Fish market

                                                                                                                                        2016.03.27(Sun)
Yesterday, our family went to Nanfang-ao, where is known for its fish market.
 Consequently, I want to show you the fish market in Taiwan.

Fish market in Nangfang-ao
(There is a short video I took in the fish market.)

( I used the 360 view camera to take the picture, so the person disappear...)

This is the view outside the market, as you see, it just nearby sea.

Therefore, the fish can be delivered to the stall directly.

View inside the market.

There are many stall in a market, so that you can choose anyone to buy the sea food.

Sashimi in Taiwan.

I don't know if Japan sold it in the market, but you can easily buy sashimi in the fish market.

View in the market.

 Fish with big eyes.

 Ramune, it's easily found in the fish market.

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Walking through the street in Nanfang-ao, I found a shop which sells the dried fish.

As you can see in the pictures, many dried fishes were hung outside the door.

Put fish on the net to make it dried.

Before.

After.

                            

The decoration in the store is made by the real fish. 

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There is a large Matsu temple in Nanfang-ao, so I saw the activity that day.

Matsu is a goddess for fisherman, so the Matsu temple nearby the port always is the largest.

Let me show you some pictures.

VIDEO I took.

( You can click it to watch the activity.)

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Finally, let me show you a vendor here.

Many stalls in Taiwan are similar with this one.

We call it 小吃攤, if translate in literally, it is " little eating stall ".

It is not a store but a stall.

Not luxury but very delicious!

Some cuisines.

Sauce.

Transplanting rice activity

                                                                                                                                           2016.3.26(Sat)
Last Saturday, the transplanting rice activity was held by Gu-Dong Club around my home.
Therefore, let me show you some details about this activity.

It was started at 14:00, and people were coming.
If you wanted to participate in this activity, NT 200 dollars are needed for the insurance.















First, Dad brought them to the temple,and pray for everything will be okay.
The temple is not too far from my home, so they will walk there with some thing (cookies and fruits) to put in the temple.

After praying, people came back and prepared for the transplanting.
If you felt starving before working, there were some vendors so that you can buy something to eat.
The vendors are friends of my family, many of them are farmers, either.
They plant vegetable without using pesticide, and making some cuisine and dessert by themselves.

There are also people from Hong Kong and Singapore farm in Shen-gou, consequently, they sold cuisines made by themselves.

Finally, it's the main theme today --  Transplanting rice!
Almost everyone eat rice as staple food, however, few people have had the experience of growing it, especially people who live in the urban district.
As a consequent, you can see many people have fun in the field wit mud on their clothes and body.
I think it'll be a unforgettable experience for them in their life.

Drawing the lines in order to make people know where to plant it.

Using a special tool to pick up the rice seeding.

A lot of mud on their clothes , arms and legs.

But it is hard for them to transplant the whole field, therefore, farmers ( who were selling initially. ) help us to transplant finally. :P

I've participated in this activity for more than ten years, but it's still make me have a lot of fun every year.

Finally, there is the photo of the activity in the field.

Spring in Shen-gou

                                                                                                                                         2016.3.14(Mon)
Spring is a busy season in a farming village.
Recently, farmers in Shen-gou are busy for the preparing for transplant rice seedlings.
With no time to cooking for lunch, farmers in Shen-gou always gather at the place nearby the Mrs. Cat's restaurant for their meal, where called Farmers' canteen.
It's not a restaurant but a place for farmers to rest or having meal.
Every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, a farmers will cook for the lunch.
Each people pay NT 60 dollars, and they can have lunch there.
People should turn to cook, so that everyone will cook for others at least one time.
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The preparing work recently is to stir the field and make it level.

By using the machine like the picture show.

This machine can stir the mud in the field.





This machine can make the field level, so that when managing the state of field after transplanting
rice, the water in the field will cover averagely.
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 Things inside are rice seedlings, covered by the net is in order not to eaten by birds.

Next Saturday ( 3/19 ), the transplant rice seedlings activity will held in my house.

By these seedlings, participants will transplant it into the field.

Therefore, I'll introduce it next week!

Story of mine =Part two=

                                                                                                                                           2016.2.28(Sat)
Before moving to Yilan, we lived in Taipei for about half year.
In this period, I didn't went to school due to the different semester system between Taiwan and Japan; therefore, I was always the oldest student in my class since elementary school.

By the way, I just searched my kindergarten in Okayama, which called 順正保育園.

I found the building is totally different from my memory, maybe it has rebuilt in these year.

The other things is that I found one of my classmates on Facebook, I could not recognize her when I saw her picture.

A strange feeling appeared in my mind, I'm not sure is it kind of missing or yearning, but it is really special.

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Founding  Gu-Dong Club in 2004,  Dad started his career that year, and I went to elementary school that year, either.

Therefore, how many years he have farmed is what grade I'm in school.

This year will be the 13rd year, and I'll be an university student this year.

Each year, there are 3 activities are held, including transplant rice seedlings, harvest and winter solstice. ( I'll introduce it in the future.)

The consumer will join these activities, so that they can take participate in growing rice which they eat.

