This trip has been an experience. I logged 160,000 steps taken (80 miles) over these 13 days! Exhausting, hilarious, educational, and memorable. And for the students I’m sure that it has been that and so much more. It was a privilege to travel alongside this group of kids. My small group made my job easy….

The whole group met tonight to go over logistics for our early departure tomorrow morning, but also to reminisce about their favorite parts of this trip. It was entirely in mandarin so I’m sure I missed some of the finer points haha. Some talked about the friends they made from the senior high school. Others…

All the chaperones were sworn to secrecy not to tell the students where we’re heading this afternoon. All they know is that they should get dressed up and be ready to eat The Grand Hotel was all booked for dinner but their lunch menu is the same, so we’re headed there mid-day. I’m really…

More signs and writing seen around town. Things are getting carzy at the carnival: This shirt was for sale at the night market. It almost makes sense. “Never your power to change underestimate” At the hotel there are messages painted on the walls about animals from around the world. This was a good one: At…

We all got to sleep in this morning, heading out at 9am towards Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, a monument in memory of the first President of the Republic of China. In the subway stop outside the Memorial hung some amazing artwork done by Taiwanese middle schoolers! As we stepped outside, the first building we saw…

The rain has lessened so we’re headed up to Maokong, an area high in the mountains known for its tea plantations. It was only a 7-minute bus ride to the base of Maokong, where you can take a glass-bottomed gondola ride to the top! The ride takes a good 20+ minutes during which you can…