So this blog is actually for Friday, July 23rd....but we were all so busy celebrating Aden's 19th birthday and Kristine's 23rd birthday that I didn't have time to post it until now :)
Friday's most adventurous and most memorable event would probably be considered the white-water rafting on Siouguluan River. The majority of the people in the program haven't done this before, so it was very exciting for everyone. We split into four boats since each boat held eight to ten people. After getting adorned in water shoes, vest, and helmet, we went over safety and instructions, and then we were off in the water!
The waves and rapids were not as frequent as I would have liked, but they still did a good job of tossing our boats around and stirring up some screams and laughs. What caused even more noise from all the boats were the water fights among each other. As soon as one boat would drift closer to another one, there would be paddles and pails of water flinging, showering, and splashing water in the air at each other, without fail. A pail full of water dumped down your neck? Yeppers. A spray of water right into your face from a nearby opponent's paddle? You got it.
The exchanged attacks were relentless throughout the entire 4-hour ride down the river. One good thing about the constant splatter of water in the air was that it kept everyone nice and cool from the burning hot rays of the sun. Yet, this was also misleading to the amount of sun we all got, since later that day, every single person had pink arms and thighs. Lesson of the trip? We're all one boat and in it together; it takes every paddle to be rowing--and rowing together, that is, in a synchronized manner--in order to sail through the water. Lesson number two would be how to properly hold and launch the pail of water at the correct angle so that the water was actually reaching its intended target, and not the rest of your boat-mates (Most Improved Player goes to Luke!).
I'll wrap up the rest of the day real quickly. After rafting we were all pretty hungry from all the paddling and water fights so we picked up a quick snack of steamed bun with pork. Heading to dinner, we were in Yin-jie's part of town, and I was getting pretty excited for this restaurant with oyster noodle soup that she said was really good. Just one little problem... upon arriving into town, the restaurant was gone! So our alternative dinner option was McDonald's. Once we got in all 34 orders of burgers, fries, and McFlurries, we attended the He Hong-qi's and Taiwan Drum Crops' Youth performance. The aboriginal drummers not only held a good beat, but also danced with spirit and sang with beauty and pride. After that, we heard a mini seminar/lecture from Stanley Yen that was very inspirational, encouraging us to go out into the world and make a change based on whatever we're passionate about. Onward we go!
(Pictures to be uploaded later, as soon as we get a strong Internet connection)
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