This will make them understand more about agriculture, which they have a lot of misconceptions.

By this, consumers can also pay more attention to what they buy and eat.

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The former are some description, and the latter will be some of my feeling and thinking.

Some of my homeroom teacher had asked me that if my family need some economic help when they know my dad is a farmer.

The first time teacher asked me this question I was confused.

I should say that my family is not rich at all, it's truth.

However, it doesn't mean that farmers can not backup his/her family and rise their children.

Many people think that farmers is equal to poor.

There is discrimination in gender, and there is also in vocations.

Farmers can also be an ideal job if someone have passionate in it.

Determination is what makes you successful, not your title.

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I do love Shen-gou, and I'm proud of where I live.

I know I'm different from other girls, no matter what I'm fond in or think.

Many people don't like to step into field with bare foot, however, I used to rolling in the muddy field many times.

I think it is because I'm get used to it.

There are two geese kept in my house, and some time I should make them go to where they are kept.

However, they are always swimming in the field (where rice grown), so I should walk into field, and try to make them home.

I have many chance to interact with the field, so I'm get used to it.

I love to spend time to discuss religion, policy or some news happened in the world instead of spending time to study for getting better grade.

I'm a weird student in school I think.

While almost students spend full time chasing better grade or preparing for university entrance exam, I was writing my blog and did something I'm fond in.

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Finally, I want to share how I feel about my family moved back to Shen-gou.

I'm very grateful about it, sincerely.

Because I live in the small village, and my dad serves as a farmer, I got a special childhood memory.

I don't think every children have the chance to play in the field, and pull out the carrot then eat it directly.

Of course, there are and more different experiences I've tried, such as climbing the tree to picking fruits.

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It's part story of mine, and it'll be continuing.

Although it is not the most wonderful story, but I'll make it more and more colorful.

Story of mine =Part one=

                                                                                                                                        2016.02.18(Thu)
The sowing season is approaching; therefore, there isn't too many extra activity held recently.
By this opportunity, I want to tell you my life, my story.
Dad is a farmer, Um... maybe I should describe he as a little famous farmer.
Why he got famous is not because he is an expert in this field or anything about specialty; it's just due to his passion and determination to be a pioneer in this field.
I seldom tell my friends or teachers who my dad is whether they have heard about him or not.
It doesn't mean that I'm ashamed for him, on the contrary, I'm very very very respect on him.
Not only on his profession but as a father of mine.

 Dad & My brother (about 12 years ago.)

Some media had reported his story, however, there is another story exist; the story of his daughter.
No one knows, maybe there is no one desire to know, but I still want to share it on my blog.
Everyone has their own story, most of them are left in the corner.
The following is one of it.
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I was born in Taipei, capital of Taiwan.
Mom is from Yilan, where I live now.
Dad is from Hsinchu.
While I was 5-year-old, my family moved to okayama, Japan, due to my dad's master's degree.
My younger brother was born in okayama in this period we stayed there.

Me and my younger brother (12 years ago.)

As a consequence, I spent my kindergarten life in Japan.
Time I spent in okayama totally changed my view of  the world.
There are many house owners don't allow to rent their house to foreigners.
Consequently, foreigners easily live together in the same community.
For example, the community we lived just like a small united nations.



Picture shows the nationality of the members of our community.
However,I can hardly remember all of them, and just wrote down some that I still remember.

Me & my Korean neighbor

It's been a long long long time that I haven't met her.
I hope she will read this blog in the future.
I remembered that we were always quarrel with each other, but we still played together after that.

I think the reason why I'm always curious about this world is resulting from these two years period I lived in Japan.
As the former mentioned, I spent most of my kindergarten life in Japan in Okyama.
The first half year I didn't said any word at school because I didn't know anything about Japanese.

Fortunately, children can learn anything faster than adult, I could speak in Japanese with my classmates in half year I arrived in Japan.

The following are some photo taken in Okayama.

In my house with neighbors and Mom.

 My are work and me.

 Toy for learning Japanese letters.

In front of my house.

How naughty I was.    :P

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           About kindergarten.


Kindergarten in Okayama.




     My classmates and teachers.



  Birthday.


  School celebration.


 New year activity.


  Singing.


 Letter from my teacher.


 Picking.



 Christmas.

  Draw in kindergarten.
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After 2 years life in Japan, we came back to Taiwan because my dad finished his study.
In fact, professor in my dad's school asked him to stay and study Ph.D.
Nevertheless, he thought studying is not his interest, with a little hesitation, he could't make the choice directly, stay in Japan or go back to Taiwan.

By the way, I think my mom is an amazing woman, she encouraged Dad to chase what he want, no matter what it was.
Farming is what my dad really want to do , however, farmer is not a " ideal job'' in Taiwanese's mind.

Mom said,'' You just do what you want to do, if you have a dream, just pursue it, or you'll regret in the future. Family is not a obstacle on the way chasing your dream, you can't take it as a excuse to escape your rear of the possibility to fail."

=====================continuing========================

I'll share the story after coming back to Taiwan in next part!