Seven Days in Formosa

Melissa and I have been in Taiwan for over a week! Some things that we have noticed –

Dogs are everywhere! Stray ones wander the street, but more and more folks have city dogs that they dress up, take shopping, into stores, etc. Top Right: these dogs were crossing the street towards us and the man actually told Melissa she could ride one of them if she wanted. Haha. We’ve also seen the advanced technology that Taipei has developed in the past few years – sometimes to an unnecessary level. Bottom Right: for example, a digital sign outside a subway station bathroom displays which stalls are currently occupied, vacant, or out of order! We’ve begun to figure out where to get shoes, electronics, and other needs which are all quite convenient with the bus and subway system. Top Left: Melissa at one of our favorite stores on the GongGuan MRT stop where we got extra socks, laundry detergent, Chinglish journals, and even yoga mats. Melissa was into this large bear =)

We’ve continued to explore the cuisines of Taipei. On a recommendation we went to Din Tai Fung – a famous dumpling house with yummy shao-long-bao and extremely long lines. Top Right/Bottom Right: They hand-make them at a breakneck pace and they come out in a perfect steam tray. We’re definitely going back.

We go about every other day to see my family in Taipei. My grandmother just turned 99 and despite having limited mobility, hearing, and vision, is still pretty cognizant of her surroundings and can carry on rather long conversations about a wide range of topics! In the back is my cousin, Ryan (Hau-Hau) who is our unofficial personal guide to Taipei (when we’re not playing several rounds of the “Big-2” card game).

Goodbye chicken adobo. Hello Taiwanese brunch.

For the last 10 years, Warren and I have been sponsoring Joan (pronounced Jo-ann...which I only found out during this trip) through Compassion International. I don't think either of us ever imagined having a chance to see her, but we've been writing each other sporadically over the years. It was really cool to actually meet Joan and her family. Joan and her 9 siblings grew up in Davao City, which is the most southern tip of the Philippines in the Mindanao island. She was a bit shy since she wasn't comfortable with her English and I have no language skills in Tagalog, but we both warmed up throughout the visit.

My two weeks in the Philippines were rewarding and fun. Plus - there was the bonus of feeling really tall. In case you didn't notice, you can look back at the previous pictures!

Top: Joan just had a baby a few months ago. His name is Chris Jairus

Middle: the project where Joan lives

Bottom: Joan's mother, Jenny - her social worker, Joan, me, and Ronald - project director

Warren and I arrived in Taiwan just in time to celebrate the New Year with his family. These pics are the decorations around town. Here's wishing everyone a great year of the Rabbit.

(From Warren)

No surprise, one of the major aspects of life in Taiwan is the food. Everywhere you go and everything you do is connected to the experience of eating with family and friends. Melissa and I have every intention of getting fatter while we are here.

Top Left: Literally within hours of stepping off the plane in Taipei, I (Warren) was rushed to the best local Shao Bing You Tiao joint on Renai Road for a traditional Taiwanese breakfast with my uncle and cousin. Hot sweet soy milk and fried dough, it just doesn’t get any better than that. I had many a meal here during a few summers of my childhood. All together we paid 70NT$ for a three person breakfast – about $3.

Top Right: As a kid I remember loving this reddish pear-shaped fruit -- Lien Wu – which is unique to Taiwan. It has a consistency similar to an Asian Pear and tastes like an apple, but is lighter and sweeter. I could eat through a whole barrel of these.

Bottom Left & Right: We gathered around the kitchen table on the evening of Chinese New Year to partake in a feast of ten separate dishes. As expected all parties were stuffed to maximum capacity while in the background all throughout the night we heard the constant erupting of firecrackers (though they are “officially” banned in the city). The after dinner dessert consisted of what is called a Ba-Bao or Eight Delights. This is actually a traditional Chinese dessert that we ate with eight different parts to it – including red bean, rice, lotus, and dried apricot. YUM.

Ice Cream at the Boardwalk

The trip to Olongapo was great. YWAM Olongapo (Youth with a Mission) is another group that works with women (and men) who no longer work in the bars. The staff, women, and children all live in a complex together. It really felt like one big family in the way they share life. Imagine cooking for 30-40 people for each meal.

One of the nights, a few women took me out to the night market and boardwalk in Subic Bay. I was overwhelmed by their generosity as they treated me to ice cream and bought a bracelet for me with their small weekly allowance. They said they wanted me to remember the visit. Those interactions are a gentle reminder of how to truly be generous.


My main task for the trip was to document the paper making process and introduce some quality control measures. Here are a few snapshots of the laborious process of making handmade recycled paper and experimenting with new colors. Check out Good Paper (http://www.goodpaper.com/) to purchase awesome handmade greeting cards. They are beautiful and help to empower the women I’ve met the last few weeks.

Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News

Since December, I’ve been in California and Boston, working hard to finish the last edits on my dissertation, enjoying Christmas with family, and saying my final goodbyes to friends and co-workers given our impending move to San Francisco.

