Guests, guests, and more guests!

Once again I want to write about a million things, but it's been another long day....so I'll write as much as I can...

Last night I went with A-li, a friend works at Luo Na Elementary School, to her house to eat dinner. After dinner we took a walk, and she taught me a few things about Bunun culture. Along the way we saw murals that depicted the history of the Bunun people. One of the walls described that the design that they put on their clothing is borrowed from the pattern on snake skin.

After our walk, we went to a neighbor's house for Friday night village prayer. This night was special because a baby was being named, and the baby's family had was a small celebration afterwards! The baby was only 10 days old! We all ate and drank some chicken that was soaked in alcohol because apparently all Bunun women who just gave birth can't drink water and can only drink that soup. I was so fortunate to see such an intimate gathering, and they all made me feel so welcome. I was really moved by all the prayers and hymns they sung in the Bunun language.

I really enjoyed seeing what a typical day in A-li's village is really like, and I'm really grateful for the humbling experience.

Today.....was Principal Hong's daughter's engagement! Here when a couple is engaged, they have a ceremony where they exchange engagement rings in front of family and friends. Followed by the engagement ceremony, there is a huge banquet for practically everyone the engaged couple knows. Principal Hong's daughter had 65 tables at her banquet...so imagine about 10 to a table.....yeah we are talking like 650 people! It was a huge venue! Also the bride has three outfit changes throughout the day......one is for the engagement ceremony, another for the banquet, and the last one is for the end of the banquet. At the end of the banquet, the engaged couple and their families have to go around and toast all the guests at each table. Then the engaged couple holds a basket of candy, and they have to thank all the guests for coming.

Principal Hong, her daughter, and the daughter's fiance (the end of the banquet)

First outfit: Bunun Outfit

Second outfit: for the banquet

Third outfit: to thank the guests

Oh and after the banquet....they roast a whole pig and share it with the whole family

Right after the engagement, Principal Hong and I rushed to the Vox Nativa Music School of

Taiwan. Today and tomorrow there will be a lot of guests visiting the school (Vox Nativa

borrows Luo Na's Elementary School Building). There is a young female journalist here

writing an article about the choir, Vox Nativa organization workers, a television show

camera man and host doing a special on the choir, a government grant inspector, and more

media people coming tomorrow. So many people!

the journalist talking to some of the choir kids

A-kuan (Vox Nativa Music School of Taiwan event coordinator) talking to a student

Class 1 practicing with Principal Ma

the cameraman taping the kids singing for the television show

end of the school day

grabbing food and back home they go

in the principal's office, these two dogs were just after all of our snacks haha

Off to bed now! Another busy day ahead of me tomorrow....

Sa vì