Hey, hey Mr. Bus Driver

Upon leaving our apartment today we saw a row of buses all cleaned up and decorated with pink ribbons and bows. Turns out one of the bus drivers is getting married, so instead of a limousine he arrived with 6 city buses to pick up his bride!

MORE Dress Shopping!

I finally found my dress!!!! YAY!!!
(But I want it to be a 'surprise'... so no pictures online!)


However, here are some of the other dresses that I had to try on...

Finding a wedding dress for sale in Taiwan has been a challenge. After finding a few dresses that I liked, and only being told that I needed to purchase an entire wedding photography package, I decided to try my luck at Olivia's 2nd Hand Wedding Shop. (Near MingQuan West Road MRT Station, #130 ZhongShan North Road) : http://oliviawedding.pixnet.net/blog/post/23555215

Their dresses are all $100 (3,000 NTD) no matter the style, condition, etc. All of the dresses can be altered for each bride (basic alterations are included in the price.) I would like to change the neckline of my gown... so it's going to cost me an extra $10 (300 NTD) Not a bad deal for a wedding dress!!

If you do visit Olivia's be prepared to dive in and get your hands 'dirty'... the shop assistants don't help you much, and they don't hover, but they will offer their comments :-) Bring a friend, dig through the gowns and see if they have anything you like! :-)

Dress Shopping Taiwan Style!

Wedding dress shopping in Taiwan!


Most Taiwanese brides rent their wedding dresses. Since they are supposed to wear at least three wedding dresses during the traditional Chinese banquet (groom's side), not including those they wear to take fabulous engagement photos, or to their engagement banquet (bride's side), it makes sense to rent instead of buy. But for me, I only want one white dress, and it's probably more cost effective to buy the dress than rent it for the 2+ months I will be back in the states.

Looks like backstage to a Las Vegas show? Right?

So the search for a wedding dress begins...

Natalie being nervous - I was fine after we got going!

Friday afternooon, Sarka and I went dress hunting in Jhongli! We decided to go to Jhongli and not Taipei because 1) a shop there had actually responded to my email about buying a dress and 2) it is closer (and possibly less expensive?).


Pros about dress shopping here: 1) customer service is excellent! (Everyone was friendly, the shops are all elegant and comfortable, offering tea for your friends, while you try on dresses in your own private 'dressing room'), 2) large selection of styles, 3) all the shops are clustered together, when you're done at one place, you just walk next door!

1st dress I tried on, not the one! (Still a little nervous!)

Cons: 1) On average Taiwanese girls are smaller than I am! (Many of the dresses were too small, too short, or made for a different body type etc.) 2) Styles can get a little crazy! (See below!)


We had a great time. Found a few "maybe's", quite a few "no way's", and even a YELLOW dress for Sarka!

A few "maybe's"

No! No! No!
They "made" me try on this dress -- just to see the foreigner in it!

~Sarka's Yellow Dress~

For brides-to-be looking for their dresses here in Taiwan, here is a map of the wedding-shop area in JhongLi. Most of the shops are located at/near the corner of YanPing Road and ZhongYang East/West Road. I didn't have an appointment with any of the shops, and they all welcomed me in to try on dresses. (Even on a Friday afternoon/evening!) They all were willing to work within my budget (>6,000 NT) as well!


One shop that went out of their way was the 101 France Shop
I also recommend Taipei-Paris Wedding Shop and Sophia
Skip visiting Cathleen Wedding Photo (The sales people are PUSHY and the quality of their dresses does not compare to other shops!)


View Larger Map

Green Island Spring Break Adventure!

Last week I had my first visit to a real tropical Island. Kay, Lorenzo, David, Eddie and I went to Green Island, about a 45 min. ferry ride from the south-east coast of Taiwan. We had a wonderful time exploring Taidong and Green Island.

We spend a day in Taidong County enjoying being in "country". Our hotel in Taidong included a hot spring/spa area. So we relaxed in the hot springs in the morning and again before bed. We visited a pre-history museum that introduced ancient archaeological sites in Taidong. We also visited Taiwan's most famous dairy farm-- it reminded me of spending summers in Wisconsin. :-) Finally, I got to eat yet another exotic fruit called a "shi jia" -- or Buddha's Head fruit-- I'd never seen anything like it before, but my translator says its English name is a "sugar apple"??!!??

(Picture compliments of Ian Maguire at http://www.tropicalfruitnursery.com/fruitproducts_sw.htm)

The ferry ride to Green Island on Thursday was an adventure! There was strong wind, rain, and the sea was pretty choppy. Fortunately, we'd all taken motion sickness medicine, so we had fun getting wet and flying over the rolling waves! Thursday afternoon, I got to go snorkeling for the first time in my life, and it was incredible. Seeing the fish and coral reef was exactly like on the Discovery Channel only much better in person!! After snorkeling we relaxed in natural salt water hot springs while enjoying the beautiful scenery and listening to the pounding surf.

The last day of our vacation, we took our scooters and drove around the island, stopping to take pictures and enjoy scenic spots. Before long it was time to board the ferry and head back to Taiwan, then take the train to Taipei. It was an amazing trip that I'll never forget... and maybe someday I'll go back again!

Pictures of our trip are online at:

Green Island

Ming Chuan's 51st Anniversary!

Happy 51st Anniversary MCU!

This week was crazy! After a great week at home, I left Michigan on Monday afternoon. I arrived back in Taiwan late Tuesday night and had normal class on Wednesday... then on Thursday we had a "field trip!"

Thursday was Ming Chuan University's 51st Anniversary, so since no one else had to go to class- we decided to practice our Chinese in the "real world"-- A.K.A. attend MCU's birthday party!

Quen and I decided to embarass the tuxedo boys!

All of my classmates (minus the only boy Michael).
6 nationalities represented!!

And I can never make fun of Eddie for being a "cheerleader" again. (Well.... yes, I still can ;-) But it turns out that "cheerleading" in Chinese can also mean like a hip-hop dance squad/aerobatic team. Somewhat more "manly" than what I had pictured! Each of MCU's departments put together a different act for the annual cheerleading competition. I was really impressed by how creative their themes and costumes were! It's great to see that kind of school spirit!

Lin Family Mansion

Every day while taking the MRT (read: subway) I pass a stop that proudly advertises the Lin Family Mansion. Interestingly, my surname in Chinese is "Lin"-- but I never knew my family had a Mansion! One Saturday afternoon (after a traumatizing haircut) Eddie decided to cheer me up by visiting the mansion.

The buildings and gardens reminded me of some of the mansions we visited in SuZhou in China. Everything was designed taking balance and feng shui into consideration, the man-made mountains are reflected in a man-made lake.

For me the highlights of our visit were: the peacocks (reminds me of being a kid at the Saginaw zoo); the theater, which is two large covered porches set across from each other with a man-made pond in between; and the calligraphy inscribed on some of the walls, I can read some of the characters now!

Would I make a special trip to Taipei just to visit the Lin Family Mansion?? Nope. But if you're spending some time here and it's a great place for an interesting and relaxing afternoon.