One of my longstanding traditions has been getting to TD Banknorth to see the Boston Celtics play the Sacramento Kings for their one annual trip to Boston. My Kings got blown out. However, my friend, Ming, who graciously brought me to the game, is a season ticket holder, which allowed him access to a shootaround that night on the “parquet floor” and I got to meet the starting center for the Celtics – Kendrick Perkins! (top left)

My brother-in-law Michael’s cat – Mochi – kept me company (top right) while I worked on the last few edits of my dissertation in Redwood City, CA. Michael and Richelle were kind enough to open their home to us for almost a month. Daily rituals included Jillian Michael’s 30 day shred, trips to Whole Foods and Jamba Juice, and feeding the dog and cats.

On January 26^th, 2011, I officially passed my final Ph.D. defense! The defense proceedings took only about an hour, and I only have a few minor edits to complete before the last submission. A good friend lent me a snazzy suit (bottom left) to wear to the proceedings. A bunch of friends came out to celebrate with me that night (bottom right). Thank God, I’m finally done!

In a few days, I'll be leaving Boston and reuniting with Melissa in Taiwan. Chinese New Year, here we come!

Community with a Capital C

One of our favorite things about traveling is the chance to visit other churches. It is interesting to see the impact (both positive and negative) of the West on churches around the globe. Throughout the last few days, I’ve met lots of people who are in the Philippines because of their faith (short-term, long-term, local ministers).

Left: On Sunday, I attended a church called CCF in Pasig City. It is a megachurch with streaming videocasts to several other sites in the Philippines. They were more versed in the latest Christian trends than I was, which always kind of annoys me. Their next series is the “40 days of love”. I wish there was an easier way that churches could incorporate their cultural context rather than replicate the one in the US.

Top Right: Esther (in the middle) is a volunteer at Samaritana. She let me tag along with her this weekend to church and “malling”. Esther’s friend, Allie (on the right), turned out to be a Cal alum who’s doing international research for grad school. It’s a small world. According to facebook, Allie and I have 27 friends in common. We could only think of 5 when we first met.

Bottom Right: My beloved remote church community from CCFC in Boston. They were all on their annual ski trip, but I had a chance to Skype with them. It’s Sooj, Warren, Ro, and Jung. (Err…sorry I didn’t warn you guys about taking a screenshot). When we were chatting, there was an 80 degree difference in temperature. I’ll take snow any day.

Tomorrow I head to Olongapo City, which is a few hours away from here. I'll be taking a look at the production process for the recycled paper used in the greeting cards.

Keeping in touch: Thanks to Michael and his computer-wizard ways, we figured out that I can call phones for free using Google voice. You can also call me, but I have to be sitting at the computer so it's not as easy to catch me. Don't know if I'll have internet the next few days, so I'll send an update when I get back.

Kumasta from the Philippines

After 24 hours of travel, I arrived in Manila on Wednesday morning with no problems. My first impression of the country is that it is hot and humid (and this is their coolest month with highs in the 80s).


Top Left: I am working for Good Paper (www.goodpaper.com), which distributes handmade greeting cards made by women who are survivors of prostitution. For the next 2 weeks, I'll be focusing on a few operations projects for starting new sites.

Top Right: During the Friday night program, several women shared their life stories about being a "bar girl" and their process of transformation.What's most striking about the women is how young they are when recruited.

Bottom Left: Besides making cards for an income, the trainees at Samaritana also go through other trainings, such as making jewelry, maintenance (cleaning, cooking), general education, and counseling.

Bottom Right: I am staying on site at Samaritana, which is also a retreat center. It's a very peaceful site with this lovely open garden in the center. It has wireless and AC.I couldn't ask for more


I remain ethnically/age ambiguous, which is always a fun conversation starter. In my first few days, people have all guessed between the ages of 17 to 24 and most assume I'm half Filipino. In fact, they say I look like this person Joyce Jiminez. No one ever says I look like someone so I was curious and I leave it for you to judge. Don't google images for that name as she is a "sexy" actress and you may accidentally run into sketchier pics as I did...haha.

Tale of Two Cities

Welcome back to our blog. Thanks to our friends and family - Jason, Jill, Jeanne, Albert, Michael, and Richelle - who have been hosting our vagabond life in the last few months.










Warren is currently in Boston for his defense scheduled at the end of the month! He's done a great job working diligently while the rest of us were tempting him with card games and movies over the holidays.








This was the storm that welcomed him back to the city. We've had 3 of our 4 most recent flights get cancelled. That's New England and I'll definitely miss even the unpredictability of travel.







In a very different city... I have been in Los Angeles enjoying the sun and visiting the happiest place on earth.

I am heading to the Philippines tomorrow night to work with Good Paper (www.goodpaper.com) for 2 weeks. Yes, I've double-checked my plane ticket this time.

Warren and I will meet up in Taiwan on February 2 to celebrate the new year in Asia!

Tentative Itinerary
Jan. 17 to Feb 2 - Philippines (Mel only)
Feb. 2 to early March - Taiwan
March - SE Asia: Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand
Mar 26 to Apr. 3 - China with the Yeh family
Apr 3 to Apr 12 - Taiwan
April 12 - back to real life in San Francisco