.

her studly camera man.

owen, you did an awesome job, running around like a madman. my favorite part, though, was when you spilled chap jae all over your camera during dinner. THAT was classic.

Wedding #2 - Oct. 14, 2006

haha.. i'm getting good at these exit shots, thanks to my trusty canon's continuous shots. Our beloved Sandra and her wacky man, Karl. How would I describe this weekend? SO MUCH FUN - hot latino music, a lot of northwestern reunions, a wonderful chocolate fountain, and outrageous dancing. Congrats to the newly married couple!



did i mention there was dancing? :)

And now...

let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we?

mommy and daddy (x2)

chris & kathy

wanted to take him home,
but they wouldn't let us

bumped into a few familiar faces

...and then, there's always family. i love my sis.

josh, me, karen, and the new guy.

did i mention he's from texas??

wakawaka

isn't it romantic?

haha. anyone know this man in the green shirt?? you might recognize his face from long ago, know him as the guy who never grew up, or maybe you read his book. we knew him as... bigguns.

To Dallas and Back

we had the honor of celebrating yet another wedding... and putting our musical skills to use. congrats ed & alicia! now, only one more leung brother to go.


we had a great time catching up with houston friends... man, we miss you guys.





of course, we couldn't miss out on the dancing.






and then...


ooh! look at that dinosaur cake!!







on sunday, we had another big celebration... max's 5th birthday party! we went to the museum of natural science and had a big bash for the birthday boy. live animals, a tour, and cake.... well, it doesn't really look like it here, but i'm sure max had a blast.

The after party

haha. we thought this picture was hilarious. i think lala must've been a little jealous...

...so she decided to steal all of max's presents.


we got to make fun dinosaur crafts
and even touch live animals (that's a hissing cicada, ick!)

and of course, we had fun reuniting with the chan kids. =)

yay for dallas!